I don’t always (read, rarely) plant things in nice, neat, farmerly rows. Carrot plants, in particular, are amazing when planted densely in a bed. Their feathery green foliage is gorgeous and front-yard worthy; an effect you don’t see at all if you plant them in staid rows.
This year, I dumped seeds from five colorful varieties into the palm of my hand, scattered them carefree over the curved oval 4′ x 3′ bed where they’d spend 2015, scratched them in with a rake, and went about my day.
This is the first harvest of mature carrots — a lovely mix of red, white, yellow, purple, and orange. They were so pretty sliced into a simple red leaf and cherry tomato salad that I just might have to sow my carrots like this every year (update for 2019: I still do!).