I haven't had much luck in the past with carrots but by George,I think I finally got it. Yesterday I harvest Nantes,Parmex,Lunar White,St Valary and New Kurodo along w/ a nice variety of baby lettuces and german winter radishes for supper.Hated putting store bought tomatoes on my fresh grilled chicken salad but what are ya gonna do in the winter. I still need a little refining on the rows for a better tilth as some were a little distorted but tasty none the less.

Peggy

I tried carrots for the first time this year - and it was also the first time trying cold frames. I have one cold frame placed on my driveway (next to the house foundation - lots of sun, nice and warm, and close to the house). I sowed Parmex into a 6-inch deep tray of soil. Unfortunately, it got unusually cold here unusually early, so the carrots germinated, but I have no idea when to try harvesting them! I don't know if they're "done" yet.

Although someone told me I didn't even need a cold frame for carrots here; that a heavy mulch would get them through the winter. If that's true, perhaps the cold frame has helped them along a bit faster than usual? Eh, what do I know? First-timer here just winging it, lol!

:)
Dee

Hi Tom,

My husband is from Cumberland and I lived there as well for 3 yrs. Where is western MD are you?

Also, thanks for your info on the carrots. I plan to do some coldframes next year.

Andrea

Hi Andrea, not that far west!! Hagerstown darned cold this winter. Good luck with the carrots. To me, they are a no fail crop for fall and early winter.
~tom

Oh, hey, I'm up here west of Gettysburg. Small world.

I haven't tried fall carrots yet, just spring into summer carrots. Maybe this year's the year!

Jody

I made the first vegetable garden in my life this winter, and it has been so much fun and satisfying. Every day I have picked many kinds of greens for a salad. All the green stuff grew gloriously, but not the root vegetables. French Breakfast radishes did okay, turnips so-so, beets not good, but the little Fingerling Carrots were a total failure. Not one carrot! I suspect that they must like more sideways space and/or depth than I gave them, or the soil mix was not to their linking. I don't know. Any clues? I'm in Virginia about an hour west of DC toward the mountains. It's a new bed with clay soil with compost/manure mixed in but only to 4 inches.

Kathie Friedley

Kathie, your problem with carrots may have been when you planted them. Mid July to Mid August would be the time for a sowing for fall to winter harvesting. Also, as the weather gets colder, most of us this far north or further, should lay straw of several inches (or other mulch/compost)over the bed for winter. Carrots will take freezing weather well if their crown isn't showing and a little mulch is helping.
~tom in Western MD

Hello everyone. I got a wonderful surprise while preparing my garden beds this year. I planted carrots in April 2008 but unfortunately that particular bed was way too shady. (I had just moved and didnt realize it at the time of planting.) But some managed to survive even through my neglect. I even found a pitiful turnip that lived but the carrots were great. Good luck everyone on their gardens this year.