Yes, thin them means to pluck them out of the earth to allow room for the
other carrots to grow to their normal size and straight. Once you pull them
though, you can't transplant them back or you may end up with a twisted mess
of carrots. You can grow them in pots or window boxes, especially the
smaller/shorter varieties (in window boxes). You can grow any size in
larger deeper pots.

When they say to plant every 3 weeks, they mean that you CAN plant new seeds
so you have a succession of carrots throughout the growing season. When the
first ones planted are harvested or eaten, you'd have more growing from a
second planting. I don't bother with this. I just scatter the seeds over
an area in the garden and cover with a thin layer of potting mix - 1/4"
(doesn't form a crust on top). Water them twice to three times a week (if
you're in a hot region) and watch them grow. You can check on some of the
larger carrot tops to see when they can be picked. I usually check with my
finger around the top of the carrot to see how fat it is. If it feels
small, cover the area back up with dirt so the top of the carrot is not
exposed. I eat some carrots when they are small and just continue to pick
the largest ones first throughout the season. Mine lasted all summer and
into the fall.

Make sure the soil that you plant them in is soft and not hard clay. You
may have to dig out and replace with some good compost and top soil. In
pots, there is no issue with the soil. I would mix potting soil, soil
conditioner (finely ground bark) and compost. Use a well balanced
fertilizer such as 10-10-10 and liquid fertilize once a month. My favorite
is fish emulsion, but you can use whatever you like. Hope this helps.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"Goose" wrote in message
m...
hello!

we just moved to a house that has a small front and back yard.

i have never grown anything before in my life and am now trying to
grow some vegetables.

i bought a pack of carrot seeds. some of the jargon really confuse me.

at the back of the packet it states, "when seedlings have 3 leaves,
thin to stand 2 inches apart". the term "thin"...does that mean that i
have to slowly pull the seedlings from the earth and then transplant
them to another part?

then the instructions continued,"plant every 3 weeks until two months
before the season's end." what does this mean? does it mean that i
divide the seeds into three ways and grow each part every three weeks?
or something else?

can i grow them in containers?

any advise is gratefully appreciated. layman terms please.

-goosy