Many Bermudians have, at some point, driven half the Island in search of a bunch of carrots. A few years ago this reporter attended a cook-off that was almost blown for lack of the vegetables.Carrots are embargoed in Bermuda during certain parts of the year to protect local farmers. The shortage that this sometimes causes has led to an interesting Bermuda phenomenon black market vegetables. A local grocery store was recently fined over $1,000 for violating the carrot embargo.Environmentalist Frances Eddy has a solution that will keep you out of the slammer for illegal carrot possession grow your own. Mrs Eddy offers regular organic gardening classes for the general public.The Saturday morning course ‘Eat Local, Grow Your Own', is comprised of four lessons with such topics as bed preparation, composting and creating a balanced garden ecosystem. Her next course kicks off on February 5.“I don't have any particular formula for big carrots but there are some tricks to planting them that I can share with you,” she said. “Soil should be deep enough for uninterrupted growth and well-prepared as for any vegetable. Root crops need to have phosphorus present. A home soil test can provide some idea of nutrient levels. Remove any stones that could obstruct roots.“Plant no more than a quarter inch deep a couple of days prior to the full moon and keep moist until seeds germinate. To reduce tedious thinning of seedlings plant a few seeds three inches apart in beds rather than long rows and thin them out once they are about three or four inches tall.”She said many gardeners find it advantageous to work with nature, rather than always working it against it with the use of pesticides and artificial planting methods.“It is not just important but useful to take advantage of the impetus of nature,” she said. “The moon exerts gravitational pull which helps to swell the seeds and, depending on the phase, will effect root and/or leaf growth. The result is faster germination and unimpeded growth. Basically, it's one of the many ways that gardeners can work with nature as opposed to working against it.”Journals such as ‘The Farmers' Almanac' which has been published annually for many years, provides information about when the moon waxes and wanes and what to plant when the moon is in different phases.Mrs Eddy teaches the Grow Biointensive method.“This is growing food in the ground, not in pots,” she said. “If you just have a hundred square feet or even half of that, that is good enough to start with. It is not about how big the piece of land you have is, but what you do with it.”The Grow Biointensive method was based on about 35 years of research, and a lot of ancient knowledge.“Until the Chinese started using Western methods they had a sustainable form of agriculture for 4,000 years,” she said.Mrs Eddy shared two of her favourite recipes for sweet, juicy carrots straight from the garden. The muffin recipe was adapted from Ken Haedrich's cookbook, ‘Country Baking'.The cost of the four-week gardening course is $125. It is held Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. No previous experience is required. For more information contact Mrs Eddy: Franceseddy[AT]logic.bm or 238-0059.