Norann Oleson, Editorial Director of Food Gardening Network
By Norann Oleson, Editorial Director of Food Gardening Network
Welcome to the satisfying, sweet world of carrots!
Carrots are delicious. This cool-weather root vegetable is easy and fun to grow; in fact, if you really like carrots, you can grow them twice a year if you live in a mild climate. Kids love growing carrots, and they love eating them even more! And now you have a rainbow of carrot colors to choose from; carrots aren’t just orange anymore! Truth be told, they didn’t start off orange. No matter the color you choose, once you have homegrown carrots, you’ll never go back to store-bought!
You can start growing carrots in your garden, on your deck, or even in a bucket if that’s all the space you have. We’ll walk you through the whole process.
First is the collection’s Introduction, where you’ll learn some of the basics about carrots and how to choose the right variety to grow. You’ll also get the history of this brightly colored root vegetable.
Next, in the Feature Articles, you’ll get specifics about carrot growing—from the five types of carrots to the best way to start growing them, to watering, fertilizing, and harvesting your plants when the time is right.
There’s a lot to know about growing carrots, so even if you’re a veteran, you might learn something new. We aim to gather everything there is to know about growing carrots into this single collection!
We have several fun Plant Profiles with examples of all the different types of carrots, including options for gardeners around the country and those who want to grow carrots in containers.
There are dozens of varieties of carrots you can grow, in different shapes, sizes, and colors. If you’d like us to include another carrot variety that appeals to you, please let me know by commenting below.
After all, this is Food Gardening Network, and we want to include the knowledge of all our gardening readers in everything we do. Your input is just as important to us as anything we come up with on our own!
We do think you’ll love the carrot Recipes we’ve compiled for enjoying the fruits of your labor. From carrot cake to carrots roasted three ways, we hope you’ll try making some of these recipes yourself.
After that, you’ll be interested to learn how carrots can benefit your health in Nutrition Facts about Carrots. Carrots have great antioxidant properties, they’re loaded with vitamin C, and yes—they’re good for your eyes!
Then there are the Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Carrots where you’ll learn how carrots are thought to help heart health, prevent cancer, and contribute to better digestive health. We’ll also share some advice against eating too many carrots.
Because we want you to have everything there is to know about carrots at your fingertips, we’ve included a Resources section that’s complementary to this collection. Learn more about tools specific to growing carrots, and kitchen tools that will come in handy after you’ve harvested your carrots.
As always, we’ve included a brief Glossary in case you need a deeper explanation of any key terms. Be sure to let us know if there’s something else you need more thoroughly explained.
I’m off to make a classic carrot cake right now, but I hope you’re ready to dive in and become a master carrot grower!
