Freshly harvested winter-sown baby carrots.

Sometimes, sowing can be as simple as scattering a few seeds in a trough now and then and waiting. It doesn't matter that some of the seeds don't germinate, or that the result might not be picture-perfect. These carrots still taste a hundred times better than the carrots you buy in the store.

More about carrots: Grow carrots in pots

The carrots are thriving in this balcony planter that I have kept in the polytunnel since January when I sowed the seeds.

I harvest the largest roots first (they are of course also quite small) and I leave the smaller once a while longer.

I noticed that some gardeners are very disappointed with their winter-sown carrots. That's a real shame since I know that it works! One of my favorite tricks to succeed with the winter sowings is to do them in a smaller, defined space. For example in a pallet collar bed or a cold frame. Doing this makes it easier to protect the sowings with a see-through plastic or glass lid. My winter-sown carrots in the beds outside are already as thick as a little finger. They definitely have a leg up on the spring sowings. This has been a cold spring so far though, so they are still several weeks behind last year's sowing.

Read more about carrots: When should I start harvesting carrots

Winter-sown baby carrots and sugar snap peas. I started harvesting the winter-sown peas in my polytunnel in May.

Little kids just love these winter-sown baby carrots. The variety Paris Market can be planted in pots and troughs since the carrots are round and have shorter roots.

These tiny vegetables give our spring dishes a real boost. I just love these early greens. The large harvests with plenty of vegetables just don't have that same allure. It's the winter-sown baby carrots that make my heart skip now!

For some people, winter sowings are still a bit controversial. After all, we are supposed to sow in spring right? But as you might know by now, I'm a big fan of winter gardening. And when you see the results, these lovely winter-sown baby carrots, why would you want to do without it? The kids munched them down in a heartbeat. My six-year-old sliced some of the carrots and put them on rye bread with butter. Yum!
/Sara Bäckmo