Let’s add some color to your salads; it’s time to grow some carrots…

Hello there, hopefully your herb garden is doing well and you are able to use fresh herbs in your cooking; nothing beats the flavor of crushed leaves of fresh curry leaves and coriander when added to any dish. The aromatic fragrance that wafts through the air when these herbs are added to food acts like an appetizer and you are all set to savor the dish.

But for how long can you stick to the greens alone, isn’t it time you added some color to your garden. It’s time to grow some nice orange and juicy carrots.

Importance of carrots

Even the tiniest of kids knows that you do yourself a world of good when you eat carrots because not only do they help in improving vision but also help in maintaining the health of your skin. That’s not all, carrots have cancer fighting properties; the beta carotene in them acts as an anti-aging agent too.  They are also known to be useful in preventing heart diseases because they reduce the cholesterol levels. The fiber in carrot helps in maintaining a healthy digestive system and also the health of your teeth and your gums.

How to grow carrots

Growing carrots is really simple. First and foremost select a container; it can be a stone pot or a terracotta pot which allows the plants to breathe though they are heavy to shift. Basically anything can be used as a container if there are holes for proper drainage of excess water. So get creative and use some unusual pots in your garden to enhance the looks of your kitchen garden.

The basic steps

• Soil –The most important ingredient in gardening, soil plays a major role in deciding the quality of the crop. Carrots require light, easy to drain and clump free soil free of pebbles and rocks. To enhance the quality of carrots just mix a handful of sand into a square foot of garden soil.
• Nutrition –Use good quality potting soil to ensure you havea healthy crop of carrots.
• Sunlight –Keep your pots out in the open; carrots require loads of sunshine.

The process begins…

The carrot seeds need sufficient space between them, at least an inch apart. The seeds should be planted at ¼ inch depth directly into the soil. The seeds take 5-14 days to germinate before you start seeing them sprout. It is a heartening sight to see the bright green sprouts arise joyfully from the brown mud- a sense of immense satisfaction is sure to fil your heart.  In 40 days’ time you will be delighted to see a lush green growth of carrot plants.

Time to see results…

It is really easy to grow carrots as they do not require too much care. The only major requirement for carrots is that the soil remains moist. Just ensure that in your zeal for quick growth do not over water the plants as they will rot and your desire for carrots will remain just a desire. To ensure the soil is always moist for water only once or twice a week. An organic tea can also be used as fertilizer for carrots. Adding wood ash to the pots is another good way to encourage growth.

When do you want to eat your carrot?

Carrots are one such vegetable which can be eaten at any stage. You can eat them as baby carrots or really nice big carrots. But if you want to do everything systematically then wait for 50-75 days for the carrots to mature.

So, this time add carrots grown organically and with lots of love in your own kitchen garden and you will definitely taste the difference that is a promise.