Carrots: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Carrots at Home

Carrot seeds can be sown about 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost date. Find your local frost dates here. Ideally, you want the soil to have dried out and warmed up a little after the winter.
- Seeds germinate after the soil temperature is at least 40° and germinate best at 55-65°, not exceeding 75°F. High summer temperatures reduce growth, decrease quality, and cause bitter or off-flavors to develop.
For a fall harvest, sow seeds in mid-to-late summer—starting about ten weeks before your first fall frost.

How to Plant Carrots

Prepare the site by tilling to a depth of 10 inches. We recommend double-digging to be certain.Make sure there are no rocks, stones, or even soil clumps. Amend soil with compost and 6 inches of sandy topsoil if your soil isn’t loose and airy.
We recommend sowing seeds directly in the garden (or wherever you plan to grow them) rather than transplanting. Carrots do not like to have their roots disturbed.
Sow 1/4 inch deep, 2 to 3 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart.
- Tip: Try to distribute seeds in an even fashion so that seeds don’t grow together. The seeds are pretty tiny, and it’s very easy to sow them too thickly. If you’ve not got the steadiest hand, then a simple tip is to mix the seeds with fine sand to spread the seeds out. You can then sow pinches of your sand-seed mix instead. Then, just cover the seeds over.
Keep the soil moist with frequent, shallow watering. For small carrot seeds to germinate, the soil mustn’t form a hard crust on top; covered with a layer of fine sand, vermiculite, or compost to prevent a crust from forming. (If you put your finger in the ground, it should be moist, but not wet, to the middle knuckle.)
Carrots are sometimes slow to germinate. They require 14-21 days to emerge, so don’t panic if your carrots don’t appear immediately!
Planting radishes with carrots helps minimize the crusting problem and helps you keep track of where the carrot seeds were planted. Sow quick-germinating radish seeds between carrot rows. The radishes will grow quickly, and by the time the carrots really start to grow, they can be harvested.
For a continued harvest, plant carrots every four weeks through mid-summer.

Carrots in Containers

Growing carrots in pots is a great way to customize the perfect growing medium and avoid pests like carrot flies. Pots must be at least 10 to 12 inches deep and wide.

A great low-fertility mix is one part sand and one part potting mix.
Sow seeds very thinly over the top of a filled pot and then cover them with just a touch more of the mix.
Water well, label, and set into a sunny position.
Keep everything moist because, unlike carrots in the ground, carrots in containers will be entirely dependent on you for all their needs.
Once the seedlings are up, thin them to a couple of inches apart. Then harvest them once they’ve reached finger size.

Check out this video to learn how to plant carrots in the ground and in containers!

Growing

Gently mulch carrots to retain moisture, speed germination, and block the sun from hitting the roots directly.
When seedlings are an inch tall with 3 to 4 true leaves, thin so that they stand 3 to 4 inches apart. Snip tops with scissors instead of pulling them out to prevent damage to the fragile roots of the remaining plants.
Ensure carrots receive 1 inch of water per week, either through rain or watering; do not overwater carrots.
Weed diligently as carrots do not like struggling against weeks, but be careful not to disturb the young carrots’ roots while doing so.
Fertilize 5 to 6 weeks after sowing (We recommend a low-nitrogen fertilizer as excess nitrogen in the soil promotes top, or foliage, growth—not roots.). Learn more about how and when to fertilize your vegetables.

Growing Carrots in Containers

You can also grow carrots in containers! It is important to grow carrots in a container that is deep enough for them at maturity. For baby or dwarf carrots, a 6- to 8-inch-deep container is needed. Standard carrots need a depth of at least 12 inches, if necessary, to accommodate a particular variety’s length. Carrots are a cool-season crop usually grown in the spring; seeds can be sown 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost.

Prepare a loose, well-draining potting mix with a portion of compost or organic matter. Add a handful of bonemeal; it contains phosphorus, which benefits root crops. Also, add low-nitrogen fertilizer, per the package directions, based on the container size. Water the soil evenly to moisten. Sow the seeds about a 1⁄2 inch apart and 1⁄4 inch deep. (Carrot seeds are tiny and thus difficult to drop individually; pelleted seeds or seed-taped ones are good alternative means.) Cover with a very light sprinkling of soil. Water gently (a handheld pump container is advised instead of a hose, the water force from which can displace the cover soil and seeds).

Water regularly to keep the soil moist. Container soils tend to dry relatively quickly. Dry soil can promote forking (misshapen roots).

When carrot tops are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin them to 1 1/2 to 3 inches apart, based on the carrot size at maturity, use scissors to cut off the tops, rather than pulling seedlings and disturbing the roots. Apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer every 3 to 4 weeks, per the package directions for the size of the container.

Harvesting

How and When to Harvest Carrots

How do you know when your carrots are ready? Have a little root around and check the approximate width of the roots by looking at the neck of the root. The first roots should be ready as soon as two months from sowing.

Generally, the smaller the carrot, the better the taste. Carrots should be about as wide as your thumb or at least ½ of an inch in diameter.
Younger and shallower roots should come away easily enough simply by gripping them firmly at the base of the foliage. It often helps to push down on the root first and then twist it as you gently pull upwards.
Larger, longer roots—particularly those of maincrop carrots that are sown for winter eating—may need to be eased up with the help of a fork.
Harvest in stages—or as roots reach full size. In this way, you’ll stagger your harvest over many weeks.
If you’re growing carrots in the spring and early summer, harvest before daily temperatures get too hot, as the heat can cause carrot roots to grow fibrous.
If you are harvesting in the fall, carrots taste much better after one or more frosts. (A frost encourages the plant to start storing energy—sugars—in its root for later use.) Following the first hard frost in the fall, cover carrot tops with an 18-inch layer of shredded leaves to preserve them for harvesting later.
Note: Carrots are biennials. If you fail to harvest and leave the carrots in the ground, the tops will flower and produce seeds next year.

dirty Carrots straight from the garden harvest — Scrub off the dirt and remove the tops before storing carrots!

How Do You Store Fresh Carrots?

To store freshly harvested carrots, twist or cut off all but 1/2 inch of the tops, scrub off any dirt under cold running water, and air-dry. Seal in airtight plastic bags and refrigerate. If you simply put fresh carrots in the refrigerator, they’ll go limp in a few hours.
You may leave mature carrots in the soil for temporary storage if the ground will not freeze and pests aren’t a problem.
Carrots can also be stored in tubs of moist sand or dry sawdust in a cool, dry area.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Carrot Pests and Diseases
Pest/Disease	Type	Symptoms	Control/Prevention
Aster Yellow Disease	Bacteria	Shortened and discolored carrot tops and thin, hairy roots; bitter taste	Spread by pests as they feed from plant to plant. Keep weeds down and invest in a control plan for pests such as leafhoppers. This disease has the ability to overwinter.
Black (Itersonilia) canker	Fungus	Shallow, reddish brown/purple/black cankers form on crown and/or shoulder of carrots; small, orange-brown spots on leaves may have green halos; flowers rot	Choose resistant varieties; cover shoulders of carrots with soil; rotate crops
Carrot rust flies	Insect	Wilted/stunted plants; tunnels with rust-color excrement in roots of carrot-family crops; root rot	Monitor adults with yellow sticky traps; use row covers; add native plants to invite beneficial insects; destroy crop residue; rotate crops
Flea beetles	Insect	Numerous tiny holes in leaves	Use row covers; mulch heavily; add native plants to invite beneficial insects
Leafhoppers	Insect	White shed skins on leaf undersides (from nymph molting); stippling (many tiny spots) on leaves; “hopperburn” (leaves yellow/brown, curled, or stunted); reduced yield	Knock nymphs off leaf undersides with strong spray of water; use row covers; monitor adults with yellow sticky traps; weed; destroy crop residue
Root-knot nematodes	Insect	Typically, roots “knotty” or galled; plants stunted/yellow/wilted; roots forked/pimpled	Destroy crop residue, including roots; choose resistant varieties; solarize soil; add aged manure/compost; disinfect tools; till in autumn; rotate crops
Wireworms	Insect	Seeds hollowed; seedlings severed; stunting/wilting; roots eaten; tubers/ bulbs bored	Trap by digging 2- to 4-inch-deep holes every 3 to 10 feet, fill with mix of germinating beans/corn/peas or potato sections as bait, cover with soil or a board, in 1 week uncover and kill collected wireworms; sow seeds in warm soil for quick germination; provide good drainage; remove plant debris; rotate crops

Recipes

Honey-Glazed Carrots and Parsnips

Carrot-Zucchini Muffins

Carrot Puff

Carrot Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

The Best-Ever Carrot Cake

Carrot Ginger Soup

Vegetables

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s �� found each other. She leads digital content for the �� website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

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Hi Courtney,

Not knowing where you live you may have planted the carrots too late in the season. They need 65 days to maturity in spring/summer and 126 days in fall/winter because of shorter days and less sunlight.

If the temps. are mild and you don’t have freezing weather for you may still get some carrots.

Reply

I live in zone 9B. I have a "Black Beauty eggplant in a 4'x8' box and the eggplant has a 4' diameter of canopy. I would like to plant some carrot under the eggplant canopy for fall crop. Will carrots survive in partial shade for a fall crop?

Reply

Carrots need about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day. If the area provides that, you might be OK as far as light. Another concern, however, is root space. Eggplants and longer carrots may be competing for space in the soil. If you'd like to try growing carrots, the small round type might do better because they don't take up as much space in the ground.

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What does it mean when your carrots flower. Have I left them in the ground too long? Will they still taste fine?

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i planted carrots in rainy season which germinated well. but a week later, i discovered that the population of my carrots was reducing. what could be the problem?

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A wascly wabbit?

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I have been trying to grow carrots for two years in a row. The carrots start out fine, but when it is time for harvesting, the carrots do not get very bulky. The top half of the carrot is about an inch wide, but the rest of the carrot is one thin root that extends about 3 or 4 inches with no bulk at all. I do have the correct color in the top half of the carrot, just not a lot of bulk in the top half and no bulk in the bottom half.

The article above states carrots like sandy soil. Should I mix some sand in the portion of my garden where I grow my carrots?

I also have not used any fertilizer. What would you recommend?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Reply

Double dig the soil and add lots of organic compost so it is loose and easy to grow. When you plant the seeds, water with fertilizer and then DO NOT WATER until the seeds sprout. You want big tap roots that have to go deep to find water. I did this for the first time this year and I finally have great big carrots that are longer than 1" long!

Reply

I think you should try using fertilizers and as well as planting legumes plants in between your carrots this will add up nitrogen in the soil.

Reply

The best fertilizer you can give any plant is rich composted soil with the proper pH. Then, of course, sun and water. Carrots and most root crops like loose soil; sand helps to "loosen" soil: It is not a moisture retainer; it helps sand to keep from clumping. It is not a guaranteed solution but if your soil is heavy, it might help to "open" it. A common hazard of all tops but no roots or small roots is failure to thin the crop—carrots and beets esp. You need to make the sacrifice and pull the weaklings, leaving plenty of space for larger carrots to develop. Finally, we are back to the first point: your soil: Too much nitrogen fertilization can contribute to excessive top growth and little to no root growth. Check the contents of whatever fertilizer you have been using.
We hope this helps!

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