IN THE GARDEN
CARROTS IN POTS
Growing carrots is a staple activity at this time of year. Simple and easy, after about 16 weeks they will be ready to pull up and eat, all yummy and sweet!
You will need: A large deep pot
Peat-free organic compost A handful of carrot seeds
Hand sowing carrot seeds in a pot
How to do it:
1 Fill a large, deep pot with peat-free organic compost to 2cm below the top of the pot. Tap to level the compost.
2 Sow the seeds on top, spacing them 2-3cm apart.
3 Cover with 1.5cm of compost, and water.
4 Continue watering regularly, but do not thin out the seedlings. (Carrot root fly love the smell of thinned out leaves and their maggots would tunnel into your carrots and spoil them.)
5 About 16 weeks after sowing they will be ready to pull up, wash and prepare.
Leaves beginning to spout from the soil
Add plenty of
STARTING YOUR OWN COMPOST HEAP
Plants need food and nutrients, many of which come from well-rotted compost. You can make or buy a compost bin and many local councils will provide them free of charge. When you either create or receive
yours, make sure you stand it on soil in a partly sunny area of the garden. Fill it with scraps of fruit and vegetables from your kitchen, grass clippings, and teabags (the greens), and torn-up egg boxes, shredded paper, dead plants and leaves from the garden (the browns). Keep the heat in the bin by covering it with a lid or old piece of carpet and ask a
grown-up to help you mix the compost every few weeks. Worms and bugs eat the waste, digest it and leave casts so that in 6-9 months it will have turned into a rich, dark, crumbly mixture, perfect to spread under your plants and provide them with all the nutrients they need to grow.
greens to provide moisture and nitrogen
COMPOST HEAP FACT
The greens provide moisture and nitrogen, while the browns provide air spaces for the bugs to live in, as well as carbon and fibre.
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In the Garden:
GROWING & JOBS TO DO
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