Question
We found a carrot in a plastic bag in the office fridge, probably been there for a few months.  When I took it out of the day we noticed it had started to grow, roots growing out of it and leaves on top.  We put it in a pot of soil and it looks happy enough to keep growing.  None of us have much vegie gardening expertise, we know it won't 'breed' as such but if we leave it will it go to seed?  If not, how do you get carrot seeds (other than buying them in a packet)?

Answer
Carolyn, any plant will eventually produce seed in pods at the top of the foliage if left to mature in the soil.  Although harvesting seed is one way to propagate plants, be advised that the offspring will not bear true to the parent plant if the parent is a hybrid, a cross between two different varieties.  Hybrids are very popular and comprise a high percentage of all vegetables grown today.  They are specifically bred for taste and resistance to disease.

If you do want to propagate from seed, you need to start by sowing an open-pollinated or heirloom variety this year.  Heirlooms will breed to the exact characteristics of the parent plant.  These are available through nurseries or seed catalogs, such as Park Seed or Burpee.

Once you harvest the seed from the mature foliage, you need to allow the seed to fully dry for a minimum of 3 days.  Then you need to place the seed in a ziplog plastic bag, and store the bag in an airtight tupperware container for 3 months in the back of your refrigerator.  This simulates the cool dormant period that every seed must go through prior to germination.  Once the dormance period is over, you can sow the seed as you would normally.

I hope this information helps.  Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike