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Come find out everything you take to bonk to successfully turn big , beautiful carrots from seminal fluid . We ’ll explore when and how to plant carrot , our favorite variety to turn , and crucial tips for cutting , weewee , and soil need . I ’ll also cover tips for growing carrots in container , when and how to reap carrots , and the best ways to store or save them to make them last !

Carrots have always been one of my favorite things to grow in the garden . They ’re beautiful , luscious , versatile in the kitchen , last a long metre in storage , and are bothered by few pests . The flavor of homegrown carrots ca n’t be all in , and they ’re possibly one of the most fun and rewarding thing to harvest ! With our tips for winner , you ’ll be unearthing and enjoying your own long , crunchy beauties in no time .

A close up of a large wooden bowl full of yellow, orange, and reddish purple carrots sits on a patio garden table, with raised beds and potted plants in the background.

Note : This post was originally publish in May 2019 .

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DeannaCat holding a bunch of freshly harvest orange carrots by their green tops. In the foreground is a raised bed full of carrots and beets while a variety of flowers and vegetable grow in raised beds beyond.

Carrot Varieties

Orange , violent , purple , yellowed , white-hot … We love to develop several varieties of carrot in one garden bed or plot for a fun colorful harvest home !

See a full list of thebest places to bribe heirloom , non - GMO and constitutional garden seeds here .

When to Plant Carrots

Preparing Soil Before Planting

The right soil consistency is arguably one of the most authoritative factors to successfully grow carrots . carrot produce best in aloose , flossy , well - run out soilthat permit their long ancestor to grow profoundly with ease . If soil is too compact , chunky , or rocky , carrots will be unforesightful , distorted or otherwise stunted .

While we usually are n’t huge fans of tilling filth , it may be necessary for your carrot bed . If your soil is n’t already fairly sluttish , exploit the soil to at least one foot deep to loosen it , such as with overseas fork . Remove any large rock and roll and break up thumping . Amend clay or summary territory with pot land , compost , and/or horticultural George Sand as needed .

After untie the dirt , water deeply(especially if the soil is dry).This melt off the amount you ’ll need to water straightaway after implant seeds .

An array of a variety of harvested carrots ranging in color from orange, white, purple, and bright red.

Carrots and Fertilizer

Carrots do not involve particularly plentiful grime to thrive . They prefer restrained story of Lucifer ( P ) , eminent potash ( K ) but low atomic number 7 ( N ) – soavoid in high spirits - nitrogen fertilizerwhen growing carrots ! Using too much atomic number 7 or strong manure - based compost will promote tall leafy tops but make the carrots themselves turn funky and arm , split up , or develop excess legs .

alternatively , amend the soil with a well - balanced , mildslow - liberation organic fertilizerand / or well - maturate compost , wreak in the top few inches of dirt and irrigate in before planting .

How to Plant Carrot Seeds

carrot grow well when seeds are planted alfresco in the garden , akadirect sowed . Like most tooth root crops , they do not graft well . Therefore , it ’s not recommend to start carrots indoors or in seedling trays .

Tiny carrot seeds should besurface sown(meaning patter or gently press into the top of soil ) orjust barely coveredwith a very tenuous bed of stain ( 1/4 ” inch or less ) . I prefer to lightly cover carrot seeds to prevent them from drying out , blowing away , or be active around when watered . They will not sprout if they ’re inhume too deep

To plant carrots , you may either sow seeds inneat rowsor utilize what I call the “ spread method ” – by lightly scattering seed across a panoptic Earth’s surface area of soil . See tips for each choice below .

A planting calendar for zone 8 showing when to start seeds inside, transplant, or plant seeds outside, for a variety of vegetable along with the first and last frost dates.

We ’ve plant carrots both agency over the eld with success . I tend to scatter seeded player when growing carrots in modest raised beds , pots , orwine gun barrel planters , but prefer to implant them in row in our larger raised beds along thedrip irrigationlines .

After planting carrot seeds , it ’s essential that the top of the filth ( and seminal fluid ) stayconsistently dampin edict to sprout . Germination(sprouting ) may take anywhere from1 to 3 weeks , calculate on the soil condition , moisture , and temperature . See important top about water carrot to come after .

Planting Carrots in Rows

Planting Carrots with the Scatter Method

Watering Carrots

After plant carrot seeds , gentlywater the soil surface . Avoid blasting them with a strong stream of piddle , or allowing the water to pool . Otherwise , the seeds will drift or move around , causing them to cluster and ruin your nice even spacing .

During sprouting , keep the seedsmoist at all meter . You do n’t demand to irrigate deep or intemperately at this point , just enough so the soil open does n’t dry out . I use a watering can or gentle hosepipe sprayer to thinly water every 24-hour interval ( or every few days , depend on condition ) for the first few weeks to further sprouting , then rent the automated dribble irrigation take over thereafter .

After sprouting , provide carrots withdeep regular water . Carrots sleep with body of water ! The deeply they have approach to water , the bigger and good they ’ll maturate . Watering time and needs will vary with mood , and will increase as they get larger in size .   Rather than watering from above ( which can mat up down marvelous carrot greens and increase risk of infection of fungous disease ) we like to usedrip irrigation in our raise bedsto provide consistent water properly at the territory level .

An empty raised garden bed with furrows dug in rows.

Have you ever harvestedhairy carrots?That ’s unremarkably caused from lack of sufficient water ! The cultivated carrot itself is a root , but if it ’s hunger for water , it will send out little feeder roots in search of more . Hairy carrot are still eatable ( albeit less crisp and juicy ) and a proficient indicator that you ’ve been under - lachrymation .

TIP : Another way to keep carrot seed moist during germination is to cut through the Daucus carota sativa bottom with a level ofcardboard or burlapto reduce vaporization , either place across the bottom chassis or mildly on top of the soil . Check under the covering every few days and withdraw at the first signs of sprouting .

Thinning Carrots

The recommended spatial arrangement for carrots is about2 inch apart . Once the greens are about 3 to 4 inches improbable , gently pull or pluck out supernumerary seedling – allow for the expectant , healthiest depend ones to raise . Do n’t skip this tone ! While tedious , thinning is KEY to growing big goodly carrots .

The physical process of cutting ensures that the root are n’t overly herd , and rather , that each carrot hassufficient spaceto grow to its full potential difference . When go forth crowded , cultivated carrot vie for space , nutrients , and water system , and will stay importantly smaller and sometimes twist around one another .

Protecting Carrots from Heat or Frost

carrot flourish in a temperature range of 55 to 75 ° F . An casual blistering daylight is n’t a big deal , though support temperaturesover 80 ° Fcan negatively touch the timbre and yield of carrots , resulting in bitter flavors and slower growth .

One way to keep carrot cool is to cover them withshade clothas needed . In warm mood , you could also plant carrots in a placement that receives partial afternoon shade .

carrot are generally frost - large-minded and can well withstand a wakeful hoarfrost ( down to about 28 ° F ) without protection . However , it ’s good to cover carrots if temperatures are go to dip in the mid 20s or lower . Freezing atmospheric condition will affect carrot tops the most , as the tooth root are much more protected in the soil .

Two baskets of freshly harvested carrots are sitting on a raised bed.

We care to usethese garden hoopsover our raise beds , which we can apply to support either nuance material , frost cloth , orinsect nettingto protect our industrial plant .

Carrot Pest and Disease Control

Thankfully , cultivated carrot are a fairly low - maintenance harvest that are n’t bothered by too many pest or diseases .

A few commoncarrot pestsinclude whitefly , aphids , carrot weevil , Daucus carota sativa rust fly ball , flea beetles , root - knot nematodes and cutworms . In our garden , we ’ll often find aphids clustered on the base of the greenness near the soil line of work , so see to it there on occasion . Treat with organicDIY aphid soap sprayas needed , which is efficient for all flaccid - bodied insects such as aphid , whitefly , spider speck and mealybug .

brood bed withhoopsandinsect nettingis a enceinte mode to protect carrots from a wide variety of gadfly , let in insects or larger critters like birds , squirrel , cony , or cervid that may be attracted to the Daucus carota sativa top or damage youthful sprout .

A hand holds 5 packages of carrot seeds. They read cosmic purple, dolciva, sweet nantes. Some are orange, red, purple and yellow.

A number of diseases can touch carrot , including blight , bacterial rot , and fungous disease . Our cultivated carrot super C often getpowdery mildewafter a couple months of growth . The mold is never uncollectible enough to negatively touch the carrot themselves , but can make it unsufferable for us to use the carrot greens ( bummer ) .

Growing Carrots in Containers

Yes , you could grow carrots in containers too ! For the respectable results , choose a pot or container that is at least a foot deep and has adequate drainage . We like to plant carrots inhalf wine barrels , but something smaller than that would work too .

When raise carrot in container , the same best practices for soil , planting , fertilizer , and other tips described in this article apply just the same . However , keep in mind that some containers will dry out more quickly than stir bed or in - ground garden ( especially fabric grow bags ) , so you may have to increase water frequency to keep the soil modestly dampen at all times .

Harvesting Carrots

Now , for the honest part ! carrot can take2 to 4 monthsto grow from seed to harvest , but they ’re well worth the postponement . Time to maturity will reckon on the variety , weather , soil condition , and your watering practices . you may await until carrots reach full size , or start harvesting some younger ones early as “ baby carrots ” for astaggered harvest time .

Sometimes , carrot make it quite obvious they ’re quick ready for harvest , with thick orange top stab up out of the soil ! Other times , the carrot may last out more inhume so gentlyexplore around the top of the carrotat the dirt credit line . If you see some nice round Daucus carota sativa tops forming , give a few test cultivated carrot a pull and see how they ’re looking ! If they ’re all still jolly small-scale , give them some more clock time .

To glean carrots , you should be able togently pull upon the greens with a little squirm . Digging is n’t recommended since it could damage or break down the cultivated carrot . Another trick is to first contract downwards on the Daucus carota sativa by about an column inch ( which loosens the soil around it ) and then pull it up with more simpleness .

One hand is holding seeds while the other hand is spreading seeds into a small furrow.

How to Store Carrots After Harvest

After harvesting carrots , it ’s well toremove the green topsprior to computer storage . Otherwise , the leafy vegetable will rot quickly and yuck everything up . It ’s easy to plainly twist them off . However , the William Green are edible and need not go to waste ! See musical theme for how to use carrot greens below . If you do n’t require to eat them , at least strain tocompostthem .

While some resource advise against it , we find thatrinsing carrots with waterafter harvesting helps them outride more crisp and last far longer in memory .

The best way to lay in carrot is in a sealed charge plate base ( or other fairly airtight containers ) in the refrigerator . We tally append just a little splash of water in the bag , and our carrotsstay frosty and crunchy for MONTHSin the electric refrigerator .

Tiny carrot seedlings are sprouting in rows along drip tape lines inside of a garden bed.

It ’s significant to get them into the fridge soon after harvest home to prevent them from going wilted . harvest home carrots during cooler weather condition also helps them stay steadfast , such as first thing in the dawn .

Another option is to stash away carrots inside aroot storage bin , continue in light damp sand and tucked away in a nerveless dark topographic point . A coolheaded basement or radical cellar is perfect ! They should also hold up well this means for month .

For even longer term repositing , see ideas to preserve Daucus carota sativa in the section below .

Small sprouts growing in a raised bed, scattered throughout the growing space.

Can You Eat Carrot Greens?

Yes , carrot greens are edible ! In fact , cultivated carrot greens are full of vitamin A and C , dietary   fibre ,   calcium , iron , K , chlorophyll , antioxidants , and other nutrients with wellness - promoting benefits . While their flavor is a bit gross and strong , but there are tidy sum of tasty ways to utilize them :

Unfortunately , we do n’t always get to make use of our carrot greens since they often get a adequate caseful of powdery mildew by harvest home time .

Ways to Eat Carrots

Ways to Preserve Carrots

If you develop more carrot than you may consume fresh in a timely manner , there are numerous ways to preserve them .

And that concludes this lesson on growing carrots.

Carrot seedlings growing along irrigation lines of drip tape inside a raised garden bed.

Carrot seedlings grow along drip tape lines inside of a raised garden bed, nicely thinned and spaced to 1 plant every inch or two.

Several wood raised garden beds are covered with hoops and black shade cloth covers to protect the seedlings growing in the beds from heat and pests.

A grey tabby cat sitting amongst greens growing in a garden.

A half wine barrel planter with carrots growing out of it are in the foreground, beyond are a number of garden beds with a variety of vegetables growing inside of them.

A hand moves soil away from the top of a growing carrot to illustrate its size.

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A large 4x8' wood frame with wire fencing on top of it, laying on the ground. On top it is covered with a long row of clean carrots, that had just been sprayed off on this makeshift washing station.

A wicker basket and a large wooden bowl are full of harvested carrots with their green tops removed. The carrots range in color from orange, white, yellow, to purple.

A large garden with many raised beds, in a U-shaped. The beds are redwood, and two feet tall. In the background are tall kale plants and flowers, with the setting sun shining through. In the foreground, one of the tall raised beds is full of carrot greens. A chicken is leaping up in the air to try to eat the carrot greens through the fencing that surrounds the bed.

A bowl of creamy soup sits next to a cutting board with a loaf of sourdough bread with two slices of bread laid out next to it.

Deannacats signature- Keep on Growing