Carrot Kelly - Daucus carota

The carrot Kelly is a new long variety. Its root is tapered. Its skin is light and thin. The flesh, bright orange, has a sweetness and texture significantly improved compared to previous varieties. Sow from April to June, harvest from August to November.

The carrot is a biennial herbaceous plant, cultivated annually, from the Apiaceae family. It is grown as a vegetable for its fleshy, edible, usually orange-coloured taproots. It is a root rich in carotene. It can generally reach 30 cm (12in) in height. The Carrot is not demanding on the nature of the soil. However, the best roots will be harvested in a rich, light, and deep soil. It is therefore necessary to prepare the soil well by deep digging in autumn, during which 2 to 3 kg of well-decomposed manure or compost will be buried. All stones will be removed during this operation. Before sowing, the soil will be well crumbled and fertilized with a base fertilizer, then left as it is for about fifteen days. The sowing can then take place.

Harvest: during the season, harvest carrots as needed. To extract the roots from the ground, use a fork-spade, taking care not to damage the root. Injuries to the roots can trigger carrot rot during storage.
Yields can be estimated based on the type of culture and carrot. For reference, plan between 1 and 1.5 kg/m² for an early crop;; about 3 kg/m² for a mid-season crop of a half-long variety, and up to 5 kg for a late crop of long carrots.

Storage: it can be done in the open ground, on the cultivation site, but this immobilizes a space in the vegetable garden. In winter, in this case, the roots will need to be protected from frost with a good layer of dead leaves. Indoor storage is an excellent long-term solution. In a frost-free and ventilated place, cut the foliage at the collar and place the roots next to each other on a bed of moist sand. Cover them with a 2 cm (1in) layer of sand and place the next row.

Gardener's tips: 
Sowing radishes and carrots on the same row and at the same time naturally distances the carrot seeds. Once the radishes are harvested, it will leave space for the carrots to grow. It's a win-win thinning! 
Sowing carrots near a row of leeks helps protect them both from carrot fly and leek moth.