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Carrots
are one of the most widely grown vegetable crops by the home
gardener. Being one of the few root crops that can be eaten
raw or cooked, they are a fantastic source of Vitamin A (and
many other minerals).
Carrots are great value because they are extremely easy to
grow and you can get a very high yield in a small space. Their
uses are endless. You can cut them up and use them uncooked
in salads, put them in a blender and drink the juice, steam
them, put them in stir fries or mash them.
Grown all year round Carrots are most economically grown from
seeds, germination is fast with seedlings appearing within
2 weeks. |
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Carrots
love light soils, which are rich in organic matter and manures.
Searles® Real Organic compost is ideal to dig into your vegetable
garden to add all the nutrients they need. You will only require
a small amount, approx 1-2 cm deep and then dig this into
the soil to a depth of about 15cm. Be sure to plant them in
full sun to achieve strong growth. If the soil in your plot
is of good quality liquid fertilising will not be necessary.
One of the main problems associated with Carrots is over feeding
with nitrogen thus giving you beautiful foliage above the
ground and lack of root development below which doesn't produce
good Carrots. Searles® Liquid Potash is excellent because
it is high in potassium and phosphorous which is essential
for strong root development. |
Another problem encountered is branched or misshapened Carrots.
This is due to stones, clods and large lumps in the soil and
also from over feeding with nitrogen rich fertilisers. Working
the soil to remove any lumps can prevent this. A good practice
with carrots is to plant them in a garden bed that has just
finished a crop of "above ground" vegetables. This
will ensure that the soil is not over rich in Nitrogen.
There are many varieties of seeds available, from long, medium
and baby Carrots. Many carrots are able to be sown all year
and are ideal to grow in our climate. All Searles carrot seeds
have been chosen for their virus resistance and ease of germination
and growth.
A few handy hints for Carrots are to mix the seed with washed
river sand. This will give you an even spread of the seedlings
when sown directly into the garden. Because it is mixed with
the sand there is no need to cover the seed. Watering will
cover them enough for them to germinate. The other handy hint
is to grow Carrots fast for a nicer taste. So with their great
taste, easy to grow and versatility there is sure to be a
space for them in your vegie garden.
Happy Gardening with Searles from the Searle family.
© Copyright 2002 JC & AT
Searle Pty Ltd
You may make a copy of this Fact Sheet for your personal,
non-commercial use only. Please do not make any other use
of this Fact Sheet without first obtaining our permission. |
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