Last updated : Mid May 2004
Free carrot (seeds)! |
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| Carrots |
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We're giving away free carrot seeds
to everyone (in Nottinghamshire) so there's no excuse not to enter
our King Carrot competition. |
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BBC Nottingham's 'Carrot of the County' campaign
is our quest to find the finest carrot in Nottinghamshire…
We're so desperate for you to take part that we're giving out free
carrot seeds! All you have to do is grow
them.
Send a stamped address envelope to: Carrot of the County,
BBC Nottingham, Nottingham NG2 4UU for your free seeds.
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Factsheet
2 (mid May)
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| Now your carrots have been
in the ground for around two weeks you should see the seedlings
coming through. These will have be small, green and have a fern-like
appearance. |
| 1. Keep an eye out for weeds
as they will grow alongside the carrots. You'll need to go down
the row of carrots, removing all the weeds - if you accidentally
pull out a carrot don't worry - but don't expect there to be
anything orange there just yet! |
| 2. Once the seedlings are
1 inch (or 2.5 cms) tall then they will need to be thinned,
so that there is enough space for each carrot to grow. |
| 3. Leave roughly 1 inch
(2.5 cms) between each carrot then water them immediately afterwards,
to help the carrots settle. |
| 4. It is best to do the
thinning in the evening as this will help avoid carrot fly which
are prevalent during the day. |
| 5. Carrot fly are not easy
to spot, and its their eggs which hatch into grubs, which then
tunnel under ground and eat the carrots. There are no chemicals
which can get rid of carrot fly, but a prevention method is
to cover the carrots with a fleece fence around the carrots
to protect them - this needs to be 18 inches/45 cms high. |
| 6. Remember to keep watering
your carrots if the weather is dry - if you don't, when it does
rain the carrots will expand rapidly and crack. |
| With these top tips you
can keep up the care of your carrots - and keep tuned to BBC
Radio Nottingham and find out how you can be a Carrot of the
County winner! |
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Factsheet
1 (late April)
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| 01. When to plant - a good
time to plant your seeds is early April but you can continue
planting throughout April and May. |
| 02. Soil - the best soil
for carrots is light, sandy soil but they will grow in other
soils too - avoid wet, heavy clay. Carrots don't like this. |
| 03. Do not manure your soil
before growing carrots. |
| 04. When you've selected
your carrot patch, fork the soil deeply to get it nice and light.
Carrot roots grow very deep and could get caught on rocks, or
get tangled up with each other - they need lots of room down
below! |
| 05. Rake the ground and
add fertiliser on the ground two weeks before planting - chicken
pellet fertiliser or Growmore are recommended. |
| 06. Level out the patch
and put drills in it - an easy way is to turn your rake upside
down and draw a line with it, about ½ an inch deep. |
| 07. Sow the seeds very thinly
along this line - sprinkling with your fingers. One packet can
easily fill 15 ft of soil. |
| 08. Once you've sown the
seeds cover them back over with the soil and leave them for
2-3 weeks. |
Stay in touch with BBC Radio Nottingham (95.5 and 103.8FM) as we'll
back with more tips and further ways to ensure you grow the finest
carrot.
But why, oh why should you be growing carrots? - because they're good
for you, that's why - grow 'em, eat 'em and see in the dark!
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