Carrot
Where can you grow carrots?
The most important thing for carrots is good soil and plenty of sun. Apart from that, it doesn’t matter where you place them: they do just as well in the open air as in a pallet collar. If you have space for a larger container, they can also be grown on the balcony.
The soil should be loose and rich in mould. Till deeply so that the roots (i.e. the carrots themselves) have room to grow. If you grow your carrots outdoors and find it difficult to get them going, you may need to improve the soil. You can do this by using compost material, grass clippings and manure every year. In a pallet collar or bucket, the easiest way is to simply buy suitable soil from scratch (if you don’t have access to your own compost soil).
Choosing varieties and sowing carrots
Carrots come in many colours and shapes. The big dividing line is between early and late varieties. You should sow the late varieties as soon as the frost has gone and the soil is ready. Start sowing the early varieties then, but then continue sowing continuously so that you get a harvest throughout the summer. We usually sow carrots in many different colours so that we can make beautiful salads.
Soak the seeds for 24 hours before sowing – they will germinate faster. Sow 30 centimetres apart in rows and try not to sow too densely, so you don’t have to thin like crazy later. The seeds should be very shallow and only covered with a thin layer of soil or sand. An old trick is to sow a few radish seeds in each row. They are fast-growing and will show you where the rows go before the carrots come up.
Water continuously and keep free of weeds. When the carrot blast comes up, thin out, so that each carrot has room to grow. But be very careful not to damage the plants that remain.
Watch out for pests!
Both carrot fly larvae and carrot leaf fleas can cause problems. The fleas eat the leaves and the larvae feed on the root itself, gnawing holes. The most important trick to avoid these insects is to change the planting site every year – this will significantly reduce infestations. You can also protect the carrots with fibre cloth. Not the prettiest – but effective. Also, remember not to let the carrots dry out.
An infested carrot can look a bit dull and will not last as long in storage. However, it does not affect the flavour and is not dangerous. Eat infested carrots as soon as possible after harvest, so they don’t go bad.
Harvesting
Early varieties don’t cope well with storage, and are also very tasty when they’re fresh. Pull them out of the ground, rinse them off and start chewing! Or, by all means, use them in a fresh summer salad. Summer carrots are harvested continuously when you think they are the right size.
Late varieties (winter carrots) are harvested in late autumn and can be stored. Don’t wait too long to harvest, or the carrots may crack and go bad. Store in the cellar or fridge, or pick them. They keep best if you store them in boxes with sand in the cellar.
Eating carrots
One of our summer favourites is a warm wheat salad with halloumi or feta cheese and baked carrots. We usually mix in chopped fennel and roast on pumpkin seeds for extra crunch and top with parsley, but you can use anything you have at home (or in the country). We make a lovely pumpkin hummus to go with it. With carrots in different colours, the dish is a feast for the eyes. Perfect for a hot summer day.
Author: Johanna Damm
Fact-checked by Erik Hoekstra
Last updated 2022-10-14