After nearly four long months of growing, our first crop of carrots was ready. And it was tiny.

Thin and gnarly, they had good flavour when roasted up (in a casserole with shallots, kale, potatoes and lentils, and flavoured with herbs from the garden).

While carrots are fine for growing in pots, I felt a little cheated by this small yield after what felt like a long wait.

I now look at the further two pots of carrots that will be ready in the next few weeks and wonder if it was worth it, months of watering and tending, for maybe four or five dinner’s worth?

There was a notable difference in size and growth rates between the beetroot grown in pots and in the raised bed. With the latter taking less time to develop into bigger beets (though the older pot crop would have had an initial slow start in the bland March/early April weather).

I’ll definitely re-prioritise what goes into the bed from here on in, and I’ll make lots of room for more beetroot to grow into Autumn.

The plan is to remodel the garden and have two more substantial raised beds for next year. Can’t happen soon enough…