Carrots

Mother Earth News, Sep/Oct 1987
The Easiest Seed-Saving Crops
By Nancy Bubel

Insects pollinate carrot flowers, so make sure blossoming carrot varieties are planted at least 200 feet apart. (Serious savers will separate flowering carrots by 1,000 feet to assure seed purity.) Oueen Anne's lace (wild car rot) crosses freely with cultivated carrots, with disastrous results. If you want to save carrot seed in an area where this lacy wildflower is common, fasten net bags over the carrot blooms to keep insects out, and pollinate the blossoms yourself by picking several from one plant and rubbing them over the surface of flowers on your seed plants. Carrot seeds shatter about two months after flowering. You can tie a small paper bag over drying seed heads to catch more of the seeds.

The Arc Institute

The deeper and lighter the soil, the larger and better shaped the roots. Plant 1/2” deep 2” apart in rows 1-2’ apart. Cover soil with grass clippings to keep a dry crust from forming and preventing seedlings from breaking through. Two crops a year can be planted. Roots can be stored in a cool cellar to last through the winter.