Onion
They may make you cry, but onions are worth the tears! They can impart such a sweet or savoury flavour to your dishes, depending on how they’re used.
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Carrots are a fun vegie for you or the kids to grow because when the time comes to harvest, it’s like pulling up buried treasure! There are so many different varieties to choose from, including baby, purple, yellow and even round carrots! They can be used in so many ways – eaten crunchy and fresh on their own or mixed into yummy salads or baked until they are tender and delicious.
How to grow carrots in a garden
- Choose a sunny spot in the garden, loosen the soil with a garden fork. If your soil needs a boost, dig in Yates Thrive Natural Blood Bone with Seaweed, but go easy as too much nitrogen fertiliser can cause your carrots to put all their energy into growing magnificent green tops instead of tasty roots. Ensure you dig over the soil really well and break up or remove any hard pieces - the finer you can get it the better. Carrots really misbehave in soil with hard lumps or stones in it, it makes them grow into very weird forked shapes!
- Sow seeds around 6mm deep and 50mm apart. Cover, firm down and moisten.
- Water regularly to keep soil moist and thin seedlings after 4 weeks – gently pull out weak seedlings, leaving the healthiest in place (Hint: you can eat the tiny carrots you pull out as you work, they're delicious).
- Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate, at the lowest mix rate.
- Sow successive crops at 4-5 weekly intervals.
- Exposure to sunlight can cause the orange carrot tops to turn green, you can prevent this by gently covering the crowns with soil.
How to grow carrots in a pot
Not all carrots will be happy in pots, so look for baby and small golf ball varieties.
- Choose troughs or containers that are at least 300mm deep and 400-600mm wide and position in a sunny spot.
- Fill with Yates Premium Potting Mix. Sow seed around 6mm deep and 50mm apart. Cover, firm down and moisten.
- Water regularly to keep soil moist and thin seedlings after 4 weeks – gently pull out weak seedlings, leaving the healthiest in place.
- Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Natural Fish Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate at the lowest rate.
- Sow successive crops at 4-5 weekly intervals.
Growing tips
Carrot seeds only need to be sown 6mm deep, so don’t be tempted to plant them too deeply otherwise they won’t be able to grow.
A fun thing to do with home grown carrots is to leave some of the green stems on the top of the carrot to use as ‘carrot handles’ – it gives you something to hold on to as you nibble them! The trick to ‘straight’ carrots is to keep the soil moist, but not wet, otherwise the carrots will rot.
More Plants
Shallots
Shallots can be grown from seed or 'sets' (small dried bulbs). They're a versatile ingredient that adds real depth and complexity to your dishes. The subtle flavour profile is great for soup, stews, salad, stir fries and sauces.
Lettuce
The perfect salad leaf or sandwich filler! Here's how to easily grow lettuce in your garden or in pots.
Melons
Watermelons, rockmelons and honeydew – the quintessential summer fruit trio! They’re oh-so-sweet, juicy and delicious when eaten straight from the fridge
Recommended products
Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed
A certified organic garden input boosted with NZ Seaweed to gently nourish plants, enrich the soil and encourage a strong healthy root system.
Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate
A complete plant food enriched with natural fish, seaweed, humates, molasses and more - boosted with NPK to improve plant and soil vitality.
Yates Premium Potting Mix
A premium potting mix, ideal for all potted plants and shrubs, including ornamentals, fruit trees, vegies and herbs.
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