Carrots, carrots, carrots! Have we got carrots!
The carrots are beginning to crown in the garden so I am going to have full grown carrots for munching and cooking shortly! Truth be told, I have been snitching a few of them already when they were babies so I could enjoy the sweet taste of baby carrots in salads, etc.
There are numerous varieties of carrots and purchasing standard organic carrots is pretty inexpensive so I chose to grow two varieties that are not commonly available at the market.
Adelaide Baby Carrots is a miniature Nantes-type, with straight sides, shaped like a baby finger; this new variety is much improved from its Dutch “seedsmen” predecessor. This carrot is bred to reliably produce coreless, succulently sweet baby carrots. The carrots should be harvested at no larger than 3" - the smaller the better. I like to serve this bright orange baby carrot with the little greens still attached blanched for a salad or blanched and sautéed for a delightful side dish!
I also planted French Babette (baby) carrots. This is a brand new French Nantes hybrid finger carrot bred for early color, even cylindrical shape, high-yields and extraordinary taste. These carrots germinate quickly after being directly sewn into the garden soil and mature in approximately 70 days after germination.
Carrots work best when planted in friable soil so add extra sand to this part of the garden (this also benefits leeks, beets, and other root crops). Do not plant carrots directly after composting the soil. Add compost in the fall to be ready for spring carrot planting. While hardy, these carrots also like to be watered properly so watch the greens for signs of yellowing or wilt.
Happy Gardening!
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