Nantes Carrots

source

An early fall crop of carrots can be planted for a harvest about 75 days later, although it would be best to allow an extra week or two for ‘Nantes’ to reach maturity in the fall because their growth slows as the weather cools. For carrots their germination is unreliable so it is better to plant plenty and plan to thin your seedlings if too many germinate. Six seeds per inch is a good amount to plant. Space rows eight inches apart in the raised bed and cover the seeds with a quarter to half-inch of the light medium. Water the seeds in lightly with a spray bottle or a fine mist from the garden hose, and then keep the top two inches of that soil moist but not soggy until germination occurs, which can be anywhere from 10 to 21 days. Be careful to water at the soil line, not from overhead, to avoid waterborne pathogens. Keep the seedlings thinned properly so they have space to grow and ample air circulation.

-Phyllis