Carrots

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Carrots

Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh. The most commonly eaten part of a carrot is a taproot, although the greens are edible as well. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot.
Carrots grow best in full sun but tolerate some shade. In order to avoid growing deformed carrots it is better to plant them in loose soil free from rocks. The seeds, which are 1–3 mm in diameter, should be sown about 2 cm deep. Carrots take around 4 months to mature and it is suggested that carrot seeds are sown from mid - February to July.