Clay soil? Grow carrots in pots.

We live a bit too far south of the Missouri River's alluvial basin to take advantage of the wonderful soil it had built over time. As such, we have the Kansas heavy clay soil...and even after a decade of soil amendments, it makes even the short, round-rooted carrot varieties grow into even shorter, odd shapes. Carrots really do need soft, fluffy soil in order to grow well, and grow perfectly. The solution is to grow carrots in the fluffy potting soil in pots.

Lining the stairs that lead to our front door are pots of carrots. Yes, our weather has bebopped between cold and warm (common for a Kansas November), but even last night I was still pulling beautiful, perfect carrots from the pots to turn into the night's dinner. I should have taken a picture, because those cuties were even more perfect than what you find at the grocery store.

Potted root crops can be used as a part of "ornamental edibles". While carrots aren't necessarily a beautiful flower, they do make an interesting fern-looking plant. Some other root crops, like parsnips, can be grown right alongside in their own pots for even more contrast, as can herbs like Rosemary, or vining plants (tomatoes or cucumbers) in hanging planters nearby.

For those who rent and are not allowed to dig in the soil (or have no soil), these types of arrangements may be just the very thing. And while all of your neighbors have nothing more than a chair and an ashtray out on their apartment balcony, you can have a little minature jungle of edible plants.

The biggest thing to remember is to water your plants...potted plants, especially on a south-facing concrete step, can dry out easily. (I would like to note, however, that the south-facing concrete steps are warmer in early spring and late fall than the traditional garden, thus extending our season by a nice margin).

There are two ways to help combat this...the first is to have many, many plants...that minature jungle, if you will. The second is to generously use those little trays that go under the pots. No, those trays are not just for keeping your floor dry, or keeping the water run-off from hitting the head of the person on the balcony below. Water that is left in those trays will be evaporated before the water in the soil, which also creates a humid environment around the plants which helps keep the plant from drying out. Several years ago, a fellow survivalist blogger attempted to grow tomatoes in buckets on his wood deck...he complained that he couldn't keep his toms watered. He had simply forgotten those trays.