Questions and Answers

Click on the question and find the answer.  Growing questions start here.

GROWING QUESTIONS (select the reference number)

G1. How long can I store carrot seeds?

G2. I have planted carrots several times with no luck. Why won't they come up?

G3. What causes the top of my carrots to be green rather than orange?

G4. Why are my garden carrots short and stumpy instead of long and slender like those in grocery stores?

G5. What causes my home garden carrots to be tasteless, woody and often bitter instead of sweet and tender?

G6. Each year my spring-planted carrots send up a seed stalk. What am I doing wrong?

G7. What causes my carrots to be pale yellow instead of the typical orange colour?

G8. The foliage of my carrots is infected with brown lesions which cause the leaves to decay.

G9. When I dug my carrots, I found galls or swelling on the roots.

G10. The foliage on my carrots looks yellow with multiple sprouting at the crown of the root OR The roots have numerous small roots on the main root.

G11. My carrots are rotting at the soil line. On close examination, I find the top of the root covered by a white fungal mat.

G12. My carrots die rapidly during the warm months.

G13. Once I harvest my carrots and place them in the crisper, they soon deteriorate into a slimy, foul-smelling mess.

G14. What causes my carrots to be forked or double?

G15. What affects the colour and shape of carrots?

G17. Why do carrots crack or split?

1. Why are Carrots Orange?

What makes carrots orange? The plant pigment that gives carrots and other vegetables their vivid orange colour is beta-carotene. Fruits and Vegetables that are yellow/orange in colour contain beta-carotene and carrots are one of the vegetables richest in Beta-Carotene. Our bodies convert beta-carotene into Vitamin One carrot supplies enough beta-carotene to meet our daily requirement for Vitamin A.

In fact, one carrot has 220% of the Vitamin A we need every day! Carrots are also a source of fibre, potassium and Vitamin C Believe it or not, it has more then twice as much Vitamin A, more than 3 times as much Protein, and more than 5 times as much Calcium as carrot root (carrot root = the carrot itself).

Are there different colours of carrots? There are 5 main carrots colours in existence today – red, yellow, white, purple and orange. The first carrots were white, purple and yellow - not orange. The Dutch developed orange carrots in the 1600s by combining yellow and red varieties. All modern day orange carrots are directly descended from these Dutch-bred carrots. More info about carrot colours is shown at the Museum here.

2. What are Baby carrots?

Some producers do grow true "baby carrots" that is a carrot grown to the "baby stage", which is to say long before the root reaches its mature size. These immature roots are preferred by some people out of the belief that they are superior either in texture, nutrition or taste. Certain cultivars of carrots have been bred to be used at the "baby" stage.

One such cultivar is 'Amsterdam Forcing'. You can spot these because they do like real miniature carrots, and are always very expensive. If you look closely they retain the skin/peel like a normal size carrot. By a long way the majority of "baby" carrots you see in the stores are whittled down from larger carrots. Usually a long thin carrot variety is cut into several pieces and then rolled and tumbled in special machinery to produce a thin, "baby" carrot. Which apparently is what people want? It is also an ideal way of using the "imperfect" shaped carrots which the supermarkets will not sell. There is still an awful lot of waste produced from the process, which mainly goes for animal fodder, sometimes for juicing.

These pencil sharpened carrots are less nutritious than full length carrots, containing about 70% of the beta carotene of a normal carrot. Partly because they are harvested early and partly because a lot of the goodness is in the skin. More here.

3. What is a carrot?

The carrot is a root vegetable, typically orange or white in colour with a woody texture. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot This root vegetable, descended from the wild carrot (Queen Anne\'s Lace) which grows widely in fields and roadsides of northern temperate climates in both Europe and North America.

Both the root and the leafy stems of this vegetable are edible, highly nutritious and delicious. This member of the parsley family has lacy green foliage and long, slender, edible orange roots. Carrots have been renowned for over 2,000 years for their health-giving properties and high vitamin A content. It is a versatile vegetable which can be eaten raw or cooked. , rich in carotene which is the precursor of vitamin

First domesticated in Afghanistan. Early varieties had anthocyanin pigments in them giving the carrot a red, purple or black colour. A yellow variety without anthocyanin arose in the 16th century and became popular. In the 17th century in Holland the familiar orange variety rich in carotene was produced.

4. How many calories in a carrot

An average 6 inch carrot contains about 40 calories.

A 9 ounce serving of carrot juice has 112 calories.

5. Will my skin turn orange if I eat too many?

Probably! - Like many foods eaten in excess, carrots can produce unhealthy results too. Carotene, the pigment that gives carrots and other yellow fruits and vegetables their colour, can cause yellowing of the skin when consumed in excessive quantities. This usually shows first in the palms of the hands and souls of the feet. Though the yellowing of the skin from indulging in a heavy dose of carrots is seldom serious and will disappear in a few days, continued carrot gorging can cause medical problems.

In 1974 one unfortunate English health advocate named Basil Brown consumed 10 gallons of carrot juice and took 10,000 times the recommended RDA of vitamin A in a period of 10 days. Those 10 days were the unfortunate man's undoing--his skin turned bright yellow and he died of severe liver damage.

6. Can consuming large volumes of carrot juice change grey hair back to its natural colour?

It has been known that people have noticed less grey hair after months of regular carrot juice intake. There have also been some reported stories of people claiming all their grey hair disappeared. Whether these reports are true is impossible to verify. There does seem to be enough consensus out there that would indicate that it does have some effect with some people although I'm not aware of any official research done on the subject.

7. Are Carrots Better Cooked or Raw?

 The antioxidant value of carrots increases by about 34% when cooked. Why? Because raw carrots have tough cellular walls, the body is able to convert less than 25 percent of carrots' beta-carotene into vitamin Cooking partially dissolves the cellulose-thickened cell walls, fleeing up nutrients. So long as the cooked carrots are served as part of a meal that provides some fat, the body can absorb more than half of the carotene. Also, carrots are usually cut into pieces before boiling or steaming.

As a result, half the proteins and soluble carbohydrates are lost in the water. So it is advisable to cook carrots whole, and then slice them up. The only exception is juicing where the process breaks down the fibrous nature of the carrots. You get 4% of beta carotene from a raw carrot, 90% from the same carrot, juiced.

8. What are the main health benefits of carrots?

Good for eyesight

Protects your heart

Prevents constipation

Combats cancer

Promotes weight loss

Guards against Asthma

Prevent wrinkles

Resist infection

Keep skin youthful

9. How much juice do you get from one carrot?

Approx 70ml from an average 6 inch carrot.

10. Do carrots help fight cancer?

A carrot a day raw or juiced today appears to reduce the risk of all cancers by nearly half, at twice that dose, carrots lower cholesterol levels by and average of 11%. A team of researchers, from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in England and Denmark, found the natural pesticide falcarinol reduced the risk of cancer developing in rats by one third. Although experts have recommended that people eat carrots for their anti-cancer properties, it has not been known exactly what component of the vegetable has this effect.

The study results, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, are significant as they could contribute to healthy eating advice for consumers and recommendations for growers and may eventually aid the development of anti-cancer drugs. Falcarinol protects carrots from fungal diseases, such as liquorice rot that causes black spots on the roots during storage. The scientists investigated the compound after a previous published study suggested it could prevent the development of cancer. Read more here

11. How do I get rid of carrot stains on clothes?

Clothes - Try a cup of white vinegar in a bucket of warm water. Leave the clothes in overnight and wash as normal. Then dry outside so the sun bleaches it .The stain should go. Counter top - heat a small amount of vinegar. Sprinkle the area with baking soda and gently pour the vinegar on. Leave for a few mins then rinse. Or you could use a very small amount of bleach and rub it into the stain and rinse thoroughly.

12. Why do carrots spark in the microwave?

Several factors make frozen carrots susceptible to the effect described (although other vegetables do this). First, while microwaves are extremely good at heating liquid water, ice is almost totally transparent to them, so it is actually quite difficult to get ice to melt in a domestic microwave oven. The "defrost" option on a microwave oven relies on intermittent heating of a small amount of liquid water present on the food, and heat conduction from these areas into frozen material. By putting frozen material into the microwave oven with continuous energy input, no time is given for thermal conductivity effects, and therefore a colossal heating effect occurs on a very localised surface area.

13. Can I eat the green leaves of a carrot?

 Yes! - They are highly nutritious, rich in protein, minerals and vitamins and oxalates. The tops of the carrots are loaded with potassium which can make them slightly bitter. Carrot tops are high in dihydroisocoumarins, which can have blood thinning effects.

14. Which carrot has the most Beta Carotene?

Orange Ones! Phytochemicals, the naturally occurring substances in plants thought to promote disease-fighting properties, are also the pigments that give plants their distinctive colour.” Orange carrots contain the most beta carotene, purple carrots contain anthocyanin, red carrots contain lycopene, and yellow carrots contain xanthophylis. However, the pigments don’t penetrate deeply through the skin of the carrot, so peeling the carrots removes the particular nutritional benefit.

15. Where did the carrot get its name?

The word carrot comes from the Old French carotte. This word comes from the Greek karoton through the Latin carot It has been known since ancient times and is believed to have originated in Afghanistan and adjacent areas.

16. Do they help you see in the dark?

Yes And No! - they do help you see in the dark, but can only improve your night vision if you are deficient in Vitamin A When you eat carrots, the beta-carotene is transformed into retinol or vitamin Carrots are high in Vitamin A, and a deficiency in this nutrient can cause some difficulty seeing in dim light. Vitamin A is essential for the formation of the chemical retinal, whose presence in the retina is necessary for vision. Our eyes have two kinds of light sensitive cells: the rods and the cones. The rods are the cells we rely on to see in dim light.

They are sensitive to Vitamin A deficiency, because it can cause a shortage of retinal. The retina is the light-sensing part of the eye that holds the rods and cones, which contain enzymes that absorb light and allow us to see. When light strikes the retinal molecule, it changes its shape. This activates a cascade of chemical reactions that informs the brain that light has entered the eye. When the levels of light sensitive molecules are low, due to Vitamin A deficiency, there will not be enough retinal to detect the light at night. During the day there is enough light to produce vision, despite low levels of retinal.

So it's only night vision that can be improved by eating carrots. The rods provide black and white vision and respond in dim light while the cones provide colour vision and respond to bright light. Vitamin A helps the retina tell black from white and provides for colour vision. It also helps us see in dim light or at night. When you go into a darkened theatre after being out in the bright light, your eyes are able to adapt because of the vitamin A that you have stored in your body. So really the answer is they do help you see in the dark, but can only improve your night vision if you are deficient in Vitamin A.

17. How do carrots make seeds?

Carrots are biennial plants and only flower every two years. In the first year the plant produces the edible root and a leafy top. If a carrot plant is left in the ground for another year, it flowers and seeds are produced. Sexual reproduction in carrots is therefore not different from other flowering plants. Pollen is produced and transferred to the female part of the flower, the stigma

The pollen grain then delivers the sperm cells within it to the ovary via a long tube where fertilisation takes place. The seeds are tiny - a teaspoon can hold almost 2000! The birds-nest-shaped fruit cluster of carrot has a remarkable mechanism for seed dispersal. The stalks are hygroscopic, so that when conditions are dry and suitable for seed dispersal they bend outward, exposing the fruits to wind and animals; when conditions are wet, they bend inwards, forming the familiar bird’s nest structure, which protects the seeds.

When the tops die back, the plant uses the stored food to grow new foliage and the flower stalk the following spring -- and it's that extra food that makes the root such a tasty treat. Read more here.

18. What is the record for the Longest carrot?

The Longest Carrot was grown by Bernard Lavery of Llanherry, South Wales, at a staggering 5.14 metres (16feet 10 ½ inches).

19. What is the record for the Heaviest Carrot?

According to the Guinness Book of Records 2003 John created the Carrot record, a whopping 18.985 pounds (8.61 kg) in 1998, a world record for a single root mass.

20. Does carrot juice from fresh garden carrots really taste better than carrot juice bought from the store?

Yes - there is a definite taste difference between juice squeezed from home grown vegetables, versus juice from store brought bottles. Fresh home grown produce retains much more moisture than store bought product. There are no preservatives or additives or processing.

21. Why does a carrot have hair?

The hairs are easier to see if you pull a carrot directly from the ground. But if you leave a store-bought carrot wrapped in a plastic bag in a warm, moist spot, the fine hairs most likely will start to grow again. The tiny, fine hairs that cover most of the carrot help the plant absorb water and minerals from the surrounding soil. Plants usually have one of two kinds of roots. All roots, no matter what kind, hold plants in the soil, absorb water and minerals, and store excess food for the plants where animals are less likely to find it.

22. How Do I grow a giant carrot?

 You should always "dig in" any giant vegetable plot deep with lots of organic matter, take extra care over feeding, watering and pest control and, if showing, harvest at the very last moment for freshness. Fill a 6in-wide 4 foot long drainpipe with clean fine sand. (Always be optimistic). Make a hole in the sand with a long pole and fill it with good peaty potting compost. Sow three seeds in the compost and thin to the best one when they have germinated. Water from the top for the first two months and thereafter from the bottom to encourage the roots to seek out moisture. At harvest time wash out as much sand as possible using a hosepipe before very gently pulling up the carrot. If you pull too hard you may damage the long tapering root. It's important you buy one of the "long" varieties, and that the seeds are fresh. The "Jumbo" variety is the one which hold the World Record for longest. Other good long ones are Japanese Imperial long (claim to grow up to 24 inches!) Also Gold Pak, Autumn King or Red Giant.

23. What vitamins and minerals does carrot juice contain?

Carrot juice is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals include sodium, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, sulphur, and many more.

24. Is carrot juice safe to drink for expecting mothers?

Carrot juice is a great vitamin and mineral source for expectant mothers. High vitamin A intake is essential for both bone and tissue development of the mother and unborn child. It is also very important in maintaining a healthy immune system to shield the body from infections.

25. Can long term carrot juice intake stain your teeth?

Carrot juice, grape juice, and beet juice can darken your teeth over time. But tea, coffee, and a variety of foods most of us eat daily also contribute to natural tooth stains. Carrot juice isn't going to darken your teeth to any extreme, and is hardly something to worry about for carrot juice drinkers. A healthy diet and regular trips to the dentist are your best bet for maintaining a healthy smile. The vitamin A in carrot juice also helps contribute to strong healthy bones and teeth.

26. Which Carrot is Best for juice?

Best carrot for juicing or eating raw? - almost any but a variety called Neptune is an excellent long season 'Flakee' type carrot with large conical roots up to 12in/30cm long, with an intense orange colour and are particularly sweet for their type.

27. Can drinking too much carrot juice be unhealthy for you?

Although drinking large volumes of carrot juice is not unhealthy for you, carrot juice does contain natural sugar. Diabetics should consult with a physician regarding what volume intake of carrot juice is suitable for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.

GROWING QUESTIONS

G1. How long can I store carrot seeds?

In a cool dry place for up to 3 years.

G2. I have planted carrots several times with no luck. Why won't they come up?

Do not plant them too deep. Sow the seeds on top of the bed and gently rake them in, covering the seed only about 1/4 inch. Germination will increase as soil temperatures decrease. Keep your planting area moist. Don't crust or harden the soil on top of the bed with direct sprays of water. It takes about 3 weeks for carrot seed to germinate and emerge from the soil. Do not plant carrot seeds deeper than 1/4 inch.

G3. What causes the top of my carrots to be green rather than orange?

Greening of the top of the carrot is caused by sunlight. Heavy rain can wash away the soil from carrot roots exposing them to the sun. An off-flavour is often associated with this green colour. The green colour is the chlorophyll pigment.  Mound the soil around the shoulders of the carrot roots to prevent exposure to the sun.

G4. Why are my garden carrots short and stumpy instead of long and slender like those in grocery stores?

The problem is probably variety selection. The Nantes or Chantenay varieties, which are genetically short and thick, are recommended for home gardening. Those sold at grocery stores are the Imperator type and inherently long and slender. Carrot length can be affected by excessive moisture during growth.

G5. What causes my home garden carrots to be tasteless, woody and often bitter instead of sweet and tender?

These problems are associated with growing and environmental conditions during the maturing period. Carrots grow best and develop highest sugars when temperatures are between 40 degrees and 80 degrees F. The best carrots are planted in fall for early winter harvest. Carrots are cold hardy, but should be planted so they mature before temperatures drop below 20 degrees F. as damage or death can occur. Plantings can begin in late summer or early fall and continue until about 90 days before temperatures are expected to average 85 degrees F.

G6. Each year my spring-planted carrots send up a seed stalk. What am I doing wrong?

Carrots are biennial, growing from seed to flower-producing plants over two years. Carrots or many other biennial crops, such as cabbage, will produce seed stalks the first year if young plants are subjected to cold weather. Carrots which produce seed stalks often lack flavour, are woody and have poor texture.

G7. What causes my carrots to be pale yellow instead of the typical orange colour?

Although there are varietal differences in root colour, this problem could be caused by environmental conditions.

Carrots maturing under warm temperatures or high moisture conditions lack good root colour. These carrots also have poor flavour and texture. Plant carrots so they mature under relatively cool temperatures that average less than 80 degrees F. Avoid excessive soil moisture.

G8. The foliage of my carrots is infected with brown lesions which cause the leaves to decay.

This is a leaf blight of carrots and is caused by two fungi. This can be controlled by spraying with chlorothalonil. Begin at the first sign of the disease and repeat at 10- to 14-day intervals. Extended periods of high humidity caused by dews and intermittent rain contribute to the development of leaf blight of carrots. If not controlled, leaf blight can reduce the yield. Discontinue when weather conditions change.

G9. When I dug my carrots, I found galls or swelling on the roots.

These are root knot nematodes. Root knot is a species of nematode which causes galls or swellings on plant roots. It restricts the uptake of nutrients from the root system to the foliage, resulting in a yellow and stunted plant. Root knot lives in the soil and can survive on a number of weed and vegetable crops. It is best controlled by planting a solid stand (close enough for root systems to overlap) of marigolds three months before the first killing frost of fall and/or planting cereal rye (Elbon) for a winter cover crop. Cereal rye should be shred and tilled into the soil 30 days before planting a spring crop.

G10. The foliage on my carrots looks yellow with multiple sprouting at the crown of the root OR The roots have numerous small roots on the main root.

This is aster yellows, a virus disease of carrots which is carried by leaf hoppers. There is no control for the disease other than a good insect program coupled with removal of the diseased plants once the disease symptoms begin.

G11. My carrots are rotting at the soil line. On close examination, I find the top of the root covered by a white fungal mat.

This is southern blight of carrots. It is a soil-borne disease and can be controlled by combining a good foliage fungicide program, deep burial of organic material so undecomposed leaf tissue is not in the upper zone of the garden soil and rotation.

G12. My carrots die rapidly during the warm months.

This is cotton root rot and is caused by a soil-borne fungus. It attacks carrot roots causing rapid death of the carrot. On close examination of the root system, you will find it to be completely decayed. The only control for this is rotation. Plant carrots so they will mature in cool months. Cotton root rot requires a hot soil to develop and grow at its rapid stage. Planting carrots in the fall and winter months to mature before the soil warms up will reduce losses from this fungus.

G13. What causes my carrots to be forked or double?

Damage to the growing tip of a young carrot. Common causes include soil insects and nematodes which feed on the growing tip resulting in branching of the carrot root. Carrots need a loose, friable soil to develop a good shape. Forking is caused by anything that impedes root growth. This includes nematodes, stones, or heavy, compacted soil. Causes include soil insects and nematodes which feed on the growing tip resulting in branching of the carrot root.

G14. Once I harvest my carrots and place them in the crisper, they soon deteriorate into a slimy, foul-smelling mess.

Most often this is associated with bacterial soft rot which enters the carrot at harvest time through cuts and breaks. To control this, wash carrots thoroughly. Broken or damaged carrots should be consumed immediately. After washing, place them in a crisper and keep them at a cool temperature.

G15. What affects the colour and shape of carrots?

Even within a variety a carrot's colour and shape can vary according to the type of soil and commencement temperature. Lower temperatures give yellowier carrots and reduced size and shape.

G16. Why do carrots crack or split?

At the same time, it forms extra tissue to carry the water, so it becomes tough. On the other hand, if there's too much soil moisture, carrots sometimes split along their whole length. This happens more often when they are close to maturity.
The key to assuring even, sufficient moisture to carrots and other plants is soil that's rich in organic matter, which enables it to hold moisture, yet drain well. Improve your soil by adding chopped leaves, peat moss or compost, if you can get some. Try to keep the soil evenly moist during periods of irregular rainfall by watering regularly and deeply so that the soil does not dry out.

Use mulch to prevent evaporation and run-off of moisture from the soil.  Too much watering and the roots become hairy. If they crack after you have purchased them it is because they have been allowed to dry out. Best keep them in an unsealed cello bag in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator. They contain a lot of moisture when bought but can dry out remarkably quickly. Also remove any greens as quickly as possible as these sap moisture from the carrot.

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