Growing long carrots for show

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Organic Gardening Part 2 by Vanessa Jones

The second part of the articles on organic growing explores the environmental issues surrounding food and the resources consumed in both conventional and organic food production.

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Growing Long Carrots for Show

How one member of the National Vegetable Society grows his long carrots for showing.

I grow my carrots in barrels filled with sand digging them out and refilling every second year.

Around the first week of March I prepare five stations in each barrel filling each one with a growing mixture of:

1 part peat;
1 part sand;
2 parts soil,

all riddled TWICE through a 14 inch (1 cm) riddle, to which I add 2 oz of Seagold and 1 oz of chlorophos per bushel.

The barrels are then left to settle for a week before sowing at least six seeds per station (I use Medwyn Williams' long carrot seed) on or around 14th March.

Once the seed has germinated and the young seedlings are growing well they are thinned down to three. A week or so later they are thinned to two and finally to one - this way you should avoid any blanks.

There is not so much to do once this stage is reached, except to water when required and to give the odd shake of chlorophos.

I do not feed carrots at all during the growing season. I find that this produces large, bulky, rough carrots that may look impressive but which lack the quality that should always be preferred, and will (or should) always win, over mere size.

When lifting for the show I find it best to scrape the sand and growing mixture away from the shoulders of the carrots gently, you can then match them in the barrels. This way you tend to pull less to match your set and can exhibit at more shows.

To remove the carrots from the barrels give them a good soak an hour or so beforehand then grip the leaves and apply firm, but steady, force! I find, sometimes, that if you can climb onto the top of the barrel and pull straight up that this is easier. Once you have pulled enough, the roots need to be washed.

A good spray from the garden hose is usually all that is required but if you have to use a sponge always remember to clean around rather than up and down the root.

Then trim the leaves to the length specified in the schedule and wrap .the roots in clean paper (never use newspaper) and then in black plastic bin bags. Lay them flat in a box and you are all set for the show.

For the beginner as a showman, carrots are a very good vegetable to start with and I hope that I have encouraged some new, and perhaps even some experienced, exhibitors to have a go at long carrots.

This article originally appeared in the Members Bulletin, the journal of the National Vegetable Society, which is sent quarterly to members. You can Join the National Vegetable Society here

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