Seeds, Carrots Yellowstone (West Coast Seeds)

This novel carrot has wonderful flavour either raw or cooked, and makes a great soup carrot. Packed with vitamins C, E, and K, plus folate and the antioxidant lutein. Yellowstone stores well in the ground for winter harvests and is lovely as a roasted vegetable with parsnips and other winter harvest root crops. Be sure to sow some in August for fall and winter harvests.

These seeds are coated with an inert, organically certified layer which helps to minimize clumping in storage.

Matures in 70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)

Timing
Direct sow from just after the last frost date to late summer for harvests from summer through early winter. Sow at 3 week intervals for a continuous harvest. Direct sow winter-harvest carrots (where winters are mild) in the first two weeks of August. Optimal soil temperature: 7-30°C (45-85°F). Seeds may take as long as 14-21 days to germinate.

Starting
Because carrot seeds are tiny, they need to be sown shallowly. The trick is to keep the top-most layer of soil damp during the relatively long germination period. Water deeply prior to planting. Direct sow the tiny seeds 5mm (¼”) deep, 4 seeds per 2cm (1″), and firm soil lightly after seeding. Make sure the seeds are only just buried. Water the area with the gentlest stream possible, and keep it constantly moist until the seeds sprout.

Companion Planting
Plant with bean seeds, Brassicas, chives, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, pole beans, radish, rosemary, sage, and tomatoes. Avoid planting with dill, parsnips, and potatoes. Carrots planted near tomatoes may have stunted roots, but will have exceptional flavour. Chives also benefit carrots.