Tending and Harvesting carrots for storage
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Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family, named after the umbrella-like flower clusters that plants in this family produce.
Carrots for storage should be lifted during the first half of October - no later, or bad weather will damage the crop. Roots that are left in the ground too long will get woody and crack , and will be of little use for storing. If carrots are in good condition and are properly stored they will keep until March or April of the following year. Look for a good, smooth form and a hearty orange colour. Select carrots that still have greens attached, as these tend to keep better and taste fresher. The leaves themselves should be fresh and bright green. Before storing, cut off the leaves as near as possible to the crown without damaging it
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Tending and Harvesting carrots for storage
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because the leaves deplete the carrot of both moisture and nutrients. Remove any soil, and store the carrots in layers of slightly damp sand. In open boxes or trays.
Since carrots prefer well-drained soil, they are ideal for growing in raised beds, where their roots can develop freely. The variety of carrot seeds you choose is crucial. You do not want your carrots to grow longer than the height of your raised bed because your produce will be disfigured. For long, straight, slender
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Tending and Harvesting carrots for storage
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carrots, you need soft, fertile, well-drained soil so they can stretch their root downward.Remember to keep your raised bed well watered and well fertilized.
- Make small shallow holes about 7,5 centimetres apart in the soil of your raised bed and place two seeds in each hole and lightly cover with soil.
- Keep the planting medium in your raised bed evenly moist as seeds are germinating. Then increase your watering as the carrots develop.
- As the carrots continue to grow thin them out to give plants more room to grow. When you pull the carrots to eat them try to pull every other plant so that there is more space for growing plants.
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