Sweet, tasty and packed with vitamins,carrots are a traditional grow-your-own favourite. They are straightforward to grow from seed (although I will admit they are my nemesis), taking up little space, and can also be grown in containers. Sow small batches regularly from early spring onwards, for harvests almost all year round.

Early maturing varieties: sow under cloches in March or October, or unprotected outdoors from April to August.

Maincrop varieties: Sow outdoors from April to June.

Direct sow carrot seed outdoors, in a weed free, sunny position in fertile, light, well drained soil. Carrots dislike freshly manured soils so seed beds are best prepared in autumn, with the soil finely sieved, well in advance of spring sowings. Sow carrot seeds thinly at a depth of 1cm in drills 30cm apart. Germination will take 10 to 20 days. When large enough to handle, thin out the seedlings within each row to 5cm apart. Where space is limited, growing carrots in containers of soil, not compost, will also produce a good crop.