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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] growing baby carrots

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  • From: "William H Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT illinois.edu>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] growing baby carrots
  • Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:55:48 -0600

Another cultivar you might want to consider is Bolero. You want a cultivar that grows quickly and doesn’t get too long. I think Bolero tastes good too. Its only drawback is that there are other varieties with slightly better color, but I think its color is good enough. Baby carrots won’t yield as much as fully grown carrots, but you should be able to get around 1.5 lb of topped carrots/foot of row, maybe more if you grow intensively.

 

I know the wholesale industry grows regular carrots, chops and shapes them to make the “baby carrots”, but no reason why you can’t grow the genuine article. How you choose to grow them depends on the situation you’re in (climate, soil, market, etc.), but I thought I’d share my approach to growing carrots.

 

I like to make raised beds as early in the season as possible. Mine are about 16” across at the top and about 8” deep when shaped. A couple of rains and they’re ready for planting. I have a silt loam soil with about 3.5% OM so unless the soil turns up awfully lumpy, I don’t need to do too much soil prep. Once the beds have settled I begin planting with a Planet Junior. I use a scatter shoe, which creates a band about 2” wide and set it about 3/8” deep. I plant two rows about 12” apart, then lay drip tape down the middle of the bed. The two rows are about 3” from each side of the bed. I really watch moisture carefully to make sure the bed doesn’t dry out. I want the seeds to germinate uniformly and have moist soil for the taproot, which moves down quickly. The bed is loose, so the tap root goes down nice and straight. The moisture facilitates this straight movement. Because the seeds were in a band, the seedlings have room to grow next to each other without too much competition, at least early. Carrots grow by sending down the taproot, growing some leaves, then beginning to fill out the taproots. Healthy plants with good moisture will fill out nicely, and if the taproots were straight, they fill out uniformly. The raised beds and drip tape are important keys to getting straight roots, and the scatter shoe spaces seed nicely so you get more good roots per foot of row. Another reason the raised bed is important is that as the roots begin to thicken, the sides of the bed actually “flex” just a bit, allowing the roots to fill out nicely and stay tender. In different soils it might not work as well, but I suspect it would.

 

Good luck with your account.

 

Bill

William H. Shoemaker

Sr. Research Specialist, Food Crops

University of Illinois - Crop Sciences

St Charles Horticulture Research Center

535 Randall Road, St Charles, IL, 60174

630-584-7254, FAX-584-4610

wshoemak AT illinois.edu

 


I have been approached by a local grower wanting me to grow baby carrots for her for the restaurant business.  She figures she would need around 300-500lb/week.  I'm just wondering if anyone has experience with growing baby carrots.  I'm wondering about what an average yield/100ft row would be, also planting dates to ensure a continuous harvest all season?  Any suggestions on varieties?  I'm thinking Napoli and Yaya.  Thanks in advance.

Jen, in PEI





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