Cosmic Purple Carrot

Seed Count: Approx. 200 seeds

Days to Maturity: 70 Days

Description: Cosmic Purple carrots truly are stunning with their smooth, red-purple skins and bright yellow-orange flesh.  These cute carrots taper towards their tips, and grow to about 7-11 inches long.  Cosmic Purple carrots are crunchy and juicy, with flavor that is slightly spicy, and sweet.  It is quite the aesthetic little carrot, making it rather popular among home gardeners, kids, and market growers alike.  This variety is pretty heat and drought tolerant as well, and does fairly well in South Florida.

How To Grow

Sowing:  Plant your seeds 2 inches apart and ⅛ to ¼ inch deep. Keep the soil moist, but do not allow the area above the seeds to become hard - this may prevent the seeds from germinating. Sow more seeds every 3-6 weeks for a continuous crop. When thinning, cut plants down. Don’t pull up the excess carrots or it may damage root systems of neighboring carrots.

Growing:  When the seedlings reach 2" high, gently thin them to 2-4" apart, depending on desired carrot size. The farther apart they are, the bigger they will grow. Do not allow the soil to dry out. When the tops of the carrots begin to emerge from the soil, cover them with mulch to keep them tender. Keep weeds under control to prevent the young carrots from being stunted. For companion planting benefits, plant carrots with aromatic herbs or onions and garlic; this will repel the carrot fly and its maggots. Also avoid nitrogen heavy soils and fertilizers, or leafy tops and small roots will grow.

Harvesting:  Begin gathering baby carrots when big enough to eat, to allow the remaining carrots to reach a larger size. To store carrots for the winter, twist off the tops but do not wash them. Layer them in damp sand or sawdust. In warmer climates, leave the carrots in the garden over winter topped with a thick layer of mulch. Use those carrot tops, they can be used to make pesto! To save seeds, during spring plantings, allow the top of the plant to flower; when they grow brown and dry, cut them off and allow them to fully dry. Clean to remove as much chaff as possible, then store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 years.