How to Harvest Heirloom Carrot Seeds Home Guides

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Harvesting seeds from your vegetable garden is a rewarding process that adds a new dimension to your gardening experience. Saving carrot seeds is a two-year project because carrots are biennial plants. During the first year, focus on growing the best possible crop of carrots. They will flower and produce seeds the second year. Growers in mild, Mediterranean climates can leave the carrots in the ground during the winter without fear that winter weather will kill the plants. Harvest carrot seeds only from heirloom or open pollinating varieties. Hybrids don't breed true. The seeds mature in late June or July of the second year.

1 Leave the largest and most vigorous carrots in the ground over the winter at the end of their first season. Thin them to 3 inches apart.

2 Prune the carrot tops in the spring of their second year to remove dead and damaged leaves.

3 Avoid using insecticides or use those labeled as safe for bees once the flowers appear. Carrots are pollinated by bees and flies.

4 Observe the plants carefully a month to six weeks after they are pollinated. The seeds are mature when they turn brown and detach from the umbels. The seeds don't fall to the ground when they detach because they are covered with little hooks that adhere to the plant.

5 Cut the seed stalks when about 80 percent of the seeds are mature. The seeds near the top mature first and they are the highest quality. Place the stems top down in paper bags to dry for two to three days.

6 Shake the dried stems inside the bag to detach the seeds.

7 Store the seeds in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator.

Things Needed Scissors

Paper bags

Tips Make sure there is no Queen Anne's lace growing near your carrot seed crop. Queen Anne's lace is a wild carrot that can pollinate your seeds.

You can perform a quick seed quality check by crushing some seeds in your hand using firm pressure. Good quality seeds remain intact while poor seeds break apart.

Separating carrot seeds from chaff is a challenge for the home gardener. You can experiment with sifting the plant material through various size screens. Much of the chaff is lighter than the seeds, and you may be able to get rid of it by blowing gently. It does no harm to leave the chaff with the seeds.

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