Topic: Ping Pong Carrots!

[Susie Snowdrop]

Hi All :)
You've probably answered this question a thousand times before so I'll apologise now :-[
I've got some Paris Market Atlas carrot seeds.  When can I plant them out?  I should mention that I am growing them in a pot :o
Thanks a million!
Susie x

[cleo]

Susie-the `lore` is that one cannot plant out carrots-One I agree with.

Have a go by all means-but they really are better sown direct.And it`s no where near too late .

[Curryandchips]

The variety is unfamiliar to me, so I can't comment on any distinctive characteristics of that variety. However, I will explain what I do with my carrots. Plant? I presume you mean sow ...

I love carrots so I will grow at least 3 packets worth, sowing very thinly to get maximum yield.

I don't bother sowing before about mid April, as I have found germination to be rather variable. By the middle of the month, the soil has warmed sufficiently to ensure good germination. I will sow all my seeds over a very short time frame, perhaps two weeks maximum. This is at least 9 rows at 6m long. Many people do successional sowings to ensure a stagger in the yield. I just harvest, then freeze. Having sown, it is important to ensure the seeds are watered, and they have adequate water for the first few weeks, as they can shrivel so easily, being tiny. My sowing technique will probably yield one carrot every inch on average, far too many for good cropping. Therefore, about june/july time, I will lift alternate carrots to leave a bigger spacing. These thinnings are small, about the size of my little finger, but when washed are gorgeous when consumed raw with aioli (or mayonaise for those with social leanings). Our family get rather excited when they appear ! A second thinning will take place during the summer, the slightly larger carrots get consumed fresh as crudites, or are lightly cooked to preserve that freshness and crunch. My final harvest is in September, when I will haul masses of carrots home, of assorted shapes and sizes, mostly destined for the freezer. Last year I harvested over 100kg of carrots ... There are still a few left in the freezer, but are mostly eaten now. Incidentally, my carrot bed is adjacent to my onion bed, so my carrot fly problem is minimised.

So there you go, my approach to the humble carrot. By the way, I took my culinary ideas from 'French Provincial Cooking' by Elizabeth David, one of my kitchen bibles.

Go for it, and good luck.

[Susie Snowdrop]

Thanks Curry :-*, you're a star!
The variety is a ping pong shaped carrot, ideal for shallow soil, or so it said on the packet!!
Susie x

[supersprout]

What veriety/ies curry? My neighbour swears by Flakkee, which I thought was a late, but he is planting already for giant roots in autumn, so I'm thinking of getting my Autumn Giant sown in the next couple of weeks (seed tapes!).

Inspiring description in your carrot method post, no succession palaver, room to grow as the carrots get bigger, and all the thinnings eaten in their prime :P ... surely this one should go on the wiki ;D

[Curryandchips]

Last year I had exceptionally good performance from Berlicum, and Autumn King, so these have stayed on my shopping list. I have also added Flakkee, as I have heard it is a winner. We shall see ...

Varieties which have not succeeded for me include Chantenay Royal (meagre growth), Kinbi (yellow and not at all tasty), nantes (surprisingly) and a globe variety whose name I cannot recall (not paris).

I have not mastered the wiki yet, this technology is still a little advanced for me ... :)

[Gadfium]

How do you freeze your carrots, Curry?

[Curryandchips]

Good question, for I do not blanche ... although blanching is claimed to produce keep better produce in storage.

I scrape the carrots, then cut to size for immediate use - normally batons about 2 inches long. My wife tends to slice. Then I put them into freezer bags sized for serving portions, and drop them into my chest freezer. We tend to keep all of the bags of one vegetable in a large carrier bag in the freezer, this reduces the rummaging around in the chilly depths. We can then identify when we have exhausted a particular vegetable ...

Incidentally, we are still ok on broad beans, french beans, leeks, sweetcorn, beetroot, and of course carrots ...

[Gadfium]

Thanks!

Am trying a 'good storer' carrot this year, but would rather shove them in the freezer than try the sand/clamp approach.

[flowerlady]

I am growiing Parmex - another ping-pong shaped carrot - for the first time this year.  As I have more rock than soil I hold out great hopes for a crop  ;) !!

[djbrenton]

I grew Paris Market last year ( they were a freebie with one of the mags ) in 6 in deep trays of compost. I sowed them very thinly and only thinned them for the table.