Upper Valley Seed Savers

Carrot Project

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Date/Season:  2014/2015

Crop/Species:  Carrot (Daucus carota)

Variety:  Autumn King

Project Type:  Carrot seed production

Project Description/Goals:  We will attempt to grow pure, viable carrot seed by exploring methods for both overwintering carrots and time-isolating the flowering plants to prevent cross-pollination by Queen Anne’s Lace.

Project Participants:  Brian Stroffolino, Sylvia Davatz

Contact Info:  Brian:  Phone: 436-9521  Email: bstroffolino@gmail.com

                Sylvia: Phone: 436-3262  Email: sdav@valley.net

Project Site Descriptions:  Brian: south-facing slope at approx. 600’ elevation. Sandy soil. Only organic amendments. Sylvia: south-facing slope at 800’ elevation. Sandy soil, Only organic amendments.

Volunteer/Resource Needs:  potentially help needed with seed cleaning

Project Report:

Sylvia: I grew the carrots out in the garden over the 2014 season using original seed from Sand Hill Preservation Center. In the fall I dug the entire planting and chose the best 35 individuals, selecting for typical characteristics of the variety: long, straight, tapered roots. These were re-planted in the greenhouse for overwintering. On March 8, 2015, when the roots had begun to break dormancy, I moved 2 carrots each into 5 buckets, but kept them in the greenhouse until the weather stabilized, at which point the buckets were moved outside to give pollinating insects access. The plants grew and flowered well before Queen Anne’s Lace. When the QAL began to flower I noted all the flower heads that looked as if they contained forming seed and removed all the rest that were still in the flowering stage. One question is whether there were in fact insects in the garden at the time the buckets were moved outdoors so that adequate pollination could take place. I still need to do a germination test on the seed to verify this.

Brian: