Carrots

Prior to sowing, carrot beds should be well worked, leaving a fine textured soil devoid of rocks, weeds or course matter which will impede the tap root and cause distorted carrots. Carrots can be sowed a couple of weeks before your last frost, ½ inch (1 cm) deep and apart in 12 inch (30 cm) rows. Keep soil surface moist to aid germination. Thinning is most important and spacing will dictate size of the carrot root - 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cm). This must be done while plants are still small (2 inches or 5 cm) and is best done by cutting tops the soil and neighboring roots remain intact. Mixing seed with a carrier medium such as coffee grounds or vermiculite can help distribute the seed evenly while sowing. Mulch helps maintain moisture and soil temperature, which allows carrots to thrive, while also inhibiting weeds and keeping root shoulders from greening. Stagger plantings every three weeks to keep harvesting all summer and into the fall. Rotate carrot crops for disease prevention.