Kids In The GardenK
carrots
Nothing is more crunchy and delicious
than a home−grown carrot freshly
pulled up from the vegie garden and
rinsed under a tap, and then eaten
on−the−spot. So little wonder kids
love them – and are intrigued by them,
because all you see above ground are
the bright green leafy tops, while
underneath the ground are the bright
orange roots.
ABOUT CARROTS
Carrots are annual plants, so the seeds
should be sown in spring and the
carrots harvested in autumn – if left in
the ground, they will continue to grow
through the winter and then flower
the following spring.
GROWING CARROTS
Carrots are fiddly to grow, because the
seeds are so tiny and you can end up
with many plants close together. Get
your kids to prepare the ground well,
digging quite deeply, so that the
carrots can send their orange roots
down into the ground. Then the littlies
can sprinkle the tiny seeds in straight
rows and cover with a fine layer of soil.
The plants should be watered with a
fine spray every day until the green
tops appear. When these are about
6cm high, the family will need to thin
them by pulling up some of the plants,
so that the ones remaining have
enough space to grow properly. Keep
watering a few times a week until
autumn, when your carrots should
be ready for picking.
USING CARROTS
Let your kids see how versatile
carrots can be in the kitchen. Rich
in vitamins, they are delicious eaten
raw in salads. And they add sweetness
and colour to soups and casseroles.
DID YOU
KNOW?
We always think of
carrots as being
orange, but there are
also purple, white, red
and yellow varieties.
Carrots are often
grown as companion
plants in rows
next to tomatoes,
because they
mysteriously improve
the tomato crop.104