Carrot Amsterdam Forcing 3 - Daucus carota

The Amsterdam Forcing 3 carrot is a fast-growing, semi-long variety. Ideal for forced cultivation: sow in late winter under cover. Cylindrical, the thickness of a finger, its skin is smooth and deep orange. Its flesh has a sweet flavor. Spread out the sowings to obtain a regular supply. Sow in February and March under cover, then from April to August in open ground, for a harvest from June to November.

The carrot is a biennial herbaceous plant, grown as an annual, from the Apiaceae family. It is produced as a vegetable for its fleshy, edible, generally orange-colored taproots. It is a root rich in carotene. It can generally reach 30 cm (12in) in height. The Carrot is not very demanding on the nature of the soil. However, the most beautiful roots will be harvested in a rich, light, and deep soil. It is therefore necessary to prepare the soil well by deep digging in autumn, during which 2 to 3 kg of well-decomposed manure or compost will be buried. All stones will be removed during this operation. Before sowing, the soil will be well crumbled and fertilized with a base fertilizer, then left as it is for about fifteen days. The sowing can then take place.

The harvest: during the season, harvest the carrots as you need them. To extract the roots from the ground, use a digging fork, taking care not to damage the root. Injuries to the roots can trigger carrot rot during storage.
Yields can be estimated depending on the type of cultivation and carrot. As a guide, plan between 1 and 1.5 kg/m² for an early crop; about 3 kg/m² for a seasonal crop of a semi-long variety, and up to 5 kg for a late crop of long carrots.

Storage: it can be done in open ground, on the cultivation site, but this immobilizes a space in the vegetable garden. In winter, in this case, the roots will need to be protected from frost with a good layer of dead leaves. Indoor storage is an excellent long-term solution. In a frost-free and well-ventilated place, cut the foliage at the base and place the roots next to each other on a bed of moist sand. Cover them with a layer of 2 cm (1in) of sand and place the next row.

The gardener's tips: 
Sowing radishes and carrots on the same row and at the same time naturally distances the carrot seeds. Once the radishes are harvested, it will leave space for the carrots to grow. It's a win-win thinning! 
Sowing carrots near a row of leeks helps protect them from carrot fly and leek moth.