While you're waiting for everything else to get going, your carrot crowns will already be sending up lacy green foliage. Although the plants last only a few months, they're so quick to sprout that you can easily have them year-round.

MATERIALS:

You'll need a shallow bowl (about 2 or 3 inches deep), pebbles or glass marbles, water and three or four carrots (preferably the kind sold with greens).

PLANTING TECHNIQUE:

Remove any greens, then cut the carrots about 2 inches down from the crowns. Fill the bowl about 2 inches deep with pebbles, then push in the crowns until they're firmly anchored. Fill the bowl almost to the brim with lukewarm water and set it on a sunny windowsill.

DAYS TO SPROUTING:

Three to six--the most satisfying thing about sprouting carrots is their eagerness to regrow those leafy tops.

LONG-TERM CARE:

Aside from having their water topped up when needed (usually every other day once the plants start growing), carrots require no maintenance. When the plants begin to look tired, simply discard them and start over again.