Grow Your Own: Sweet Carrots
By: Amy Jeanroy
Published: May 4, 2016

My children are weird. They talk about eating from the garden as if it was  special treat they wait for all year. Well, it actually is. From fresh peas to pulling carrots and nibbling on them as they run through the sprinkler, my little chefs know that the best food is that which you grow yourself. 
If you are just getting into gardening, then you have to grow carrots! Sprinkle the fine seed in a 1/4 inch trench and cover with a bit of soil on top. Keep them moist and soon you will have teeny carrot sprouts. Once they have made their second set of leaves, go out with a teeny pair of scissors and trim off all the carrot bits, leaving only 1 baby carrot plant per inch. It's a little shocking to do this the first time (who am I kidding, it's hard every time I do it.) but it's so necessary so you get large, straight carrots and not curved, stunted roots. No garden space? No problem! I have planted them on the porch in planters as long as the pots are at least 8 inches tall. Thin the same as you would in the ground and you are on your way to Nature's sweet snack. Even a 5 gallon bucket works beautifully, and you can move it to the sunniest spots on your deck too. 
I prefer Danvers Half-Long because they don't get too big, and never taste bitter. Perfect for in the ground or in a container, try to grow a handful of these sweet beauties. I can actually plant them twice during the season and let the kids eat them all the first time around, saving the fall harvest for canning. 
Wondering what to do with all the carrots you did grow? We have some solutions that taste delicious! 
Honey Harissa Roasted Carrots

Roasted Carrot Soup

Carrot Pudding Souffle

Vegan Beet Salad With Carrots and Apples