Little Finger Carrots, another French Heirloom, are miniature gourmet baby carrots measuring roughly 3 1/2″ long x 1/2″ round. It is smooth skinned with a small core. I have found this particular cultivar does best in containers, it is not as prolific or as reliable as some its cousins in the carrot Klan, but it certainly is sweet.
They do not fare well in rocky or heavy soils and will frequently grow in unusual shapes and at times fork off in multiple directions, which is not a desirable trait.
In containers this is not an issue. They also do not store as well as many other cultivars so are best used fresh. The youngest carrots of this strain are generally the sweetest, or if you allow them to remain in the ground outdoors they are also sweeter after a hard frost.
Germination – Carrots are notoriously slow to germinate. Anticipate up to 3 weeks. Also anticipate uneven germination over a period of a few weeks.
Direct Seeding is best, not transplants. Begin Planting seeds in early spring, 2 to 3 weeks before last frost. After planting, it’s imperative that you keep the upper inch of soil consistently moist until the seedlings emerge. Carrot seeds have a vary hard coat that must be kept moist in order to soften them for germination
Carrot seeds will germinate in soil temperatures as low as 50 degrees, but in the vicinity of 70 degrees is best for quicker germination and less seed loss.
Maturity at 55-65 days. – But can be harvested Earlier.
USDA Hardiness Zones 3- 11
Fruit Size 3 1/2″ long x 1/2″ round
Full Sun / Light Shade
Below Average Yields
Color – Orange
Spacing – 2 to 4 inches apart. This is not always possible when planting seed so plan to thin your carrots as they emerge to attain adequate spacing. Allow them to attain a respectable size before thinning – some of the carrots you’ve removed should be useable.
Carrots are cold hardy and will survive fall chills, let some of your carrots stay in the ground until after the first frost. You’ll find that the cool weather increases their sweetness.