Video: How to Grow Carrots, Parsnips, Beets, Swiss Chard

I am so excited to share my newest video with you! In this one, you’ll learn how to grow carrots and other root crops. I get a lot of emails and comments from gardeners who say they struggle with this.

Once you watch this video, you’ll be able to hit the ground running! That’s because you’ll learn exactly how to prepare the soil with the right amendment that promotes root development. You’ll learn how to get great germination rates. You’ll find out how to keep carrot rust flies (also known as carrot root flies) away from the plants. And you will learn about the importance of thinning the plants so the roots have plenty of room to grow.

When I plant beets and Swiss chard in the video, I’ll show you how to protect them from leafminers. Those are the insects that cause squiggly lines in the leaves. The adult is a fly which lays eggs on the leaves. The eggs hatch into little maggots (yuck) that tunnel throughout the leaves. After a time, they drop into the soil for another stage of their life cycle, then emerge later as flies that start the whole process all over again.

So yeah, there’s a lot of information packed into this video. I’ll hope you’ll pick up some new tips and be ready for success, especially when it comes to growing root crops!