Description
Daucus carota ssp. sativus | Garden Carrot ‘Manpukuji’
Garden Carrot, also known as Cultivated Carrot, Carrot Flower, Birds Nest Plant, and Bees Nest Plant, is a hardy, cool-season biennial root vegetable that’s bred and grown for its thick bright orange root during the first growing season.
The Manpukuji carrot is a rare, ancient Japanese heirloom variety from Japan’s Edo period, famous for its extraordinary length, often exceeding 3 feet and sometimes reaching up to 4.5 feet in length, while remaining surprisingly tender and sweet. Named after a Japanese temple, this 400 year old carrot was nearly extinct, but was fortunately preserved by Seed Savers. Manpukuji is known to hold its mild, sweet flavor and is traditionally used in New Year’s dishes like namasu, though also great for juicing or salt-baking to enhance its natural sugars.
Daucus carota ssp. sativus thrives in deep, loose, well-drained soil that’s free from rocks. Carrots prefer low nutrient compost as nutrient rich soils can make them branch rather than growing as one long straight root. A 50/50 mix of compost and sand works great. One may decide to fill a large garbage can with soil and grow them in there, which is a great opportunity to reuse old compost from potted containers you wish to refresh- if the compost has been grown in for a season already it will be perfect for carrots. For serious growers that want the longest possible carrots, you can grow individual carrots in lengths of vertical drain pipe filled with the same soil mix as your container.
Sow outdoors 2 to 4 weeks BEFORE the average last frost date. In climates with lows above 25°F, they can grow all winter. Not recommended to sow indoors. Always direct sow outdoors. Carrots are usually ready for harvest 10-12 weeks after sowing, but this can vary depending on the variety. Gently loosen the soil around the carrots with a fork before pulling them out to avoid breakage. With giant carrots it is a good plan to grow more than you need to you can sporadically pull a test carrot to see if they have achieved the desired length yet. Peak harvest period lasts for 3 weeks. 70-80 days until mature.
Type: Biennial
Sun exposure: Full sun to light shade
Mature foliage height: 12 inches
Mature flower height: 3-4 ft
Root length: 3-4.5 ft
Mature width: 3-6 inches
Hardiness zones: 3-10
