Did you know, the first carrots grown were purple, yellow, white and even black! In the 1500's, Dutch growers developed orange carrots in honour of their Royal Family, the House of Orange! This is what we all love today.
Freshly pulled carrots taste fantastic compared to shop bought or processed carrots in ready to eat dinners, or microwave bags. These really are tasteless.
Carrots grow great in tall containers such as old dustbins, long pipes or high deep pots as their roots can grow long and straight and the plants are high above their enemy - the carrot root fly.
This poor little fly can only fly close to the ground, no higher than 18-20 inches (45-50cm), but if she finds a carrot plant down there, she lays eggs and her young devour the roots, unseen by you. Up in the high pot the plants are safe and need no chemicals at all to grow so the taste is just magic.
For extra security, you can plant the carrots together with leeks, garlic or scallions. The onion smell confuses the carrot fly and they cannot find the carrots. This is great if you don't have a tall enough pot.
You can start sowing the carrots from seed now and you can buy the leeks as plants at www.johnstowngardencentre.ie. Use a good organic vegetable compost to plant them in.
Kids will eat them raw, they are so delicious!