Carrot seeds Daucus carota, Rote Riesen
Rote Riesen Carrot seeds
Rote riesen carrot is popularly known as Giant red dark orange carrot. This type of carrot is among the most popular German breed variety that belongs to Daucus carota species. The red giant is very common in Russia; though the origin can be traced back to Italy and parts of southern California where the plant was grown widely as the main crop.
It is characterised by large orange needle-like roots, with an excellent pleasant taste, rated worldwide as one of the most delicious variety. It is late maturing compared to other varieties. Giant red typically sprouts as a biennial, which is it takes a course of up to two years to complete lifecycle and maturity. The plant reaches up to a height of 15cm and a diameter of up to 6 cm at maturity. The mature root is heavy and can reach150 grams. The shape of the root stretches to resemble a blunt tip cone. Cross section part of the carrot exposes an average size core. The flavour of giant red carrot is juicy and sweet; it entails vitamins composition, useful to people of various ages.
The variety of Rote Riesen is impervious to pest and diseases. It portrays a distinguishable feature of staying for a longer term without losing taste and quality. In addition, the plant thrives well in a winter climate, such as in the northern part of Mediterranean. More importantly, many gardeners in humid temperate regions prefer this variety because it can be collected during August and can be stored up to March or April without losing taste.
The most favourable time for sowing this carrot variety is at the end of April and early May. The plant does well in warm soil and temperatures of 100c and above. It is susceptible to root fly that is often attracted by the smell of its foliage. Carrots seeds should be sowed in a fine seedbed. During sowing spacing among rows should be kept close to avoid carrot fly. Seeds are mixed with sand on a ratio of 100 to 1 moreover they are sowed in a shallow drill averagely 2 cm deep.
Harvested roots are edible when raw as well as when cooked. In most countries, the vegetable is used to add to salads.
