Carrots are biennial which means that they spend the first year of their life developing the tuber, the carrot that we eat. If, instead of harvesting them, you leave them in the ground in the second year the plant will use the energy stored in the root to throw up a stalk and flower heads that will produce seed.
Dayu Product Page
If you live in an area with mild winters, just leave the carrots in the ground as winter arrives and the fern dies off. Then give them a good mulch with leafmould or compost to protect them until spring.
In cold areas, dig up your carrots and select the best roots. Twist off the foliage and store in dry sand or peat just as you would store crops for eating.
In spring replant the carrots into the ground and just like the ones left in the ground in milder areas, they will begin to re-grow and throw up large flat flower heads which can reach a metre high.
Carrots, being insect pollinated, can cross-pollinate with other carrots in flower in the neighbourhood within 500 metres and with the wild carrot, Queen Anne's Lace. Since so few gardeners save their own carrot seed nowadays, in practice this is not a major problem.
If you do get some crosses with wild carrots you can just discard those roots when you save seed in subsequent years.
If you save seed from just a few carrots you will probably suffer something called genetic drift and the quality will deteriorate markedly over the years. Ideally you should have a pool of around 40 to 50 plants to save seed from.
To harvest your carrot seeds is fairly easy. Once the flower heads or umbels as this type of flower head are properly called start to turn brown and dry, cut them off the stalk. Bring them indoors or undercover to dry thoroughly.
Do not use a dehydrator or oven as the heat will be too much and your saved seeds will not be viable.
Rub the dried heads between your hands and separate the seeds. You'll notice that carrot seeds have a beard. Commercially these are removed as it makes for easier packing but I'd say leave them on as they also make for easier handling at sowing time.
For more information, please visit chinese carrot seeds wholesale.
Once dry, place in an envelope and label with variety and year saved. Store in an airtight tin or a large jar with a lid. Desiccants are highly recommended such as the little silica gel bags found in shoe boxes, new handbags, etc, or simply add some dry, uncooked rice or a bit of milk powder to each closed container. These ensure no moisture problems.
Keep in a cool place in the dark and the seeds should be 70% viable (i.e. 30% of the seeds will be non-viable duds) for 3 years. By 5 years as little as 30% of the seeds will be viable and you desperately need fresh stocks!
Those growing for show tend to go to more trouble to ensure they save and enhance the characteristics they want and avoid cross-pollination. See Producing Your Own Carrot Seed in the show-growing section.
Is it possible to save seeds from carrots? Do carrots even have seeds? And, if so, why haven't I seen them on my plants? How do you save seeds from carrots? A hundred years ago, no gardener would have asked these questions, but times changed; laboratories began developing new strains and pre-packaged seeds became the norm.
In the past, it was a common practice among flower and vegetable gardeners to save seeds. From carrots, lettuce, radishes, and other fine seeded species to the larger seeds of beans, pumpkins, and tomatoes, every gardener kept a stash of their favorites to plant again or trade with friends. Modernization gave us hybridization -- cross breeding. In spite of recent complaints, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It allowed farmers to grow larger quantities with fewer problems and to ship their produce over long distances safely. Unfortunately, many of these new strains sacrificed flavor and texture to meet these needs. Now the pendulum of progress has swung back. With the re-emergence of heirloom vegetable varieties, many home gardeners are returning to the past with a growing interest in harvesting seeds from the flavorful varieties they're discovering.
Before you set your heart on saving carrot seeds from this year's crop, there are a few things you need to know. The first thing you need to check is the original package your carrot seeds came in. Are they a hybrid variety with an F1 designation on the package? If so, saving carrot seeds may not be a good idea as hybrid seeds don't always breed true. They often revert to the characteristics of one parent rather than a combination of both. The carrots you grow may not be exactly the same as the ones you pulled from the ground last year. On the other hand, if you're willing to spend the time, you can use those hybrid reversions to develop your own strain. Sow all the seed from the hybrid stock, then choose the plant characteristics you most admire from that sowing and save them for the next seed collection. Eventually, you'll have a carrot that grows best in your garden soil and climate. Secondly, you'll have to save seeds from carrots grown this year, next year. Carrots are biennial. They'll grow their greenery and long, tender root this year, but won't flower until next year. Like our grandmothers and grandfathers, you'll have to sacrifice the root from your best looking plant for saving carrot seed in order to insure that future crops will carry those admirable traits. When saving carrot seeds during the second flowering year, allow the seed heads to fully ripen on the plant. When the flower heads begin to brown and become dry, carefully cut the heads and place them in a small, paper bag and then leave them alone until the drying is complete. Small plastic containers or glass jars can also be used, but be careful. The same airtight lid that will protect your dried seeds will also hold the moisture of not quite dry seed heads and that can lead to moldy seed. Set your unlidded containers in a safe, dry place. Once the seed heads are thoroughly dry and the seeds have darkened, seal your containers and shake vigorously to release the seed. Label and store your seeds in a cool, dry place; the cooler the storage, the longer the viability of the seed. Modern technology may have robbed some of the flavor and texture from the garden foods we eat, but it has also given modern gardeners the means to restore flavor and variety to their gardens. There are several good sites on the Internet that carry heirloom seeds for sale and others where seeds are exchanged. Why not check them out and save seeds from carrots that are proven originals?
The company is the world’s best purple lettuce leaves supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.