It is the perfect time to start growing a vegetable garden. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert gardener, carrots and lettuce are easy vegetables to grow and prepare.
Carrots
Carrots are great root vegetables to grow during cooler growing seasons. Additionally, they can take around 2-4 months to mature.
These root vegetables should be planted in a location with full sunlight. The plants need loose soil that will allow for the roots to easily push down through the soil as they grow.
To help prepare the garden soil, there are a few things that can be done:
- Make sure there are no rocks, stones, or soil clumps in the soil by tilling down 12 inches. Any presence of these can inhibit the carrots’ growth.
- Try working old coffee grounds into the soil rather than using nitrogen-rich materials. Materials rich in nitrogen tend to cause carrots to fork and grow side roots.
- Consider planting in a raised bed using an airy, loamy soil that is at least 12 inches deep. This will allow the gardener to ensure there are no obstructions that will inhibit the plants’ growth.
Typically, carrots will do better if they are planted directly into the garden—they do not like having their roots disturbed. To do this, be sure to sow the seeds in rows 1 foot apart. In each row, the seeds should be about 2-3 inches apart and ¼ of an inch deep.
For carrots to grow, the soil should be kept moist with shallow, frequent waterings. But keep in mind: carrots may take up to 3 weeks to show, so don’t worry if they don’t show right away.
Lettuce
Another cool-season crop is lettuce. This leafy green vegetable will grow quickly, producing for a long time, and does not demand too much from the gardener.
To sow lettuce plants directly in the garden, make sure the soil is at least 40 degrees F—for better results, sow the seeds in soil that is between 55 and 65 degrees F. To transplant lettuce plants, make sure to plant them around the last frost-free date.
The best place to plant lettuce is a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun each day. The soil should have proper drainage, keeping the plants moist, but not too wet. Additionally, since lettuce seeds need light to germinate, they should be placed only about 1/8 to ¼ of an inch deep.
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Senior Security Alliance USA posts about gardening tips, tricks, and information every week to keep you informed!
