By now I have harvested most of the carrots planted in late winter. They are "All Seasons", a good variety for colder months. I have already planted two more successive rows of "All Seasons" and will sow "Manchester Table" during the warmer months to harvest in autumn. Carrots are my favourite vegetable because they take up very little space and do particularly well in a raised garden bed with light, sandy soil. The stumpy French Nantes and round carrot varieties are good choices if you have clay soils or are planting carrots in pots.
Growing Tips: Carrots seeds require moisture for at least ten days after the seeds are sown. If you can't be there to water daily this can be a problem. To overcome it I cover the seeds with a thin layer of mixed palm peat and sieved soil, lightly water and place a ply-wood board over the top to keep the soil moisture from evaporating. I remove it after a week and then hand-water every day until the seedlings appear. They look like grass at first. A damp piece of hessian will also perform the same function as the board but allows the sunlight to reach the germinating seeds, which can be an advantage over the board because if you don't remove the board in time the carrot roots begin growing horizontally above the soil. Carrots don't need additional fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, which makes them fork and grow hairy. Carrots need to be thinned- I do this twice, once as soon as the ferny leaves are showing and again a month later. The remaining plants are about 10cm apart and can be selectively harvested throughout the season leaving increasingly bigger gaps between remaining plants; the bigger the space, the bigger the carrots. Split carrots are caused by uneven watering; don't allow the soil to become completely dry and then over-water. One of the great pleasures of gardening is pulling up a perfect carrot you have grown yourself!
