Jo is here to share some of her gardening tips.
“When not at work I’m usually out in the garden growing fruit, veg and flowers. This week I’ll show you how I grow carrots. I bought ‘Grow Your Own’ magazine (July’s issue) and the free seeds this month include Amsterdam Forcing carrots.
You’ll need a container (I’ve used a toy storage box), peat-free compost and builder’s sand. Mix the compost and sand, roughly 50/50, making sure any lumps are broken up and stones removed – these could lead to forked or misshapen roots.
Your compost mix should look light and fluffy. Sprinkle the seeds evenly across the surface and cover with a light sprinkle of compost. Water well and keep moist, but not soggy, in a sunny spot until the seedlings appear. It’ll take about 7 – 10 days.
Problem solving:
Keep your container raised about 1ft off the floor (or cover with horticultural fleece / net curtain if growing in the ground) to keep carrot root fly out (They’ll munch on the roots if they get in).
Once the first ferny leaves appear water well (so the water runs out of the bottom of the container) when the soil dries, rather than little and often. This encourages the roots to go down in search of water.”