ROOTING FOR carrots

KG editor Steve Ott takes a look at one of our most popular root veg and offers his top tips for great harvests

- Steve Ott

Carrots are relatively inexpensive in the shops so might not be top of your list when it comes to looking for ways to cut the food bill. However, buying from the shops ignores the fact that home-grown roots taste so sweet and juicy, that you have the choice of so many varieties of all shapes and many colours, and that if you so choose, your roots will be free from chemicals.

Carrot seed is relatively cheap if you go for an ‘oldie but goodie’ variety (in fact it’s often free with your favourite gardening magazine) and once sown needs little attention. True there are some pests that need to be tackled, but otherwise you should be harvesting your first delicious roots 12-16 weeks from sowing, depending on variety and how large you like them.

GROUND PREPARATION

All carrots grow best in a reasonably fertile and well-drained soil. The longer types also need a deep, stone-free soil if you are to avoid those entertaining, but less than easy to prepare forked roots. Of course, you will be aiming for long, straight, tapering roots, but if your soil is less than perfect don’t give up – you can simply make compost-filled holes to accommodate your carrots, or grow an equally tasty, but shorter-rooted variety.

It is important to choose soil which hasn’t been manured, and carrots often follow hungry, leafy crops such as brassicas in a crop rotation. Simply remove any weeds and if the soil needs a boost, scatter some general fertiliser over the surface and rake in lightly a week prior to sowing.