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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Carrots

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  • From: Aaron Brower <aaronbrower AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Carrots
  • Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 16:48:00 -0700 (PDT)

Our process for carrots is quite similar but we begin with stale beds. About 3-4 weeks before we plan to sew carrots we prepare beds. About 10-14 days later we give them a shallow cultivation to kill the germinated weeds. Just before planting we cultivate again, then seed, flame weed, hand weed and cultivate in between the rows as necessary. We've had good luck with this method.

As for carrot spacing, I've read that carrots give maximum yield whether you give them plenty of room (4") or just a little (1/2"). One can control the size of the carrot without concern for the overall yield. If you want small carrots, sew them close. If you want big carrots, give them room. I would be hesitant to use a direct seeder to go back over the same ground. One of the passes would inevitably emerge first and even emergence of carrots is important if you want consistent size. Those that emerge fastest will out-compete the carrots that are slow to emerge, leaving them much smaller and giving you an inconsistent harvest. 

Aaron
Rollinsford, New Hampshire

From: Harriet Allen <hattie_allen AT yahoo.com>
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Mon, August 9, 2010 4:57:00 PM
Subject: [Market-farming] Carrots

What I do for carrots is to plant them in beds that are 3 to 4 feet wide and I put several rows in the bed...like about 8 inches apart.  Then I flame the bed prior to carrot germination (I do that by watching for a few strategically placed patches of beet seed and when the beets come up, I flame).  After flaming, at least the carrots get an opportunity to grow.  I use an earthway seeder and use the carrot plate, but I double seed with it--that is, I run the seeder up and down the same row twice.  I then know that I will spend some time handweeding and thinning, but only ONCE for the real detailed work.  The carrots are thickly planted and do fine with just a bit of thinning and there are less weeds because of the close spacing in the beds.  It is all about the timing for me.  If I wait too long to thin and weed it is troublesome indeed.  If I get to it when the time is right, it is not so bad, but it is still time consuming of course.  Without flaming, the carrots get too lost.  Of course it would be nice to have my beds more free of weed seeds, but somehow, that doesn't happen for me very often.
 
We have had no rain to speak of for what seems a very very long time.  It is very bad here.  My area is moderate drought.  Just south of me on Delmarva is Severe Drought and north is mild drought, but that was a couple weeks ago and it hasn't rained...Nothing.  It is also in the 90s every day with no break and temperatures at night consistently above 70 degrees...sometimes almost 80.  Heirloom tomatoes are dropping lots of blossoms and I'm making notes on the tomatoes that set fruit anyway...Japanese Black Trifele for instance.  But the fruit is terrible this year...so many stink bugs I can't seem to get a handle on them and the fruit is cracking and cracking.  I'm watering but I think I don't really get it how dry the earth is and how much more I really need to water.  Have started leaving drip tape on all night on a few rows at a time to really soak things.  Would like to end the season with some decent tomatoes.
 
Hattie
Lewes, DE 19958 Zone 7




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