Growing Carrots In Containers
When you were younger, your parents and teachers told you that eating carrots is good for your health, especially for your eyes. Carrots are a root vegetable and used imaginatively, can be used to prepare several kinds of dishes; not only as a boiled vegetable but as fresh carrot juice or as a main ingredient in a sweet, baked carrot cake.
For people who are lucky enough to have a garden, carrots are often planted as a mean of reducing costs so that they do not need to buy them from the groceries or supermarkets. Another benefit of planting carrots or an vegetable at home is that you can be 100% sure that the carrots are safe from unwanted pesticides and questionable processes which haunt the purchasers of supermarket vegetables.Many people who have vegetable gardens swear, the vegetables from their own gardens are fresher and taste more delicious that those you can buy from supermarkets.
If you live in a condominium or apartment where there is not enough space for gardens, you should not give up your love for home grown carrots because there is a solution to this problem. Back to to planting vegetables in containers. You can get the benefits of eating fresh carrots without taking up too much space, and it also help keep many pests such as slugs under control..
Here are the steps and tips for growing carrots in containers.
The first step in growing carrots in containers is to get good quality carrot seeds. That’s right. Carrots have seeds, too, they are just very small and now usually associated with the vegetable. Carrots are biennials. In their first year, they produce the enlarged root that you are familiar with. And on the second year, if they are not harvested, they will produce seeds. You can buy carrot seeds online or from shops or garden centers that sell seeds. Choose the best variety. You can also choose carrot seeds that will produce carrot vegetables with interesting shapes and colors.
After getting the carrot seeds, the next step is deciding which pot or container to use. Carrot plants will look good in a pot. You can plant a singe carrot in each small pot. You can also choose a larger rectangular container that you can place on the window where you can plant several carrots. Another option is a huge round planter that will also look good on your balcony or terrace. But whatever you choose, make sure the container has features for adequate drainage.
Choose a good quality potting soil. If you are going to buy soil, do not buy those that have been pre-mixed with chemical fertilizers or other artificial soil amendments afterall one of the major benefits is all this effort is to enjoy the health benefits and of organic carrots.
Once you have chosen good quality soil, put it in the pot and water it first before planting. This is important because the carrot seeds will float if the soil hass not been moistened.
When planting the seeds, place them in such a way that they are at least an inch apart from each other. The rows should be six inches apart from each other. This means you need a bigger container if you plan a number of rows.
Once you have finished planting the carrot seeds, water the soil gently. This will prevent the tiny carrot seeds from dislodging.
It is important to water the seeds regularly to keep them damp. Germination takes place after about two weeks in cold weather. As an aid to watering, you can also spread a thin layer of wet peat moss over the carrot seeds to keep them moist. When watering, you should lightly spray them with water instead of pouring it over them.
When the carrot seeds start to germinate, gently remove the peat moss. Since you have already panted them with enough space between each other, you do not need to thin out excess carrot plants that are out of line. But if there are carrot plants that are very near each other, cut the unwanted carrot plant using scissors to make sure that all the other carrots will get enough water and soil nutrients.
To make the carrot plants healthy, you can use a bio liquid fertilizer. If there are signs of pests or symptoms of diseases, treat them as early as possible. Carrots are very easy to grow, though, you will not probably experience pest or disease while growing them at home. But just to be sure, know what kind of pesticide or treatment you should use.
Your carrot plants will be ready for harvesting 70 to 80 days after planting the seeds.
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