Root vegetables are a popular choice in any vegetable garden. They are a fun choice for a planting project for the whole family, plus when harvest season arrives you'll have a bountiful crop to cook mouth-watering meals with!

With a little care, you can become a green thumb and grow a thriving garden root vegetable garden too. To kick-start yours, it's as easy as picking up a pack of seeds or plants from a local garden center. Discover which four delicious root vegetables you should consider planting this year!

Carrots

Gardener holding carrots

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Carrots, (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) are deliciously sweet and a highlight in countless recipes. Whether you enjoy snacking on raw carrot sticks, cooking a few with a roast, or preserving carrots for winter, there are plenty of ways to make the most of your harvest.

To start growing carrots simply pick up a pack of seeds. Sow these two to three weeks before the last spring frost or when the soil is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, plant them 1/4 inch deep and 2 to 3 inches apart. Pick a spot that has full sun and water your garden to moisten the soil. You should see carrot tops growing two to three weeks later! They will be ready to harvest approximately two months after you first sow your seeds.

Note: Root vegetables grow best when the top 12 inches of soil are relatively loose. To help break up the dirt and boost its nutrients, mix in about 3 to 4 inches of compost, manure, or organic matter in the top layers. At the same time, pick out any rocks or loose sticks. Obstacles in the ground can stunt the growth of roots or cause misshapen vegetables.

Beets

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With divine red and pink hues, beets (Beta vulgaris) add a splash of color to vegetable gardens! This delightful root vegetable can grow as big as a tennis ball, making for a hearty and bountiful harvest. Like carrots, beets grow well in full sun and should get at least six hours a day.

You can sow beet seeds continuously throughout the summer if temperatures stay below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant them directly in the ground 0.5 inches deep and space them 1 to 2 inches apart. To germinate, beets prefer moist soil. You can even give them a boost by soaking the seeds up to 24 hours before planting day. They usually germinate fast, in just under 10 days.

Once the seeds take, water throughout the growing season. They will do best with at least an inch of water per week. If seasonal rainfall is less than 1 inch, be sure to take out your garden hose to give them the water they need.

You can harvest your beets when the beetroot is 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. This can be between 50 and 80 days after their germination date. When they are a valuable size, beets are very tasty but, if you leave them to grow larger the beet becomes woody and is less delectable.

Radishes

Gardener holding radishes

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Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are crisp and delightfully peppery in recipes. It is important to plant them in full sun where they will get six hours a day -- They also tolerate partial shade. If they don't receive enough light they will grow fabulous foliage but small roots. The seeds can store for a long time, up to five years. So if you have some old seeds in your garden shed bring them out and plant them!

When sowing seeds, tuck them 0.25 to 0.5 inches in the ground and space seeds 1 inch apart. Then if they aren't getting an inch of weekly rain, thoroughly water your garden. Radishes aren't drought tolerant and if they don't get enough water their roots will be tough instead of crisp and tender.

You can sow many root vegetables in the summer for an autumn harvest. For radishes, start seeding in August when temperatures are steadily below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, as hotter temperatures cause bolting. During germination keep temperatures between 45 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit but beware, temperatures above 95 will kill all your progress.

Parsnips

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Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) have very similar care requirements to carrots. They even look like pale carrots! However, parsnips take quite a while to grow (up to three weeks).

While you can plant carrots in the summer for an autumn harvest, you should only plant parsnips in the spring. To plant parsnip seeds pick a spot in full sun to partial shade then sow them 0.5 inches deep and 1 inch apart.

Water weekly if your garden gets less than an inch of rainfall per week. Then wait! It is best to harvest the parsnips in autumn. Cool autumn temperatures increase the amount of sugar in the parsnip, for a sweet taste -- patience is key!

Pro Tip: Always direct-sow parsnips right in the garden soil. These vegetables don't like to be replanted, never start them indoors. They'll thank you for planting them outside with a delicious yield come harvest season.

Delectable Roots For Your Garden

Root vegetables are a scrumptious addition to any garden. Whether you love sweet parsnips, crisp radishes, delightful carrots, or hearty beets you are sure to be happy with your garden at harvest time! To keep your root vegetables happy, prep the soil with compost before planting, then simply remember to water weekly.

Have you ever grown root vegetables? Share your gardening expertise in the comments below! Then be sure to share on socials so all of your friends can have a bountiful harvest season too!