Article submitted to your farm by K manning

A vegetable patch without a crop of carrots growing in it is just not a veggie plot and I love growing these superbly easy to grow vegetables. I say easy but in truth carrots like a light sandy type soil, so if you have clay or stony land then without preparing the ground well, your carrots will have a hard time growing.

I am a traditionalist when it comes to my vegetables but if you are new to growing your own carrots then choose a round or stumpy rooted variety and the chances are you will be very successful no matter what type of soil you have, but you still need to prepare this well in order to give your crop a better chance.

I sow my seeds pretty shallow and make sure the ground is damp. As they grow I do keep an eye on them because of the weed problems but as soon as they are big enough at around 8cm, I do apply some very well done manure which I fork into the soil. I also put some clean straw around them to stop further weeds from taking hold. The straw and mulch also helps keep moisture in the soil and will help to prevent 'green shoulder' which is what usually happens if their crowns are exposed to the sun. This results in the roots having a bitter taste. It is always a good idea to pull the soil up around the crowns if this happens. Another thing to watch out for is over watering because this will make the roots crack.

As soon as my carrots get to a good size I harvest them and I know which are ready because the tops of these are darker and much greener than ones which aren't quite there yet. I try never to leave them in the ground for too long as this makes them rather tough. When I do harvest I really soak the bed first which means my carrots don't put a struggle when I pull them out. The trick is to twist the carrot slightly as you tug it gently out of the ground and lift any roots out with a small fork.

You should always cut away the tops as soon as you pull your carrots up as this will prevent them from growing any more, and of course this means the root stays sweeter. I have been able to successfully store my carrots for ages and the best part about doing this is that the vitamin A value in them increases considerably in the first five months.