6 Steps To Easily Growing Carrots Using Carrot Tops
Table of Contents
The Carrot, biologically called Dacucus Carota, is native to Southwestern and European countries. It is a taproot plant which grows under soil, whereas people harvest carrots in different colours. You can find them in Blue, Yellow, Orange, Black, White and Purple. Usually, people eat the modified root part, but stems and leaves are also used as a salad in some parts of the world.
Carrots take four months to mature after sowing. Optimal growing conditions need temperatures ranging from 16 to 21°C and slightly acidic soil. The best companion plants for carrots are the onion and leek; they protect carrot crops from pests and increase their yield.
We all know that carrots can grow from seeds only. Now, the question is how to grow carrots from carrot tops. It’s an easy method to cultivate seeds using carrots tops and using them in the next season to cultivate the carrots.
How To Grow Carrots From Carrot Tops?
You can’t grow a carrot from a carrot; they can be grown only using seeds. But, many people don’t know about the secondary product of carrots which is edible.
When one harvests the carrots, you can use the head and get the eaves. Those leaves are used as toppings, and people consume them as a salad. It has parsley flavour, which can add flavour to your cuisines. These leaves mature and give seeds which can be stored. You can use those seeds to grow carrots in the next season.
The pleasure of household-grown carrots is on a different level. You can use these carrots in salads or grill them with meat for a juicy taste. Here are the steps to get a carrot seed from the carrot tops.
1. Choose The Carrort
If you are using your garden carrot for the seeds, make sure that you choose the healthiest carrot with the best characteristics, And if you are getting the carrot from the market, even though you choose the healthiest arrest, the results are not definite as we don’t know their type.
In the case of buying the carrot from the market, don’t guarantee that they will sprout and will give seeds that can harvest carrots.
2. Decide on the Method
When you have decided on the carrot, cut off the head (2cm length), you can eat the rest of the carrot and use the head portion for harvesting.
There are three methods to position carrot top:
- Place the carrot head in a bowl filled with water.
- Use a pebble base to place the carrot top. And add water to the tray.
- Newspaper, cotton or cardboard soaked in water can also be put on the carrot top.
Make sure that you place it somewhere; sunlight is available.
3. Wait for Sprouting
Once you have decided on the right method for placing the carrot head, wait for the sprouting on the carrot heads; patience is needed for the process.
This step will not consume much of your time. After one week, you can expect a sprouting. You can observe little sprouting on the carrot top and tiny root hairs. When you see the sprouting, you can plant them in their pot and the garden. The pot should be kept in a location where they can get proper sunlight and water for better growth.
Consider a pot with drainage holes in the bottom. This helps in collecting excess water from the soil and maintaining the optimal condition for a good harvest.
4. Plantation
Carrort needs sunlight and moist soil for better growth. Maintain a low level of nitrogens in the soil. At the same time, carrots need a high level of potash for proper growth. People usually mistake planting for submerging the carrot head in the soil. But, this will only lead to the rotting of the carrot head. You must place the carrot head in the soil for proper food and water transportation.
5. Harvest the Seeds
After plantation, you have to wait until they mature. Till that time, enjoy the decent smell and the process of growing. It is a pleasant feeling to see and enjoy the greeny. And if you can get that greeny in your garden, then what’s the problem? Even if you don’t have a garden, you can have green pots making your house full of green. The sweet, pungent smell helps in relieving stress and gives peace of mind. Carrots are biennial means they have two life cycles, the first was carrot tap root, and this is their second growth phase.
You will notice flowers on the carrot top; when these flowers are fully grown, they are too sensitive to every kind of motion. You don’t need to get the same taste and flavour because we don’t know the parental type of these carrots. They can be lighter in colour or shorter in size than their parent plant.
You can pluck the flower when they turn brown and extract the seed. While removing the seeds, use a polybag to cover them and prevent their spillage.
6. Storage
You have collected your seeds and removed the dust from them. Store these seeds in an airtight container that prevents their spoilage. In June, sow these seeds in the garden and grow your carrots. When you sow these seeds, check them for moisture or insects. This way, you can check the viability of these seeds and make sure that they will give you the desired results.
Many times it is seen that extraction of the seeds is from the red or orange carrot and gives a golden or yellow colour carrot after germination. There are many reasons which are hidden in the gene transfer. It may be because a carrot is a hybrid of two carrots, or during gene transfer, they inherited different or suppressed colours of carrot. Usually, hybrid carrots don’t produce viable seeds and never germinate.
Tips To Get the Best Result While Growing Carrots From Carrot Tops
1. Soil
Soil has the greatest impact on plant growth. Whereas carrot needs moist soil, some places have a soil type that can’t store much water. In that case, water the soil at least thrice a week. This will maintain the moisture in the soil, giving proper growth to the carrots. If you use a drainage pot, it will help in removing the excess water from the plant.
Excess soil in water can rot the roots, and less water can cause scarcity of water. In both cases, your plant will die and will not produce seeds. So, make sure that you maintain the water content in your soil, which will promote growth.
2. Fertilizers
Plant optimal conditions vary from species to species. You have to choose the right fertilizer for carrots. They need a fertilizer which consists of a moderate level of phosphorus and very less concentration of nitrogen. Fertilizers are important for plant growth. The major thing that needs to consider before applying fertilizer to the soil is the way it is applied. If you apply fertilizer to the soil, then it can harm the soil’s fertility. When fertiliser is sprayed in the apt amount, it will encourage better growth of the carrot head and will also help in retaining the traits of the parental carrot.
- Good-performance organic granular plant food – grows plants twice as big, organically
- Easy to use
- Good product for use
3. Companion Plants
Carrot is very prone to pests. Thus, pairing them with other plants will protect your carrot tops from damage. You can use leek both for your garden and pot. For pot, use dwarf leek seeds as they consume very less space.
In gardens, you can choose an onion companion because of the same soil need. The aroma of these plants repels pests like Aphids and Bugs and protects the plant from damage.
4. Neem Oil
Pests are attracted to carrots because of their sweet, pungent smell. To make sure that they damage your carrot heads, you can use a physical barrier. Physical barriers are like small huts and keep your plant protected. Otherwise, you can place sticky straps in your garden to catch the pest.
Neem oil is the best option as it kills pests by natural means, thus, protecting your plant from any damage.
- High Quality Water Soluble Neem Oil 250ml Bottle
- To use, dilute as required - depending on your own requirements
- Will make between 25 and 50 litres of neem spray depending on dilution/usage needs
Conclusion
How To Grow Carrots From Carrot Tops? We think that your question has been answered. A carrot is a biennial plant that gives seeds later, and this phase requires some time and effort. Remember, you can’t grow the whole carrot from the carrot top. You can extract the seeds, which can be used to grow carrots in the next season.
This was all about How To Grow Carrots From Carrot Tops; even if you are unsure about the carrot type, this method is worth experimenting with. What if you get the desired results and enjoy the tasty, organic carrots from the garden? Make sure to tell us the final results; it will even help your fellow readers to know the success rate of this method.
In case you are unable to harvest the carrot seeds from the plant, don’t get disheartened and use the farm carrot for production the next time.
