Aplaceae The Carrot Family
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Apiaceae – The Carrot Family
The Apiaceae is a diverse family of crops with a wide range of flavors. The family likeness appears when they flower. The tiny individual flowers are produced in creamy white, umbrella-shaped flower heads known as umbels. They very attractive to beneficial insects.
Carrots and parsnips are traditional root vegetables while turnip rooted parsley and turnip-rooted chervil are less well known. Celery and celeriac leaves and stems have the same distinctive flavor. Florence fennel bulbs have a crisp texture when raw and a mild licorice flavor. Fennel is the fastest growing of the Apiaceae family, while the other crops need a long growing season. Parsley an herb is often planted with this family group. Carrots and parsnips are directly sown, hardy crops that can be left in the ground for use over the winter or harvested for storage. Early carrots which grow quicker, are eaten fresh. Both crops prefer a light soil that has been fed by a perennial crop such as brassica. In heavy soil consider growing early carrots in containers. Celery and celeriac will bolt if growth is checked. They are best sown in cell packs and transplanted when the ground has sufficiently warmed. The soil should be rich in organic matter so it never dries out, and dressed with a medium to high-fertility soil improver such as compost.
Although the members of the Apiaceae family have differing soil requirements they are keep together during crop rotation because they are prone to the same problems. One a bed system where the ground can be divided into more than four distinct area, Apiaceae can be planted in separate beds.
Root crops may ‘fork’ in stony soils. The major pest of the Apiaceae family is carrot rust fly, the larvae feed on the roots of all members. Barriers and row covers are the most effective way to prevent damage. Parsnip canker effects only parsnips, is exacerbated by carrot rust fly. Good drainage and close spacing can prevent this. Root rot effects the Apiaceae family when soils are sodden and heavy. The Organic Gardening Bible as a further reference.
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