The East End's Soils Are Great for Growing Carrots

This week, a look at a root that has a fascinating history including a rabbit, some lies and some myths. But this root turns out to be incredibly healthy in our diets and incredibly well suited to being grown in our East End sandy soil. Meet the carrot.

But before we get into how to grow this great crop, we need to get a few facts straight and straighten out a few others. Carrots began to be cultivated by man around the 12th or 13th century and — surprise, surprise — they were not orange. Until the 17th century, carrots were mostly a shade of purple. Dutch growers back then began doing breeding experiments on this root and over time they developed what is now our orange carrot. In the past few decades we’ve seen the availability of a rainbow of colors when it comes to carrots, but the orange types, high in beta-carotene and carotenoids, have become the norm.

Those of us who grew up after World War II were taught that eating carrots was good for your eyes and that eating this root would aid in maintaining good vision. It turns out that this is still true as beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A, which in turn has been proven to aid in eye health. But there was still a lie.

During World War II the British Royal Air Force conjured up the myth tying carrots to clear, sharp vision as a way to explain the sudden increase in Nazi bombers being shot down. It turns out that a disinformation campaign spread the rumor that the British fighter pilots were eating carrots to improve their vision while in reality the British had a new radar system that they wanted to keep secret from the Germans. The story caught on but the truth is that eating carrots will not suddenly change or improve your vision.

Then along came a cartoon rabbit who loved carrots. Bugs had us all fooled. A rabbit does not have the skills or physical requirements to extract carrots from the soil. While domesticated rabbits will eat the carrot root if we provide it for them, it’s not part of their normal diet. There is a bit of truth to this myth, though. Rabbits are fond of the parsley-like foliage that carrots have, and certainly go for this part of the plant, but usually not the root itself. If rabbits are an issue, look into a special type of fencing called, of all things, rabbit fencing.

To grow carrots you need a sandy soil that still has organic matter in it to support their growth. This means amending sandy soils by adding compost and or humus, but the easily draining sandy soil is critical. Where gardeners go wrong is in leaving rocks and other debris in the soil that interferes with the root development. The carrot root likes to grow straight down without any interference. For this reason we need to make sure that the soil is a sandy loam and rock, stone and debris free as deep as the length of the carrot variety that we want to grow.

For the longer standard carrots, this means the soil should be sandy loam to a depth of about 10 inches or a bit more. This depth can be less for the more blunt types and for baby carrots. And yes, there are carrots that can be grown in pots, raised planters and other containers as long as the soil and light is right. Carrots need full sun

The one mistake that gardeners make when growing carrots is that they buy a packet of seed and sow them all at once. The result is that the carrots all mature within a two-week period then they are done. Carrots should be planted on a schedule that includes a planting about every two weeks from early May through late summer. Many carrot varieties that are planted late can remain in the ground well into November and in some years beyond. As long as the soil stays cold, but not frozen, the carrots seem to get sweeter going in the fall and some types called “keepers” can be kept in a cold cellar or unheated spot through the winter for use in cooking such as in stews.

In the garden, carrots should be planted in rows, but these rows can be scattered around the vegetable garden (and other gardens) to allow for succession planting. The seeds germinate slowly and erratically so be patient. Carrot seeds are also available as seed tapes, which makes spacing and thinning very easy. The seed can also be purchased as pelleted seed, allowing more precise planting and the use of seeding tools. A packet of pelleted carrot seed containing 250 seeds will sow a row 15 feet long at 16 pellets a foot or one seed every three-quarters of an inch.

While you can find dozens of carrot varieties in the seed racks and catalogs, most of them fall into one of four categories. The Imperator types are long, thin and among the sweetest. Danvers are the “traditional” carrot with the well-known carrot shape and are known as great for storing. The Nantes types are blunt ended and nearly cylindrical and one of the types best suited to juicing. Lastly is the Chantenay, which is short, fat and among the best types for freezing and canning.

What about these small carrots that you can buy in the market that are often called “baby” carrots? These are not always a particular variety but just varieties that are planted by farmers at different times of the year and harvested young — as babies. Any carrot can be picked at this stage and will taste good as long as it’s at or near maturity but not fully grown.

How do you know when your carrots are ripe and ready? Well you could harvest one or two to test the taste, but once pulled they can’t be put back in the ground. The most reliable clue for beginners is to note the date that the foliage emerges and also note the time-to-harvest days noted on the seed packet. I’ve also had some success by watching and feeling the carrot top or “shoulder.” This part of the root will be just at the soil surface, and if the seeds were planted at the right depth you’ll see the shoulder and be able to judge its size compared to the listed diameter.

From the emergence of the foliage, carrots mature in 50 days for the early types, 70 days for the main crop and a week or so longer for the storage types. Remember though, if you want to store or keep your carrots these should be seeded on the late side; this keeps the roots tastier for a longer period of time.

Insects and diseases are usually not a problem though they do exist. Diseases can be addressed by planting varieties that are disease resistant. Insects are usually not an issue but the caterpillar of the black swallowtail butterfly will feed on the carrot tops, or foliage. Also known as the parsley worm, this caterpillar is spiky and black with orange spots in its early instars. As it grows and approaches the pupa stage, its color changes to alternating green and black bands with yellow spots on the black bands, and it loses the spikes. Pick caterpillars off and move them to alternate hosts such as Queen Anne’s lace, which is a carrot relative.

One very important thing to remember if you decide to grow carrots as a regular feature of your veggie garden: You can avoid most disease problems and some of the insect problems by rotating the location of your carrot plantings at least once every three years. There are also companion plantings like onions that will help deter some insect issues. Just remember that when you move this crop to a new location check the soil to make sure it’s carrot friendly. Sandy loam with no rocks or debris — or you’ll end up with very strange looking roots.

If your kids love carrots this is a great crop for them to try out, especially if you use seed tapes or pelleted seed. It teaches so many things including caring for the soil and patience. For those reluctant carrot eaters, growing the right sweet roots could be the key to edible success. If you need more information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds has a great resource library on carrots at https://bit.ly/3IPmGP0. Keep growing.