How To Grow Carrots

How To Grow Carrots

Carrots have to be one of the most loved vegetables around. They can be eaten raw or cooked a countless number of ways. They are packed with both vitamin A, B, and C as well as calcium. And quite frankly, carrots are super easy to grow. In addition, they grow wonderfully in small gardens and small spaces. Here is my guide to helping you successfully grow carrots that you will love for many years to come.

Here is a list of carrot varieties that you can plant in the south-Carrots will be listed under Root Vegetables.

When Do I Plant Carrots?

The planting time for carrots depends on where you live. If you live in the northern part of the United States your carrots can be planted as early as July. For the southern states you will need to wait until September and October. I live in the Houston area in Texas and our planting dates are from mid-October through late November for the fall. We are lucky to have another planting time in early spring from late January through early February. You will need to check with your local County Extension Office for exact dates in your area.

Carrots do not like warm weather. They grow best in the cooler temperatures. One cool fact about carrots is that they actually taste better after a light frost. They cannot withstand a hard freeze. So, if you are getting a hard freeze it is best to cover them to protect them from the freeze or pull them to eat them.

Where Do I Plant Carrots?

Carrots are easy to grow, however, you will need to take a little bit of preparation with the soil before you throw out those first seeds. Soil preparation is one of the most important things you can work on to get healthy and robust carrots. You need to have loose soil at least 8 to 12 inches below the surface that is free of rocks to enable the roots (the carrots) to grow. If you have rocks in your soil the carrots will grow around them resulting in crooked carrots.

Your soil needs to be well-draining and rich with organic material or compost. To help prepare the beds before planting, you can work into your soil several inches of compost or organic material along with 1 cup of complete fertilizer for each 10 feet of row that you want to plant. You can use a hand rake or a shovel to turn the soil under. I know a shovel is not the most efficient method for turning soil, but a shovel will work in a pinch.

Carrots do exceptionally well in raised beds. I have been growing carrots for multiple years in raised beds with extraordinary success. To gain the most yields from your carrot crop pick an area where your plants will get at least 8 hours of direct sun light each day.

How Do I Plant Carrots?

There are two different ways to plant carrots-broadcast or row planting. I like to plant carrots in a broadcast method. This is where you scatter the seeds over the area that you want to plant them in. This is a very easy method of planting. After spreading the seeds across the surface of your planting area you will need to lightly cover them with soil. You can gently tamp down the soil to establish good soil to seed contact. Gently water the seeds keeping the soil moist until the seeds germinate.

The other method of planting carrots is by row planting. Row planting is where you will create mounded rows to plant the seeds on. For carrots, your rows need to be 2-3 feet apart from each other and 4-6 inches high. You will create a small trench that is 1/2 inch deep that you will plant the seeds in. You can plant 18 to 20 seeds per foot in each row. The seeds need to be lightly covered and gently watered keeping the soil moist until the seeds germinate. Although I have never to, I have heard of other growers that have planted a few radish seeds in their carrots seed mix to help break up the soil and keep it from crusting on top. You can also create double rows on each mound of 1/2 inch deep trenches if you desire. See image below:

How to Care for Carrots After Planting

If you plant carrot seeds in the fall you will not need to wait long for seed germination. In the fall it usually only takes around 1 week before the seeds sprout. If you are planting your seeds in the spring, you will need to be a little more patient since it will take around 3 weeks before seed germination. Up until now you were keeping the seeds moist and not letting the seeds dry out. Once the seeds sprout you will need to water less letting the soil dry out somewhat.

As your carrots grow you will need to monitor the growing conditions. Make sure the plants have adequate sunlight and water. Do not overwater. Carrots like to have moist soil to around 3 inches deep. Carrots need around 2 tablespoons of fertilizer for each 10 foot row starting when the tops of the plants are 4 inches high. You will need to fertilize again when tops reach 6-8 inches tall. As you are feeding them do not let the fertilizer touch the carrots. Carrots are not heavy feeders. Don’t give them too much love by overfeeding them.

Carrots do not like to be crowded. As they are growing you can thin them out. When tops are 4 inches tall you will need to space out your carrots by thinning them to 2 inches apart. You could get some small carrots that are ready to eat at this stage. If you don’t thin your carrots they will not grow to full maturity resulting in poorly flavored carrots that could form incorrectly. This is also an important time to keep the weeds away from the carrots. Throughout the growing season it is important to keep weeds from growing around your carrots. This too can affect the taste of your carrots. And you don’t want your carrots competing for space with the weeds in your garden.

Harvesting Your Carrots

Your carrots can be ready to harvest anywhere from 70-95 days depending on where you live and the temperature during the growing season. The best ways to tell if they are ready is to look at the size of the tops of the carrots. They should be at least 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter. You will want to pull the thickest carrots first. I usually pull the amount of carrots that I plan to eat that day for myself and my family. Pulling up any food that you grow with your own hands and then eating it is extremely satisfying.

If your soil is loose enough you can carefully pull the carrots from the tops to harvest. If your soil is somewhat compact you will need to use a spade to gently loosen the soil to avoid breaking the carrot in two.

You can gently wash the carrots off and store them in a plastic bag to increase the humidity. I like to cut the tops off to help keep the carrots from wilting. You can store them in the bottom of the refrigerator if you would like to save them. Carrots can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Common Questions About Growing Carrots

• How long do carrots take to grow? 70-95 days
• Do carrots come back every year? No. Carrots are biennials- meaning they have a two year life cycle. If left in the ground they can produce seed.
• Can you leave carrots in the ground too long? Yes. If you don’t pick them they can get too tough and not have that wonderful sweet flavor.
• Can you grow a carrot from the carrot tops? No, you can not grow another carrot once you cut the main carrot off. This means you cannot grow carrots from other carrots.
• Can you over water carrots? Yes. Carrots are like any other type of living plant and can be under and over watered.
• Is Epsom Salt good for carrots? Be cautious using Epsom salt in the garden. Most of the time gardeners are trying to avoid magnesium deficiency in their plants when using Epsom Salt. However, using Epsom Salt can actually harm your plants. One big issue is that too much magnesium in the soil will prevent the uptake of calcium in plants causing further harm. It is best to have your soil tested to determine what deficiencies you have and then work from there. It is easier to add magnesium from a safe magnesium source instead of guessing what needs to be added or withheld. Epsom Salt is both a magnesium and sulfur chemical. You may only need one and neither in your soil. It is better to be safe than sorry when adding things to your soil.