Carrot Fly Away F1 - Daucus carota

The Fly Away F1 carrot is a variety resistant to carrot fly. Its root is cylindrical with a rounded end, bright orange. The skin is thin and the taste very sweet. Sow from March to July, harvest from July to November.

The carrot is a biennial herbaceous plant, grown as an annual, belonging to the Apiaceae family. It is cultivated as a vegetable for its fleshy, edible, generally orange-coloured taproots. It is a root rich in carotene. It can generally reach a height of 30 cm (12in). Carrots are undemanding on the type of 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 should be incorporated. All stones should be removed during this operation. Before sowing, the soil should be well-crumbled and fertilised with a base fertiliser, then left as it is for about fifteen days. Sowing can then take place.

Harvest: during the season, harvest the carrots as you need them. To extract the roots from the soil, use a fork spade, taking care not to damage the root. Injuries to the roots can trigger carrot rot during storage. Yield estimates can be made based on the type of cultivation and carrot. For guidance, plan for between 1 and 1.5 kg/m² for early cultivation; about 3 kg/m² for seasonal cultivation of a half-long carrots, and up to 5 kg for late cultivation of long carrots.

Storage: carrots can be done in the ground, at the place of cultivation, but this restricts space for more cultivation in the vegetable garden. In this case, in winter,  protect the roots from frost with a good layer of dead leaves. Storage in a silo is an excellent long-term solution. In a frost-free and ventilated place, cut the foliage at the base of 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 harvested, the radishes will leave space for the carrots to grow. It's a winning thinning technique! Sowing carrots near a row of leeks helps protect them both from carrot fly and leek moth.