Carrot Touchon - Daucus carota

Daucus carota 'Touchon' is intended for early and seasonal cultivation. The sowing period extends from March to July and then from September to November for a harvest from July to November and again in May. (See details of Cultures Nos. 3, 4, and 5.) Its flesh is bright orange. This variety is appreciated for its abundant production of long roots, its sweet flavour, and its hardiness. This variety has a long root with orange flesh, no core, and a low collar. It is productive and ideal for seasonal cultivation.

Carrots are biennial herbaceous plants, cultivated as annuals. They belong to the Apiaceae family (formerly Umbelliferae). They are cultivated as a vegetable for their fleshy, edible, generally orange-coloured, pivot roots. They are rich in carotene. They can generally reach a height of 30cm (12in). The leaves are deeply divided and covered in hair. The flowers are small and white. They are grouped in compound umbels. These umbels have 30 to 40 rays, generally incurved towards the top. The fruits are diakenes.

Carrots are not demanding when it comes to soil type, although the best roots will be harvested in rich, light, and deep soil. Prepare the soil well by digging deep in autumn and adding 2 to 3kg of well-decomposed manure or compost. All stones should be removed at this stage. Before sowing, the soil should be fully crumbled and enriched with a base fertiliser, then left as it is for about fifteen days. Sowing can then take place.

Harvest: during the season, harvest carrots as you need them. Use a fork to extract the roots from the soil, taking care not to damage the root. Injuries to the roots can trigger carrot rot during storage. Estimated yields can be based on the type of cultivation and carrot. For reference, plan for between 1 and 1.5kg/m² for early cultivation, about 3 kg/m² for seasonal cultivation of a half-long variety, and up to 5kg for late cultivation of long carrots.

Storage: carrots can be stored in the ground, on the cultivation site, but this immobilises a growing space in the vegetable garden. In winter, protect the roots that remain in the ground from frost with a good layer of dead leaves. Storage in a silo is an excellent long-term solution. In a frost-free and ventilated place, cut the foliage at the collar and place the roots next to each other on a bed of damp sand. Cover them with a 2cm (1in) layer of sand and place the next row.

Gardener's tips: sowing radishes and carrots on the same row and at the same time naturally spaces the carrot seeds out. Once harvested, the radishes will leave room for the carrots to grow. It's a win-win thinning technique! Sow carrots near a row of leeks. Carrot flies dislike leeks, and leek moths are not fond of carrots!