Carrots

Carrots love sandy soil. Add well-rotted manure to improve soil texture and increase nutrients.

• Have you ever seen a carrot that has grown "legs" or forked itself into a strikingly human form? Fresh manure, or even recently applied rotted manure, can cause carrots to fork and send out little side roots. Don't use it before you plant your seeds.
• Thin overcrowded seedlings by snipping them with scissors, instead of pulling them out, to prevent damage to the roots of remaining plants.
• To store freshly harvested carrots, twist off the tops, scrub off the dirt under cold running water (use a vegetable brush, if necessary), let them drain for a few minutes in a large colander, seal them in airtight plastic bags, and refrigerate. If you simply put fresh carrots in the refrigerator, they'll go limp in a few hours.
• Carrots taste much better after a couple of frosts. Following the first hard frost in the fall, cover carrot rows with an 18-inch layer of shredded leaves to preserve them for harvesting after frost.