Deep Purple Carrot -Healthy, Unique, Anthocyanins Antioxidant Rich
The very straight, tapered roots of Deep Purple carrot grow 17-20cm (7-8”) long. These carrots are named for the fact that the purple characteristic runs right to the core, and they keep their colour when lightly cooked. The tops are strong for easy harvests, and the storage potential is great. This is a fine fall harvest carrot that is good for juicing and it looks amazing in salads. The sweet, smooth-skinned roots were a staff favourite from our field trials. This is a high yielding, very uniform variety for the market grower or home gardener.
These seeds are coated with an inert, organically certified layer which helps to minimize clumping in storage and seed sowing machines. The coating is approved by organic certifiers in Canada, the US, EU, and Japan.
Matures in 75 days. (Hybrid seeds)
Solid purple interior
Strong tops
Matures in 75 days
Hybrid seeds
Plant, Grow, and Harvest Carrots (and Eat)
Carrots are easy to grow as long as they are planted in loose, sandy soil during the cooler periods of the growing season—spring and fall (carrots can tolerate frost). Depending on the variety and local growing conditions, carrots may take anywhere from 2 to 4 months to mature. Plant them in the spring and summer for a continuous harvest through fall!
The Importance of Good Soil
Proper soil preparation is extremely important for carrot growing! If the carrot roots can’t easily grow unobstructed, it can lead to stunted and misshapen crops.
How to prepare your garden soil:
Till down 12 inches and make sure there are no rocks, stones, or even soil clumps that could impede your carrots’ growth.
Avoid adding to the soil with nitrogen-rich material such as manure and fertilizer, which can cause carrots to fork and grow little side roots. Instead, work in old coffee grounds.
If your ground soil is heavy clay or too rocky, you should consider planting carrots in a raised bed at least 12 inches deep and filled with airy, loamy soil (not clay nor silt).
Finally: Don’t expect to get perfectly straight “grocery store” carrots. Your carrots will still taste better, whatever their shape!
When to Plant Carrots
For a summer harvest, sow seeds outdoors 3 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost date.
To ensure a continuous harvest, plant a new round of seeds every 3 weeks through late spring.
For a fall harvest, sow seeds in mid- to late summer—starting about 10 weeks before your first fall frost.
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site
Carrots need a location that receives full sunlight, though they can tolerate partial shade, too.
As discussed above, soil must be loose, sandy or loamy, and airy so that carrot roots can easily push down through the soil.
How to Plant Carrots
We recommend sowing seeds directly in the garden (or wherever you plan to grow them) rather than transplanting. Carrots do not like to have their roots disturbed.
Sow 1/4 inch deep, 2 to 3 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart.
Tip: Try to distribute seed in an even fashion so that seeds don’t grow together. Use a seed-sower or thin vigorously to the right spacing.
Keep the soil moist with frequent shallow waterings. For small carrot seeds to germinate, the soil mustn’t form a hard crust on top; cover with a layer of vermiculite or fine compost to prevent a crust from forming. (If you put your finger in the ground, it should be moist, but not wet, to the middle knuckle.)
Carrots are sometimes slow to germinate. They may take 2 to 3 weeks to show any sign of life, so don’t panic if your carrots don’t appear right away!
Tip: To help keep track of where they were planted, mix carrot seeds with quick-germinating radish seeds or sow radish seeds in rows between carrot rows. The radishes will grow quickly and by the time the carrots really start to grow, the radishes can be harvested.