Carrot, Cosmic Purple

PRESALE SPECIAL!  SEEDS WILL SHIP JANUARY 2025!

History

From the Mediterranean and as far east as the Orient, the carrot has grown wild.  Thought to have originated from the region around Afghanistan, the first carrots, were purple, red, and white. Turkey recorded yellow carrots in the 900's. The very first orange carrot was developed in Holland in the 1600's. The carrot became extremely popular in France the second half of the 19th century and the United States showed little interest in the root. 

The Purple Cosmic Carrot was created in the USA by Dr. Phillip Simon in Madison, Wisconsin in 2005 and are descendants of the original purple carrot varieties native to Central Asia that were woody with an un-enticing flavor. They are becoming increasingly popular due to their bright purple color with an orange interior. They're mostly grown as a specialty item, in private gardens,  and sold in farmer's markets. Queen Anne's Lace is a form of wild carrot, but isn't very tasty. 

Planting Instructions

Carrots can be a bit fussy to get started but well worth the time spent. Many packets recommend surface sowing or barely covered. We have had the best luck sowing carrots 1/4 inch deep and covering lightly with sifted compost. The key is to keep the soil damp at all times and watering with a fine mist. 

Care

Germination can take 1-3 weeks and it's important to thin them out to 1-2 inch spacing  before they get too large. They're frost tolerant and like full sun. Their ideal temp is between 55-75 degrees. They will take about 70 days until harvest.

Approx: 600 Seeds

A Pheasant?

It may seem a bit bird-brained to have a pheasant on this carrot seed packet but we aren’t as flighty as it seems. The wild form of carrot in this country is Queen Anne's Lace. It's an extremely prolific plant and also considered invasive in some areas. However, wild birds, including the pheasant, utilize the seeds from this tall and widespread plant as food and shelter during the fall and winter months. Leaving weeds and plants with stalks and seeds intact helps wildlife survive tough winter months. Stems and stalks provide shelter for insects as well. Pheasants also spread the seeds when they eat them and poop them out, which is how so many plants propagate and survive in the ecosystem. Pheasants, being mainly land birds, also scratch the ground and help those seeds get to places where they can germinate more easily. So rather than cleaning up the garden when winter is on the way, leave some to feed the wildlife!

Also, those cosmic purple carrots sort of matched the pheasant so there's that. LOL