Carrots are the versatile vegetable packed with flavor and vitamins. However, should you want only the very tastiest serving of bright orange goodness on your plate, it is worth growing your own.
Fortunately, carrots are relatively straightforward to grow from seed and are adaptable to thrive in many U.S. climates.
Steve White, Founder and Managing Director of community organization We Can Grow, told Newsweek: "Carrots are easy to grow, will store in the fridge for months and are so good for you.
"This crunchy veg is packed with nutrition, contains fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin K1 and in particular beta-carotene, which our bodies convert to vitamin A and gives you healthy glowing skin whilst aiding the body's immune system.
"And yes, carrots to also help your vision in dim light! The more orange the carrots, the more beta-carotene contained."
Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to grow carrots — from planting to harvesting.
How to Plant Carrots
White believes it is easier than most people would imagine to encourage a crop of their very own.
He said: "When it comes to growing carrots, you don't need to be an expert or have access to an allotment.
"A small flower patch, raised planter or even a bucket will enable you to grow carrots at home.
"The vegetable prefers light deep soil or compost, which should be kept moist."
Spring is the perfect time to start sowing carrot seed straight into the ground, with the promise of a hearty crop from summer and well into winter. However, in warmer states you may be able to plant earlier.
The gardening expert suggests, "you can stagger your planting into batches and continue harvesting throughout winter."
Carrots prefer sun and slight shade and are fairly frost resilient, while they also prefer well-dug, stone-free soil.
White said: "I recommend sowing them in lines [also known as "drills"] and planted about three to four inches apart from each other, about half an inch under the soil.
"As a guide, I recommend aiming for around 16 plants within a square foot, although I tend to plant more than this because I like to pick out the smaller ones as they grow; they're delicious.
"The leaves of baby carrots are edible and considered a microgreen."
Remember: although carrots do not usually require additional feeding, occasional mulching with a light-blocking organic mulch such as compost or leaf-mold should prevent the tops from turning green.
How to Harvest Carrots
The Royal Horticultural Society notes gardeners can expect carrots to be ready for harvesting approximately 12 to 16 weeks after sowing.
However, harvesting root vegetables such as carrots is notoriously known as a bit of a gamble, because of the inability to see how well they are faring until they are pulled from the soil.
One option available is to test to see if the tops of your carrot plants have filled out to the expected diameter by feeling just below the soil line.But in reality, the only true test is to lift one of the carrots and taste it.
A common error is to harvest too early, thinking you will get sweet baby carrots. Small carrots in the store are actually a particular variety that matures smaller.
Immature carrots will be bland because they have not had time to develop their full sweetness, which usually develops when the crop has experienced a frost.
Steve White describes August as "the perfect time to harvest carrots and so there's ample time for you to be researching lots of delicious recipes in which to use the results of your labor."
He added: "For those that love a touch of greenery around the home, some people do use carrot leaves as houseplants.
"You can do the same by simply repotting some of your used carrot tops which is great to do with children as they grow very quickly."
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March 18, 2022 at 07:00PM
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How to Grow Carrots and When to Harvest the Vegetable - Newsweek
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