How to Grow Colorful Carrots

Did you know that carrots come not only in orange, but in purple, yellow, pink, and white, too? Multicolored carrots are fun to grow, eat, and cook with. Many seed companies offer colorful carrot varieties or a multicolored carrot seed pack. Grow these colorful carrots and be the talk of your neighborhood!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• carrot seed for unusual colors, such as purple, yellow, pink, and white (see links below)

1. Purchase carrot seed in the colors you want to grow, or buy a multi-colored pack. Purple varieties include Cosmic Purple, Deep Purple, Purple Haze, and Dragon carrots. Red or pink varieties include Atomic Red and Red Samurai. Yellow and white varieties include Yellowstone and White Satin. Rainbow packs often feature a mix of orange, purple, white, and yellow carrot seed.

2. Check with local gardeners or farmers about the appropriate time in your area to plant your carrot seed. Usually, this means in springtime, around late April or early May.

3. Prepare and amend your garden bed. Carrots prefer well-drained soil. Plant carrot seeds 1/8" deep 1/2" apart. Keep the bed moist, but not soggy, to encourage germination.
   Once carrots are established, water when the top 1/2" of soil dries out.

4. You may need to thin your carrots once they begin to get crowded. Your carrots will grow bigger and straighter if they are about 1" apart. Gently pull up extra carrots to make room for the others to grow.

5. 
    

   Harvest your carrots once they are your desired size. Make a beautiful multicolored carrot "bouquet" to give to a friend!

Resources

• Territorial Seed Company carrot seed
• Johnny's Selected Seeds carrot seed
• Rainbow carrot seed from Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.

[dtwelloh]

on 9/18/2008 Very good article, since I have a garden every year think I'll give it a try. Sound fun. Thanks, give it 5 stars.