Monday, June 29, 2015

A Trick For Growing Very Early Carrots

The first thing to come up in the spring at our farm is the garlic. Wait...I thought this post is about carrots.

Yes there is a connection, read on...

We plant the garlic in the fall about mid October. We use a heavy layer of compost about 12 inches wide and 6 inches deep. The garlic is planted in the middle of this strip.

In the spring, very early, as soon as the snow melts, on both sides of the garlic, but still in the compost strip, maybe 1-2 inches apart you seed carrots. I like to use the lettuce plate on the Earthway seeder. This is all done before the garlic is up.

You probably won't see the carrots for a month because the ground is cold, but they will come up and be ready about the same time as the garlic, which is very late June or early July here in Minnesota.

If you wait until the soil can be worked it will be at least 2-4 weeks later for your carrots.

You could also make a bed exclusively for carrots in the fall and plant as soon as the snow melts. With our method you don't waste the space or the compost resources and you weed both at the same time.

 We picked a few carrots on June 15 and they were about the same size as a sharpie marker. A few more weeks and we will be harvesting for market.

We also started harvesting garlic scapes this week.

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