Carrot - Solar Yellow

DESCRIPTION

The Solar Yellow is an interesting heirloom carrot with yellow skin. Best when harvested at less than 20cm long, it's an extremely tender variety that can be enjoyed like a baby carrot, roasted or steamed whole, or sliced and added to dishes for a pop of colour.

SOWING

Carrots are not the easiest seeds to start, but once you get going they're a very rewarding crop. I always choose varieties that don't get very long, so you don't have to prepare your soil as deeply. They prefer loosened soil that drains easily (so not too much clay), but they can be sensitive to drying out while germinating - a tricky balance to maintain. I normally sprinkle carrot seeds around the garden while I plant other things, roughing up the soil so that they're covered no more than 6mm, and sprinkle an extremely light layer of mulch over the top of the whole bed, keeping in mind that thick mulch encouragers slaters, which nibble on seedlings. Make sure the soil in between your new seedlings is kept well watered, and after 3-4 weeks some of your carrot seeds should germinate and start to fill the spaces in between your other plants. Make sure you thin out any carrots that are competing with each other and keep on top of weeds, as they can struggle with competition. It's not a good idea to start carrots in seedling pots, because the success rate after transplanting them is very low - instead I encourage a casual approach to sowing in the garden. Will grow in larger pots.

WATERING

Carrots are light water consumers once they get going - you can water them less than other things in your garden, once per day (early morning or late afternoon is best in summer).

SUN EXPOSURE

Carrots need as much sun as possible to flourish, but are very flexible. Their feathery leaves will extend into the sunny patches of your garden to take advantage of the light. As long as they receive a few hours of sunlight each day, they'll produce something.

COMPANION PLANTING

The carrot tops don't get very big - maybe 20cm wide, and just as tall. Carrots grow well next to pretty much everything - the only plants that don't appreciate the company of carrots are others in the same family, like parsley, dill, and celery. Produces some of the best flowers for attracting and feeding beneficial insects.

HARVESTING AND EATING

It's up to you when you eat your carrots! A very flexible vegetable, the greens can be eaten at any time, usually best made into a pesto, marinade, or chopped and added to soups and stewed dishes for a hit of iron. These carrots are tender and sweet, and can be steamed and roasted whole. If left undisturbed until autumn or winter, the plant will persist, with the top reminding you where it is, and you can pull some fresh carrots out at that time for larger, more savoury roots that can be used in almost any winter dish for a pop of yellow. Carrots can be grated and added to cakes, salads, and sauerkrauts, roasted, stir fried, cooked in soups and stewed dishes, or enjoyed raw. Harvesting the leaves frequently may affect the formation of a root, but it's fine for a plant you want to save seeds from.

SEED SAVING

If you leave a few carrots in the ground over the whole of next winter, they'll produce flowers in late spring next year. The carrot's flower is a distinctive shape called an umbel - the large flat discs of tiny flowers are loved by insects. Some of the most beautiful and beneficial flowers in the garden, it's highly recommended to leave a few in to help feed the bees and butterflies and encourage them to stick around and pollinate next season's vegetables. They'll take a while to finish their life cycle, but when you see that the umbels are starting to get brown, cut them off and dry them whole in a paper bag. Shake and crunch the umbels to break up the dried seed clusters and discard the larger pieces of material - these seeds will be good for 3-4 years. You can re-sow your own crop right away, or save your carrot seeds over the winter in something airtight. It's best not to sow carrots in winter, but any other season is ok - carrots can be a year-round crop if you sow them in stages.