Carrot Jupiter - Daucus carota

The Jupiter Carrot (Flakkée type breed) is an improved variety that offers good-sized roots (about 30 cm (12in) long), slightly flattened. They are of good taste and can be stored for a long time. Sow from March to June for a harvest from July to November.

The carrot is a biennial herbaceous plant (grown as an annual), from the Apiaceae family, cultivated as a vegetable for its so-called taproots, fleshy, edible, and usually orange in color. It is a root rich in carotene. It can generally reach a height of 30 centimeters. The leaves are deeply divided and covered in hair. The flowers are small and white. They are grouped in compound umbels. These umbels have 30 to 40 rays, generally incurved towards the top. The fruits are diakènes.

The Carrot is not very demanding on the nature of the soil, however, the best 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 you can bury 2 to 3 kg of well-decomposed manure or compost. All stones should be removed during this operation. Before sowing, the soil will be crumbled and fertilized with a base fertilizer, then left as it is for about fifteen days. Sowing can then take place.

Harvest: during the season, harvest the carrots as you need them. To extract the roots from the soil, use a garden fork, taking care not to damage the root. Injuries to the roots can trigger carrot rot during storage.
Yields can be estimated based on the type of cultivation and carrot. As an indication, plan for between 1 and 1.5 kg/m² for an early crop; about 3 kg/m² for a mid-season crop of a ½ long variety, and up to 5 kg for a late crop of long carrots.

Storage: it can be done in the ground, at the place of cultivation, but this immobilizes a growing 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. Storage in a silo is an excellent long-term solution. In a frost-free and ventilated place, cut the foliage at the collar level and place the roots next to each other on a bed of moist sand. Cover them with a 2 cm (1in) layer of sand and place the next row.

The gardener's little trick: 
Sowing radishes and carrots on the same row and at the same time naturally distances the carrot seeds. Once the radishes are harvested, there will be space for the carrots to grow. It's a winning thinning out! 
Sowing carrots near a row of leeks helps protect them both from the carrot fly and the leek moth.