My personal favorite vegetable to grow is CARROTS! They are so delicious! And it is such fun to dig them out of the earth, it’s like a treasure hunt where you can eat the prize at the end. If you’re like me you just brush the dirt off and take a bite! That was the end of more than one braces bracket, I was probably not the orthodontist favorite patient!
Growing carrots is easy and very rewarding. As long as you can keep the weeds under control when the carrots are small they will reward you with bunches of deliciousness.
Step 1: Choose your Seeds
There are so many varieties it can be a bit overwhelming to choose. Some things to keep in mind when selecting what carrots to grow are: how big you want them to get, will you be long term storing them or eating fresh, planting early in the spring for a summer harvest or planting late summer for a fall harvest, what color(yes, carrots are more than just orange), and what soil type you have. If unsure of your soil type check out this link to find instructions on how to do a fun soil test.
To check out a nice selection of carrots head on over to Johnny’s, if heirloom seeds are more your thing check out Baker Creek or Seed Treasures.
Step 2: Pick your Location
Carrots are not heavy feeders, they do need lots of sunlight and water. Plant them 1/4in deep and aim for 1″ apart. Personally, I struggle to get them 1″ apart, the seeds are so darn small! That is why thinning them after they germinate is so important.
Planting carrots is a great Little Steward activity. Depending on the age of your Little Steward; either have them make a row in the garden with a stick or help them to do so. The best way I’ve found to plant the the tricky little carrot seeds, is to roll them between your thumb and your finger. Try it first yourself, and then show your Little Steward how to do it. Only give them small pinches of seeds at a time, so you don’t end up with 100 seeds in three inches but if you do, don’t worry. Just thin them out and make carrots salad. The greens are slightly parsley flavored and full of nutrients.
The Secret to good Germination!
I found to get the best germination I need to apply a secret that my great grandmother used. My mom tells me that she would take a large black rug and cover the carrots after planting them. Leave it on until the seeds germinate, this gives the carrot seeds a heads start over the weed seeds, it also greatly improves the germination rate, as the black rug absorbs sunlight heating the soil.
Last summer, I conducted an experiment. I planted one bed of carrots and covered it with black ground cloth cover, I planted another and covered it with agribond( a lightweight white agricultural fabric), and I also planted a bed of carrots that got no cover(aka a control) . The control and the agribond had the same germination rate–not good. The black ground cloth cover did great.
Step 3: Water, weed and wait
This step is pretty simple, water them regularly -keep the ground moist, keep up on the weeds when they are small and watch the carrots grow!
Step 4: Harvest
This is my favorite part! Make sure to enlist the help of your Little Steward! Carrots should be dug, not just pulled. Sometimes the stops snap off, when they are pulled and then your treasure left in the ground. Use a trowel or shovel to dig them, alternatively you can use a pitch fork to loosen the ground by the carrots and then pull them out by the tops.
The Big Why
So now you know how to grow carrots successfully and how to engage your Little Steward in the process…why should you? I am going to keep this brief for the sake of getting this post done. I could probably write soooo much more.
- Gardening is good for you mental health
- Being able to grow some of your own food is freeing
- Growing your own organic vegetables is much cheaper than buying them
- Understanding the growing process is good for your Little Steward