Long before orange carrots existed (16th century) the purple carrot was the most commonly cultivated, along with yellow-rooted ones. Not just the skin that is deeply colored, the midnight purple color goes all the way through to the core. This Black Nebula Carrot is more rustic, not as refined, as traditional orange or hybrid carrots, but well worth growing. Foliage is tinted purple and roots can be used as a natural coloring, just check out your tongue after you take a bite out of one. The roots are tapered, 6-8 in length and the flavor is pure carrot. The Black Nebula Carrot has a naturally lower germination rate than other carrots.

300 seeds

PLANTING

Daucus carota

Germination: 6-14 days

Germination Temperature: Optimum soil temperatures are 60-85F. The cooler the soil the longer it takes for germination, up to 3 weeks.

Seed Sowing Depth: 1/4 deep

Sowing Outdoors: Start 3 weeks before the last frost into mid-summer. Sow lightly, thin to 1-3 apart. The larger the carrot variety the more space is needed between them. The soil moisture should be maintained regularly until germination, letting the soil dry out during this period may result in lower germination.

How much does a packet plant: 10-12 foot row

Harvest: Start when carrots reach finger size for baby carrots. Carrots planted for summer harvest will hold in the ground for a few weeks but tend to split if they stay in the ground for too long. Late-season carrots hold longer and become sweeter in the cooler weather.

Tips: Using a row cover helps to maintain moisture for germination. The Black Nebula Carrot prefers loose soil, free of rubble. Use the shorter varieties for heavy soils. Keep well-weeded and cover any exposed carrot with soil or mulch to prevent greening. An excess of nitrogen in the soil causes the roots to become hairy.