Mario Bautista
Early last spring, I wrote a column about sowing carrots, one of my favorite vegetable crops. But, have you tried growing late summer/early fall carrots? It’s easy. Spring sown carrot seeds take a bit longer to germinate because the soil is much cooler. These late summer days you can plant another crop. Carrot seeds sown now germinate much faster. A spring carrot bed might take longer to take off, but you really don’t have to worry about watering the crop. Late summer carrots need attention to watering. Here are a few tips on growing late crop. Now is the best time to get started.
PREP SOIL: First of all the soil has to be light and fluffy, free of any thick clumps if carrot seeds are to germinate evenly. It pays to add plenty of compost and organic matter to lighten up heavier soils. Using a commercial potting soil works well. A good rule of thumb to consider is carrots need a loose, well-drained soil that is at least 8 to 12 inches deep. Most garden soils are not this way.
If your soil is heavy, try sowing carrot seeds in a large container or raised bed filled with a top-quality potting soil. Mixing in 4-4-4 all-purpose natural fertilizer will get plants off to a good start. You will have perfect carrots every time with this method. And there will be no weeding.
LET THERE BE LIGHT: It is full sun only for carrots. No way around it. Your winter carrot bed should be in full sun for at least six hours during December and January.
CONSIDER THE SEEDS: The best variety of carrot seed for containers and raised beds is Nantes. Nantes types produce nice 6-inch long carrots that are juicy and sweet. Sowing carrot seeds can be tricky because they are so small. Using seed tape will assure evenly spaced carrots. But, many times the germination is erratic. You will get better results sowing loose seeds. When sowing seeds, try mixing them with a bit of granulated sugar to get an even spread. This will save with the thinning later on. After sowing the seeds, press a thin layer of light, fluffy potting soil over the seeds. This will prevent any soil crusting after sowing. Then, lay a thin layer of the row cover fabric on the bed and wet down thoroughly. The fabric will help retain moisture.
HAVE PATIENCE: These late summer days it usually takes carrot seeds two weeks to germinate. In that time, the seed bed must be kept evenly moist and warm. Again, row cover fabric can help.
FERTILIZE: Once sprouts are an inch or two tall, give them a drenching with an organic liquid fertilizer that is low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus and potassium. Look for a 5-10-10, or something similar. Don’t forget to weed.
ADD ONIONS: As carrots mature, the dreaded carrot rust fly arrives to lay eggs on the soil below the green tops. Maggots burrow into the soil and feed on the roots. Companion planting green onions in a carrot patch deters the flies. They do not like the smell of onions.
WATER: As the tops grow taller, be sure to deeply soak the bed a couple of times a week until fall rains begin. This will assure fat, juicy carrots.
Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.
