A game plan for growing carrots - & an invitation

I have a gardening tip for you this week, and an invitation.

First, the tip: If you’ve ever tried growing carrots, you know that the tiny seeds take a long time to germinate – up to two weeks – and some don’t make it. The general advice is to sow seeds thickly, in an effort to ensure a good density in the rows, but that also entails a second step of “thinning out.” If you don’t mind paying substantially more (e.g., at Gurney’s, a packet of 1,500 seeds is $2.99 while a 15-foot tape is $6.99) you can buy seed tape that has the seeds spaced out for you. Or, if you’re industrious, you can make your own, inexpensive seed tape using toilet tissue—if you have any to spare right now!

But here’s a method that sounds much simpler. It’s from

Tom Bartels, of Durango, Colorado, who writes about intensive organic gardening at growfoodwell.com. I can’t wait to try it!

Step One: Soak the seeds in water, at room temperature. After four to five days, you should see just the merest bit of a root emerging from one end of the tiny seeds. When you can see that root on about half of the seeds, it’s time for step two.

Step Two: In a small saucepan, combine two tablespoons of cornstarch and one cup of water. Put over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a low boil; the mixture should gradually turn clear and thicken. Take the mixture off of the heat, let it cool, add the seeds, then pour the mixture into a quart-sized Ziploc® or similar type plastic bag.

Step Three: With a pair of scissors, cut across one of the bottom corners. Make this a tiny, diagonal cut, just enough to squeeze out a thin line of the gel/seeds mixture.

Step Four: Onto your prepared and pre-watered planting area, squeeze out a steady stream of the gel. Cover with a light layer of soil. Keep the earth moist for at least the next 4-5 days, at which point you should see the seedlings coming up.

Step Five: Let me know how it turns out!

Now, the invitation:

It starts with a bit of sad news. Due to the coronavirus shut-down of all but essential enterprises, advertising revenue for our local newspapers has plummeted. As a result, the paper can no longer afford to pay its correspondents and columnists. This month, I’ve continued to write every week as usual anyway, and I’ll continue to write for as long as I can. However, at this point the fate of local newspapers is uncertain. This column today might be my last opportunity to reach you in print.

So, if you’d like to stay in touch on gardening news and how-tos, gardeners, events, and environmental topics pertinent to us here in the Delaware Valley, I invite you to please send me an email (pcbaxter@verizon.net), and also “like” Chester County Roots on Facebook. If you don’t have access to a computer, I’d love to hear from you through the mail (Pam Baxter, P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA. 19442).

I was so looking forward to meeting more of you this growing season, seeing your gardens, and writing about them. Of all things over the past twenty years of doing this column, these in-person interviews have brought me the most joy, as well as some unexpected, cherished friendships.

Right now, I have no idea how things will turn out. In case this is the last “From the Ground Up” that appears in the paper, I want to say how grateful I am for the opportunity I’ve had to share my love of plants with you, to answer your gardening questions, and for the privilege of being able to visit your gardens and to share your stories in these pages. It has been an honor.

I wish you good gardening!

Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.” Pam’s book for children and families, Big Life Lessons from Nature’s Little Secrets, is available on Amazon, along with her new companion field journal, Explore Outdoors, at Amazon.com/author/ pamelabaxter.