Carrot Cosmic Purple - Daucus carota

The organic Cosmic Purple carrot is a long variety. Its root is tapered, up to 18 cm (7in) long. Its skin is purple, and its flesh is light orange. It is tender and delicious both raw and cooked. Its foliage is resistant, which makes harvesting easier. Sow from March to June, and harvest from June to November.

The carrot is a biennial herbaceous plant, grown as an annual, belonging to the Apiaceae family. It is cultivated as a vegetable for its edible, fleshy, usually orange-colored taproots. It is a root rich in carotene. It can generally reach a height of 30 cm (12in). The Carrot is not very demanding on the nature of the soil. However, the best roots will be harvested in a rich, light, and deep soil. It is therefore necessary to prepare the soil well by deep digging in autumn, during which 2 to 3 kg of well-decomposed manure or compost will be buried. All stones will be removed during this operation. Before sowing, the soil will be well crumbled and fertilized with a basal fertilizer, then left as it is for about fifteen days. Sowing can then take place.

Harvest: During the season, harvest the carrots as you need them. To extract the roots from the soil, use a fork-spade, taking care not to damage the root. Injuries to the roots can trigger rotting of the carrot during storage.
Yields can be estimated based on the type of culture and carrot. For early crops, estimate between 1 and 1.5 kg/m²; about 3 kg/m² for a mid-season crop of a half-long variety, and up to 5 kg for a late crop of long carrots.

Storage: It can be done in the open ground, on the cultivation site, but this ties up a growing space in the vegetable garden. In winter, in this case, the roots will need to be protected from frost with a good layer of dead leaves. Indoor storage is an excellent long-term solution. In a frost-free and ventilated place, cut the foliage at the base of the neck and place the roots next to each other on a bed of damp sand. Cover them with a layer of 2 cm (1in) of sand and place the next row on top.

Gardening tips:
Sowing radishes and carrots on the same row and at the same time naturally separates the carrot seeds. Once harvested, the radishes will leave space for the carrots to grow. It's a winning thinning!
Sowing carrots near a row of leeks helps protect them both from carrot fly and leek moth.