Gardener shares foolproof trick for growing carrots with minimal effort: 'This is genius'

TikToker Petrina (@homegrownflorida) posted a video offering helpful tips to gardeners who are struggling to grow carrots.

"I'll try all of this!" one follower declared.

@homegrownflorida Tips for growing carrots: cover seeds with burlap until they sprout and thin seedlings to grow big roots.
#carrot #gardeninghacks #growyourownfood #floridagardening #gardentips #creatorsearchinsights ♬ original sound - Homegrown Florida

The scoop

In her first tip, Petrina explains how to properly seed carrots. She says that carrots should be direct-seeded — planted directly into the ground where you want them to grow rather than starting them indoors or in a container.

Because the seeds are so tiny, they barely need to be covered with soil, if at all. She acknowledged that the big challenge with this is that it is difficult to keep carrots moist when the sun is out and dries out the soil.

She said, "Unless you want to be outside watering your carrots two or three times a day, here's your trick."

Laying something on top of the semi-exposed carrot seeds — like wood, burlap, insect netting, plastic bags, or cardboard — helps hold in the moisture. She suggested checking on the seeds every two or three days, and then once the seedlings pop up, removing the covering.

Her second tip was about how to grow big carrots.

"It all has to do with spacing," she said. She shares that it is necessary to thin your carrots — get rid of any seedlings that are close together — and calls carrots lazy vegetables and explains that they will "totally give up" if they come in contact with other carrot roots.

How dramatic.

How it's helping

Growing your own food — carrots or otherwise — can help minimize waste and pollution. It can also result in cost savings since you won't have to purchase the foods you are growing.

Which of these benefits is your biggest motivation in gardening? Getting outside more 🌱 Growing healthy food 🥕 Making my yard beautiful 🏡 I don't garden 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

In addition, studies have shown that growing your own food increases your fiber intake, which has huge health benefits. Gardening is a physical activity, so it also increases your level of exercise, compounding the positive effect. Mental health benefits are also noted.

You can also grow plants that naturally repel insects so that you can keep toxic insecticides out of your yard. Basil, for example, is a big turn-off to common garden pests. 

What everyone's saying

Gardeners who viewed her video were excited to try these tips.

"This is genius," said one commenter.

"Absolutely amazing," said another.

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