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Planting Carrots

The carrot isone of our most common and widely grownvegetables. It grows best at mean temperaturesbetween 600-700 F. Prolonged higher tempera-tures tend to produce shorter, non-blunt roots, while temperatures below 50° F. tend to makeroots longer, more slender and paler in color.

California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico are the important commercial production areas for thewinter and spring crop. Most of the northernstates have large acreages for summer and fallharvest, used fresh and for processing andfreezing.

Varieties

Seedsmen list a large number of varieties butonly a few of these listed sorts are important.Those having long, cylindrical and smoothshape include 'Imperator', 'Gold Pak', and`Nantes Half Long'. Other standard varietiesinclude 'Red Cored Chantenay' and 'DanversHalf Long'.

Soils

Carrots, like beets, grow best in a deep, loosesandy loam, loam or muck soil that is high infertility and water-holding capacity. Soilpreparation and fertilizer recommendationsoutlined for beets apply equally well for carrots.See BEETS. Note should be made to the effectthat strawy manure or raw compost should notbe used because its use just prior to plantingwill tend to produce knobby, misshapen rootswith many fibrous side rootlets.

Planting and Care

Carrot seed is slow to germinate and, there-fore, a few quick germinating radish seeds arefrequently scattered in the drill to mark therows and thus permit earlier cultivation. Sow theseed in drills in. in depth at the rate ofoz. per too ft. of row. As soon as the plantsreach a height of 2-3 in., thin to a spacing of11-2 in. Space the rows t2-15 in. apart. Theseed may be planted as soon as the ground canbe prepared, and for continuous supply make aplanting every 3 weeks until Aug. 1. This appliesto the northern states. Shallow cultivation isimportant starting as soon as possible afterplanting. Commercial growers use a petroleumproduct Stoddard Solvent to control weeds incarrots. The use of herbicides and chemicals forweed control is, however, not recommended inthe small home garden.

Carrots are most tender and sweet if har-vested before the roots reach their mature size orfor the long types a dia. of I-t} in. and theshorter chantenay types of f-2 in.

Carrots may be harvested in the late fall andstored in the same manner as recommended forbeets. See BEETS.

Insects and Diseases

The carrot caterpillar is green banded withblack and yellow markings and up to 2 in. long.

It seldom does much damage. The carrot rustfly is becoming a serious problem in some areas.The larvae, yellowish-white, legless and up toin. long, tunnels into the outer fleshy root.Control involves the use of a diazinon dustapplied at the rate of 2 lbs. per too° sq. ft. of soilsurface. Apply to the soil before planting andthen work it thoroughly into the upper 6 in.Leaf blight and carrot yellows are diseases oflesser importance that can cause some damage.Spray with Maneb. Carrot yellows, a virus, isspread by the 6-spotted leaf hopper. To controlthe hopper use a 4% malathion dust. Three to 4applications at 7-10-day intervals starting assoon as the first leaf hoppers appear.

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