Growing Non-GMO Tendersweet Carrot Vegetable Seeds
How to Grow Tendersweet Carrot from Seed
Carrot is a cool weather crop best sown directly 2-3 weeks before final spring frost and every 2 weeks after for successive harvests. Like many root vegetables, carrot does not transplant well and should be sown directly. Plant 2-3 seeds 1/2" deep and 1-2" apart in loamy, loose, and well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0. Seeds germinate in 14-21 days, thinning back to 1 plant every 2-4" as true leaves establish. Carrots require a deep well-tilled garden for straight taproot growth. Avoid using nitrogen-rich fertilizers which are known to cause root abnormalities as well as excessive greens and weak root development.
These carrots should be planted in soil with a pH level of approximately five to seven. The soil should also be sandy and moist, with few rocks or lumps to get in the way of the root growth. Sow the seeds in the spring in an area with full sun by placing half an inch of soil over each seed.
Tendersweet in the Vegetable Garden
Tendersweet has long, 9-10" tapered roots; rich orange color; sweet, and coreless. This heirloom carrot is a reliable producer that has been pleasing folks for generations. Try Tendersweet carrot seed in your Victory Garden!
Carrot is a sugary sweet root vegetable second only to the beet in overall sugar content. Carrot is one of the easiest, quickest, and most satisfying garden crops and lends itself to as many savory dishes as it does sweet. Although considered a predominantly orange vegetable, the carrot is available in a wide selection of exquisite heirloom colors such as red, purple, yellow, and white. Carrots can be sown every couple weeks for successive season-long harvesting.
Harvesting Tendersweet Carrots
Most varieties of carrot are ready for harvest about 70-80 days from sowing, while smaller varieties such as Parisian are ready a few weeks sooner. Regardless of color, carrots are usually ripe for harvest when the root begins to show above soil.
A sandy and well-tilled garden will help in harvesting, providing a loose soil to safely uproot the carrot crop without the need for tools. For more hardened soils, use a specialized hand cultivator or garden hori-hori knife.
About Tendersweet Carrot Garden Seeds
Prior to the Dutch influence of the 16th century, the world's carrot crop had once been entirely purple, whereas orange was the mutant variable that Dutch growers sought to isolate as a separate cultivar. Orange has since become the commercial standard while many purple heirlooms are resigned to home gardens, specialty stores, and farmers" markets.
1935 Isbell's Seed Company. catalog says about tendersweet carrot seeds...
"Very sweet and nearly coreless, of good shape; cylindrical, very smooth and about 6 inches long. Of deep orange-red color; crisp, tender and of very fine flavor. Tendersweet carrot is a fine home garden sort, excellent for early market use."
1940 Oscar H. Will Pure Seed Book says tendersweet carrot seed...
"Tendersweet carrot is one of the finest varieties, always sweet, tender and brittle, the roots are from 7 to 81/2 inches long, 2 inches in diameter at the shoulder and uniformly tapered to a semi-blunt end. The flesh of this carrot is rich orange with indistinct core."
Our friend Dale sent us this information about Tendersweet Carrots:
Dear True Leaf Market,
I would like to tell your gardening friends about, Tender Sweet Carrots, This carrot has some outstanding qualities that are important, as the name implies this carrot is tender and sweet, I'm going to call it a wonderful fresh market and home variety. This carrot holds well in storage as a keeper.
Tender Sweet's have been a staple in our family gardens here in the Northwest for over 80 years, we plant in a wide row that is about 16 inches wide, harvest begins at pencil stage to thin them, these are most often pan sauteed with or without the tops and the root snipped in al little bit of butter and brown sugar, remove while they are still a little crispy and serve. We like to have some leftover for salad toppings the next day. Yummy!
This is a long thin variety that is almost a foot long and coreless, if planted in the spring they will be mature when their exposed tops are about the size of a quarter dollar, they freeze well but lose a little flavor. Eat them fresh and you won't find a better carrot for all year use.
Dale W. Key
