3rd Quarter

Project in Hele
and Computer
“The Importance
and Steps in
Vegetable
Gardening”
Report by: Ava
Mary Thurman
Plants are absolutely essential to life. None of our basic functions from
breathing to eating to drinking would be possible without plants. Plants not
only act as food sources but also release oxygen and help maintain the
water table. The simple fact of the matter is that without plants we would
not survive. Gardening is a fairly physical activity. It involves weeding,
watering of plants, mulching, trellising and harvesting – all of which require
physical labour from the gardener. Hence, it becomes an excellent addition
to your exercise routine. Gardening is also a very practical activity. It allows
you to grow your own vegetables and fruits thus ensuring that you have
healthy food on the table. When you harvest vegetables from your garden,
you do so knowing that you’re getting the freshest produce possible.
Five Easy Steps to Grow Carrots

Step 1: Prepare the planting bed. A raised bed or a half-barrel or other

container filled with planting mix make a good home for carrots. Prepare
the planting bed by turning the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches. If your
soil is heavy with clay, add sand and well-aged compost to the bed and
turn it under with a garden fork. Loose soil is best for carrot growing. Be
sure to clear the bed of clods and stones which can cause carrot roots to
fork or grow malformed.
Sprinkle bone meal across the bed, but don’t add manure to the soil bed
before growing carrots. Bone meal is rich in phosphorus which encourages
root growth; the nitrogen in manure will cause carrots to grow hairy roots.
Water the bed deeply and let it sit a day or two before sowing carrots; you
want evenly moist soil for fastest germination and growth.
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Step 2: Sowing seeds. Carrot seeds are tiny; it is very easy to over-sow the
planting bed or container. Mix carrot seeds with sand in the palm of your
hand; this will make it easier to sprinkle seed across the bed—and you will
know exactly where the seed has been sown. An alternative is to use
pelletized carrot seeds that are easy to hold and sow one by one or seed
tape—thin paper tape on which carrot seeds are evenly spaced. Pelletized
seeds and seed tape will relieve you of having to thin seedlings later on.
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Sow seeds thinly and evenly across the bed or down the row—eventually
you will want to give each carrot an inch or slightly more to grow all around.
Use the handle of garden hoe or rake to make a shallow trench to sow
seed in rows. Rows next to weeping drip lines will ensure even moisture
during the growing period. Cover seed lightly with ¼ inch peat moss or
potting soil. Use the heel of your hand or a board to gently press down on
the soil covered seed; this will ensure seeds make good contact with the
soil which is essential for germination.
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Step 3: Protect the seeds. Cover the bed with floating row covers to protect
the shallow sown seed from the overhead drips of rain or irrigation that
might uncover and expose the seed. Where the weather is hot and dry, use
strips of burlap to cover the planting beds or rows (sprinkle the burlap with
water to keep the seedbed just moist until seeds sprout). Be sure to look
under your protective cover every day or two; when seeds sprout remove
the burlap. Floating row covers can remain in place—particularly if
temperatures dip below 40°F in your region.
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Step 4: Keep growing carrots moist and weed free. It is important to keep
the planting bed moist until seeds sprout. Sprinkle the bed once or twice
daily with fine spray for the first couple of weeks. Do not let the soil dry out.

Once carrots sprout continue to moisten the bed with a fine spray until they
are well rooted. As roots begin to grow, water carrots deeply for
continuous, even growth; deep watering means keeping the soil moist to
just below the deepest root tip. Carrots and other root crops follow the
moisture into the soil. When green tops begin to wilt, it is time to water.
When the soil dries out to a depth of 3 inches, it is time to water. Even,
deep watering will encourage carrot tap roots to grow straight down.
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Step 5: Thin the seedlings and eat. Thin carrots to 1 inch apart to allow
fullest root growth of neighboring roots. Thin carrots by gently lifting
seedlings that are too closely spaced or cut off the tops at the soil level with
garden scissors before tap roots begin to develop. You can eat the
thinnings—just add them to salads.

Carrots are ready for harvest when they are big enough to eat—you are the
judge. Baby carrots can be added to salads whole. Push soil away from the
shoulder of carrot roots; once roots are ½ inch across or more, they will be
sweet and tasty enough to eat.