TENDERSWEET CARROT (heirloom)

Germ 6-14 days
Heirloom pre-1936
According to the 1936 James Vick catalog, “Many of our customers who do not care much for carrots are enthusiastic about Tendersweet. Roots are long, tapering down to a blunt end and are reddish orange in color, and very uniform in size and shape. Popular with market growers because of the attractive bunch it makes.” 300 seeds

PLANTING:

Outdoors- Early spring, a few weeks before last frost until mid summer. Sow lightly, 1/4” deep, with soil temperature 50-80 degrees. The cooler the soil the longer it takes for germination, up to 3 weeks. The soil moisture should be maintained regularly until germination. Thin to 1-3” apart.

Harvest– Start when carrots reach finger size for baby carrots or when they turn to a bright orange. Late season carrots hold longer and become sweeter in the cooler weather.

Tips- Use a row cover helps to maintain moisture for germination. Carrots prefer a loose soil, free of rubble. If your soil is heavy with clay, use the shorter varieties. Keep well weeded and cover any exposed carrot with soil to prevent greening.