How to choose the right variety for your patch and get them off to a good start.
How to grow carrots
Start digging over your soil in late winter or early spring, removing any stones you find and thoroughly turning the soil until it has a fine, crumbly texture. Carrots grow best in a sunny spot that has light, fertile, sandy soil, free from stones.
Don't add manure to the soil when you dig it over as this makes the soil too rich for the seeds. One week before sowing your seeds, rake in a light dressing of general fertiliser.
Sow the seeds thinly on a sunny, dry day in shallow drills around 2-3cm (1in) deep, covering the seeds once in place. Early sowings in March and April may need to be protected with fleece or a cloche in some parts of the country.
Once the seeds have germinated and are showing their first rough leaves, thin the seedlings to 5cm (2 in) between plants.
Parsnips can be grown in a similar way, but as they're larger they should be thinned to 15cm (6 in)
Keep the plants well watered during their growth period - too little water results in coarse, woody roots.
From June to July onwards, start pulling up your carrots as soon as they're big enough to eat.
If your soil is heavy clay, stony, chalky or otherwise difficult, you can try either growing the less-demanding short-root varieties, or sow into a large container or raised bed.
