Daucus

This plant is cultivated for its enlarged, edible root and is commonly known as the Carrot. The original species, from which the Carrot was developed, came from Europe and is known as Queen Anne's Lace. Their foliage is fine and lacy and the roots vary in size and shape; they are usually orange-red or yellow. Their flowers, which are small and white, don't grow until the year following that in which the seeds were sown. Carrots provide carotene, which becomes Vitamin A when absorbed by the body.

Pot Cultivation

Carrots should be cultivated on deep friable land that is free of stones or fresh manure. It is recommended that they be grown on soil that was manured the previous year. The manure will be decayed and the soil will still be rich enough to furnish good Carrots. If this vegetable is grown on lumpy soil or one that contains fresh manure, the roots will most likely be forked or rough and hairy. Soil that is poor may be enriched by forking in a liberal amount of well-rotted compost. Carrots can remain in the ground for several weeks, but they can not dry or they may split when watered. Mature carrots can tolerate moderate freezes if protected with straw mulch. In the North, spring-sown Carrots usually carry right through to autumn with little loss of quality, but in warm climates the flavor deteriorates in hot weather, so time plantings to have crops in the spring and fall. In areas with harsh winters, pull up the Carrots before the ground freezes solid and sandwich them between layers of straw or dry leaves. Cover the pile with plastic and peg it down. You can reach in and pull out Carrots as needed.

Propagation

Seeds may be sown directly outdoors a couple of weeks before the frost free date, when the soil is dry enough to work with. Sow them thinly in straight rows that are about a foot apart; this will aid in cultivation. Cover with plastic until the seedlings peek through the soil, then remove. The seedlings can handle light frosts. Germination of the seedlings may be advanced by sowing them in V-shaped furrows made by pressing into the soil with the edge of a board. Cover the seeds with a 1/4-inch of sand or sifted compost. Peg down a cover of old burlap, presoaked in water containing a little detergent. Mist once or twice a day. When the first seedlings appear, remove the burlap (during the evening hours). Continue misting for a few days. As soon as the baby plants are large enough to grasp, thin them. Don't be shy in thinning; crowding even when they're young can cause stunted and misshapen roots. When the roots are finger size, thin again. Fertilize once or twice during the season. Remember, don't use manure or rough compost, which will deform them.

Varieties

Daucus Carota variety sativa. Some popular kinds include: Cylindrical, stump-rooted - Nantes, Toudo hybrid, Rondino, Nandor. High vitamin A content - A-Plus hybrid, Juwarot. Baby Carrots - Baby Fingers, Little Finger, Lady Finger. (Regular Carrots picked early lack flavor and sweetness). Round - Kundulus, Pariser Markt. Wedge-shaped - Chantenay, Forto hybrid, Tamba. Long, slim - Gold Pak (AAS)