UNION COUNTY — Autumn is here and winter is on its way, but that doesn’t mean it’s time for everyone to put away their gardening equipment.

The Union County Master Gardeners program is running a winter carrot planting project this year to learn more about winter vegetable growing in the region, according to Master Gardener Coordinator Sarah West. The community science project furthers two goals of the Master Gardeners and the Oregon State University Extension Office — gardening in the community, and gathering local data.

“We have 27 registered carrot growers throughout Union County,” West said.

Master Gardeners are community educators, West said. The program provides a meaningful gardening experience for the community members while also collecting data for the future.

The OSU Extension Office offers free gardening advice, West said. One of the most commonly asked questions the office receives, she said, is from people wanting to know what they can grow in the late fall and early winter to extend the produce season.

West said that programs like the winter carrot planting project allow the OSU Extension Office and the Master Gardeners to gather data specifically from Union County, which can be used and shared to better guide people on what they can grow and when. While the program is called the winter carrot planting project, the project itself kicked off in the final months of summer. The program provided gardeners with a specific variety of carrot seeds which needed to be planted in late July through mid-August. Participants also received instructional packets and support from the Master Gardeners.

The project was open to any Union County gardeners with in-ground or raised garden plots that get at least six hours of sun a day. West said that this year the majority of the gardeners who signed up were either in or around La Grande.

The carrots must be kept in the ground until Dec. 15, West said. Once harvested, gardeners will answer questions and submit data by February 2025. Participants are keeping track of information such as planting times, germination, harvest dates and yields of carrots.

They will also share the size of their carrots, how many survived and the flavor profile. West said that winter carrots — along with other winter vegetables such as kale — get sweeter as they grow after enduring frosts. When carrots are exposed to the cold, it increases the amount of sugar found in the cellular fluid. The sugar is a defense mechanism and acts like antifreeze since sugar solutions freeze at lower temperatures than water. The increased sugar helps prevent the cells from expanding and bursting in the freezing temperatures.

The Master Gardeners themselves are also taking part in the project, West said. They have half a plot where they are growing winter carrots at the La Grande Community Garden at Eastern Oregon University. West said the Union County Master Gardeners will run the project again next year, so that they can collect data over time.

Want to get involved?

To learn more about the Master Gardener’s program head to https://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/union. Applications for 2025 training will open in late November 2024.

To stay up to date on next year’s winter carrot planting project, subscribe to the Master Gardener’s newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/yz76bt4c.