The time of harvesting the carrot seeds falls on the second year of her life in the garden, as the plant is a two-year-old and in the first year gives root, and only for the second - seeds. That is, you need to leave a few carrots in the ground for wintering, lightly boring the ground for safekeeping during the cold. In the second year, the carrot again sprouts, and it can be used to produce seeds.
How to properly collect carrot seeds?
To save carrots for collecting seeds, you need to leave a couple of centimeters of green in the fall above her crown. You can dig it from the garden and store it in a box of sand. In the spring, when it begins to germinate, again plant it on the garden.
Seeds in carrots are in an umbrella remotely resembling dill. And to collect the seeds it is better not to use lateral umbrellas of the second and third order, since the germination from them will be worse.
Approaching directly the question of when it is possible to collect carrot seeds, it must be said that one should not hurry. Wait until the umbrella discards the color, darkens and turns into a cam. This moment is most suitable for harvesting carrot seeds. The process consists of carefully cutting the umbrellas together with the stem, which are then stored in a darkened place.
Seeds of carrots are like hedgehogs because of their hairs. These hairs must be removed from the seeds, and it is advisable to do this by hand, and not through a sieve, which damages the seed. Preparation of seeds is made immediately before planting. In addition, they are soaked and treated with stimulating solutions for better germination.
Summarizing the above, we now know when to collect carrot seeds - for the second year and only after full maturation of umbrellas. And know that hybrid varieties of carrots are not suitable for growing seeds, because their seeds do not necessarily pass on the quality of the mother plant.