Winter Crafts for Gardeners and Children: How to Grow Carrot Tops Indoors

Growing carrot tops indoors is a great winter garden craft to consider if you love gardening, want something for the kids to do, or just need to break up the winter blahs. Although you will not get another carrot, this indoor garden craft does give you an opportunity to engage the children's garden interest while providing a growing green plant to brighten up the winter. In this article, I will explore how to grow a carrot top indoors, as well as the benefits and method of this indoor garden craft.

To grow a carrot top indoors in winter, you will need:

Carrot

Knife

Bowl of water

Flowerpot

Potting soil

To begin this indoor garden craft, cut the carrot top off, leaving between half an inch to an inch of carrot. It is best to select one with a little green on the top as opposed to one with a really damaged top; but any carrot top should grow if given enough time.

Insert the carrot top into the bowl of water and watch it begin to grow. The carrot top should be placed in a sunny location. You will need to check the water daily. The water will need to be refilled frequently. Should the water get cloudy or the carrot top get slimy, the water will need to be changed.

The first thing you will observe is the leaves of the plant will begin to grow out. There is enough food in the carrot top to give the indoor plant a good start. The plant will also begin to form roots. Allow the roots to grow for about a week.

When the roots of the carrot top plant are over an inch long or begin to develop small roots branching from the main roots, it's time to transplant the carrot top plant into a flowerpot. Fill the flowerpot three-quarters the way with the potting soil. Carefully place the carrot top on top of the soil, and then fill around the carrot top so that the roots of the carrot top are covered and the potting soil is flush with the foliage. Place the indoor plant in a sunny location. Water the carrot top well the first time, then keep the plant moist. The carrot top plant should continue to grow as the roots grow in the soil. Most people don't bother to take the craft this far and usually throw away the plants. But this garden craft remains interesting, so we will continue with the craft to see how it performs in the garden.

Plant the plant in the garden outside after danger of heavy frost. It is good to harden the plant off by placing it outside in a sheltered location for a week before you plant it in the garden.

The plant will continue to grow in the garden throughout the growing season. Carrots are a biennial plant; they grow the first year, store a food supply in the roots, and come back to go to seed and die in the second year. You will not see a new carrot root grow, but you will see the plant bloom and go to seed. I actually watched this happen by doing this craft a few years ago. The plant grew about a foot in height, was well-branched, and displayed globe-shaped white umbel flowers that were about an inch and a half wide. The plant did go to seed, but I didn't try to save and plant the seeds. Depending upon the variety, you may or may not have good results from the seed, as hybrid plants don't stay true to seed. If any patents protect the carrot, do not attempt to save its seeds.

This garden craft is a really simple garden craft and you and your children will love having something to do to dispel the winter blahs. For other winter crafts, you can root and grow Pussy Willow, grow herbs indoors, and do any of these winter crafts.