Good Neighbors

Good Neighbors

Carrots and Their Crew
Lesson: 2.10
Level:
Intermediate
Station: Soil Management
Format: Experiment
Rating:
Intermediate Lesson 2.10 Good Neighbors

Lesson Overview

Companion planting can maximize yields and improve taste for many varieties. This lesson dives deep into companions, allowing students to experiment with different pairings to determine which has the most impact on carrots.

Goals

  • Students will be able to describe the impact of companion planting and some common companions for carrots.

Outcomes

Students will experiment with various companions for carrots in order to determine which has the most beneficial impact on the carrot’s flavor.

Teach the Teacher

Tools & Materials

  • Carrot seeds
  • 3 companion varieties (seeds or starts)
  • Ruler

Activity

Not all neighbors are good neighbors. That’s certainly true when considering your companion planting relationships in the garden. The companion relationship can be used to influence taste, control pests, and impact growth.

Carrots Love Tomatoes. Not just a great book about companion planting but also a bit of wisdom passed from one generation of growers to another. The tomatoes and carrots work together to help each other. As the carrot develops below the soil it opens the structure to allow more water and oxygen to reach the roots of the tomato plant. In turn, the tomato plant’s presence produces a sweeter carrot even if the growth is stunted a bit if the two plants are in close proximity.

Test for best companions. Use a single variety of carrot as the control and plant them with three different companions to determine which relationship is most beneficial to the carrot by producing the best taste. Was any other impact observed like smaller size or shorter time to harvest?

Related Lessons

Give the Advanced lesson a try now that you’ve completed the Intermediate Lesson! Or revisit the Beginner Lesson as needed.

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