Saving Seeds - Part Six - Carrots

Saving carrot seeds takes a long time. Carrots are a biennial plant, which means that they will flower and set seed the second year. Hence the long time. If we want to save carrot seed, the first thing I do is make sure that there is no Queen Anne's Lace anywhere near my gardens. (QAL is a relative of the carrot and will cross quite easily.) Then the simple thing to do is in the fall before it gets really cold, but after the first frosts, is cut the carrot top to about 1 inch of the surface. (I generally leave a small patch of carrots of whatever variety that I am growing for seed the next year right in the garden near the end of one of the beds.) Then mulch the area quite thickly. Use enough mulch to keep the below ground portion of the carrot from freezing and turning to mush. In the very cold climates, this may take several bales of hay or straw to achieve the desired protection. The idea is to keep the carrots cool enough that they will not try to grow, yet warm enough that you do not rupture the cell membranes. If you are in a really cold climate, dig your carrots and bury in damp sand in a place that is just above freezing.

Come spring, make another check for Queen Anne's Lace and either remove it or remove the flowering buds before they open. (Check everyday if you leave it to flower later.) As soon as the last chance of frost has arrived remove your mulch and allow the carrots to form new tops. Thin your carrots so that they are a minimum of a foot apart in all directions, although 2 feet would better. I do this once I am sure which carrots are producing the best tops. Allow nature to take her course and in a couple of months the carrots will produce showy umbrels of white flowers which will set and produce lots of seeds. Once the flowers start to show a fade in color use fine tulle and twist ties or string and secure the umbrel (s) inside. Be generous with size of bag you make around the umbrel to allow it expand properly. After the seeds have matured and turned brown carefully cut the umbrel from the plant below where you have tied on the tulle.

Over a dish of some type (I use a styrofoam plate) turn the enclosed umbrel upside down and give it a shake to loosen the seeds from the plant. If you were to save the umbrels from just one or two plants you would have more than enough seeds (usually) to sow the average garden for years to come. Remember to put you freshly harvested seeds in a cool dry place for the longest viability.

Although I personally have never seen them, I have been told that at least one variety of carrots produce purple umbels. if any one know what variety (ies) do this please let me know.

Next time we will be discussing squash and melons.