Growing Carrots? - Introducing The Laziest Way To A Bumper Crop Of Clean, Fresh, Mouth
Watering, Pest Free Carrots... and the proof!

Growing carrots in plant containers is no different than growing them in open ground. Make small drills in the growing medium about 13mm(½") deep, thinly sow the carrot seed along the drills, fill in the drills and water using a watering can with a fine rose. The carrot seedlings in the plant container above are just starting to push through - takes about 7 days to germinate.

After the carrots have germinated and are about a 25mm(1") tall start the thinning process. You can pull them out or get a small pointed pair of scissors and snip them off at soil level. Thin them so they are about 13mm(½") apart. Later you will thin them to approximately 25m(1") and the thinnings should be big enough to eat - see photo below of me holding some thinnings.

This is how I play :0). I mess around trying different orientations of sowing - I tell myself that I am trying to maximize growing carrots in the space available, but it's just playing really... who's a sad boy then! Hey think of this though! - to get the kids interested in planting carrots or any vegetable, give them their own pot and get them to sow their name or initials. Incidentally, I think starting seeds in straight rows about 6cm(2½") apart give the largest number of carrots.

What sometimes happens is the peat or whatever you use settles around the growing carrots and exposes the neck of the carrot just below where the foliage grows from the carrot. Because it is exposed to the light it turns green - it's no big deal, just cut it off when your preparing them to eat. To prevent it gently sift some more peat etc. over the carrot seedlings. Don't worry if you partially bury them as they will continue to grow.

This is a different orientation I tried - sorry just playing again :0).

When starting seeds I also tried different ways of covering the seed. In the above picture I sowed the seed as usual but not in a drill, just on the surface then covered them with vermiculite (vermiculite is the mineral name given to hydrated laminar magnesium-aluminum-iron silicate which resembles mica in appearance. It is inert and used extensively in horticulture - glad you asked?). It made no difference to the germination and growth of the carrots.

In this square plant container the growing carrots are beginning to race away. At this stage you might like to give a liquid feed at weekly intervals.

Carrots in this round pot are at a similar stage to its adjacent picture. They are a different variety though as indicate by the lighter and more upright growth of the foliage - I think these where a yellow variety. You can also just make out that these are in the criss-cross orientation.

I described how to initially thin out the carrot seedlings in photo 2 above (photos going left to right - you know the routine) but when they are about 15-20cm(6-8")tall then thin them again to about about 25mm(1") apart. If you gauge this right - this will come with experience, you can use the thinnings (not just for your rabbits) as the baby carrots will be delicious. I am holding some carrot thinnings above - and no snide comments about the other thinning that's taking place please.

This is what it's all been about, fresh, clean, crisp carrots - you just can't beat this moment of triumph. Your growing carrots have reached optimum maturity and are now ready to be added to a salad, eaten steamed or roasted along with the joint, ready for that special dinner MMMmmm... just as well it's nearly dinner time as I write this page up. Bon apatite!

In the above photo a selection of growing carrots shows the container plants at different levels of growth. The carrot plants on the right are the oldest to youngest on left. So by successional sowing of the carrot seeds you can have a virtually unbroken supply through the growing season - and why not experiment to see if you can get them growing through the year. You might be surprised with our warmer winters, especially in the south of England and Wales.

I like to try more unusual plants from time to time. So when I came across this Australian variety of carrot plant I thought I'd give them a go. I was absolutely amazed at the results.... happy growing! ;0)