Carrots are a low-maintenance main crop vegetable that are easy to grow and to store. As long as you have an area with full sun, a square foot or so of space-- or a large pot-- and a little extra time for watering, you can grow carrots in about three months. With some extra space, you can even grow a carrot harvest that'll store throughout the winter!
This guide walks through how to grow carrots from seed, from what to look for in a carrot variety and how to sow seeds to general plant care and harvesting tips. Read on for a step-by-step guide to planting and growing carrots, whether you're planting into containers, raised beds, or in-ground rows.
Skip Ahead: Planting and growing carrots from seed • When to plant • Spacing • Plant care • Containers • Harvesting • Harvesting seeds • Varieties • FAQ
How to plant and grow carrots from seed
It is possible to grow carrots from starts, but it's much more common-- and cheaper-- to grow them from seed. Carrot plants have delicate roots, so it's worth making an effort to leave the soil around them undisturbed as much as possible. When it comes to planting carrots, this makes direct sowing the easiest and most effective approach.
Here's how to plant and grow carrots from seed, step by step:
- Prepare the soil so that it's loosened up to about 10 inches deep. This ensures that the carrots can grow freely. This is unnecessary in raised beds and containers, but it is necessary to dig over the ground if you're planting directly into clay soil.
- Amend the soil if needed to ensure that it's very well draining, but not rich in nutrients. Sand is an ideal amendment.
- Sow the carrot seeds one or two inches apart, ¼" deep. If you're growing carrots in rows, space the rows 12" apart.
- Water the seeds in well and mark the rows. This can be done with either a label or a quick-growing carrot companion plant that will grow to maturity before the carrots start to compete with it for space. Radishes are ideal, as they germinate in a few days and are ready to harvest in a month.
- Maintain moisture in the soil while you watch for the seeds to germinate. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that the top inch of the soil never completely dries out.
- Thin the seedlings to one carrot every three inches once true leaves emerge. Because carrot roots are so sensitive, it's best to pinch out any extra seedlings rather than pull them up.
- Water regularly to keep the soil moist but not soaked.
- Weed around the carrots weekly, either by hand or with a hoe.
- Cover with a cloche or floating row cover if necessary to extend the growing season or harvest window. This is most useful when growing carrots in the late winter or late fall, when there's a chance they'll get hit with a frost.
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When to plant carrots
Sow carrot seeds as early as 3 weeks before the last frost, or as late as 10 weeks before your first fall frost. Very hot summer temperatures can cause carrots to grow more slowly and develop a slightly bitter flavor, but it's typically possible to grow tasty carrots throughout the summer in USDA zones 7 and above.
The best time to plant carrots varies by region, but generally it's the late winter, a few weeks before the last frost-- as long as the soil has dried and warmed enough to work.
In general, growers in USDA zones 5 and 6 can plant carrots from mid March through May, and again from July to early August. Gardeners in USDA zone 7 and below can sow carrots from March to April and again from July through September.
Here's when to plant carrots for harvesting in each season:
- Spring: For a late spring carrot harvest, plant carrots in late February through March. This is ideal in warm zones where the soil has dried by late winter. It's also possible for growers in zones 5 and 6 to plant carrots in March as long as they give the plants some protection in the form of a row cover or cloche.
- Early summer: Plant carrots in March to start harvesting them in late June.
- Mid summer: Sow carrots in April or May to harvest them in July. This works well in zones 7 and above, though growers in warmer climates should pause sowing carrots between April and late July.
- Fall: Plant carrots 10 to 12 weeks before your first frost date for a fall harvest. Growers in northern zones may need to cover their carrots in the late fall to extend the harvest window slightly beyond the first frost.
Carrot seeds become less likely to germinate when soil temperatures exceed 80º, which makes growing a summer-sown crop a challenge for southern gardeners. For those in the US south and other hot regions, it's worth experimenting with growing carrots over the winter and in the early summer instead on growing a typical fall crop.
Carrot spacing
Carrots need at least 2" spacing to grow well, regardless of whether they're in pots or raised beds. Typical carrot spacing for a raised bed would be 2-3" apart in rows 12" apart.
Square foot gardening guidelines say that you can grow 16 carrots per square foot-- that's one carrot every 3", planted in a grid. To grow carrots in containers, use a similar spacing method, ensuring that each seedling has a 3" radius of free space around it.
Carrot plant care
Carrots can be finicky plants, but most of their growing requirements can be addressed before planting: choosing a good growing site and prepping the soil. After that, the most demanding aspect of growing carrots is watering them regularly.
If you're planting carrots into raised beds or containers, taking care of their soil requirements is straightforward: use a fine potting mix, ideally combined with some sand and topsoil. Growing carrots in the ground requires more effort, especially in clay soils that need to be well tilled or loosened with a broadfork before sowing.
Here are the ideal growing conditions for carrots:
- Full sun: Carrots need at least six hours of sun daily and will benefit from even more.
- Loose soil: The best soil for carrots is sandy, loose, and relatively nutrient poor. Having too much organic matter in the soil will cause carrots to fork, and having too much nitrogen will result in underdeveloped roots with lots of top growth. Having sandy, well draining soil enables the carrots to grow undisturbed, resulting in a healthier harvest. If you're planting carrots into clay soil, consider tilling or broadforking it first.
- Watering: Carrots don't want to sit in soaked soil, but they do need consistent moisture. How much you water carrots depends on the season, soil, and sun. If you're unsure, check the top inch or so of soil with your finger; if it's dry, give the carrots a light watering. Keep in mind that carrots benefit from consistent watering; dry spells followed by heavy watering can cause the roots to split.
How to grow carrots in containers
Growing carrots in containers is ideal for gardeners who have clay soil or a small amount of space. Luckily, carrots can grow very well in pots, grow bags, and other large containers.
To grow carrots in pots, opt for containers that are at least 12" deep. This will provide enough space for carrot roots to grow around 8-9" long. Fill the pots with a combination of loose potting soil-- sifted to remove large wood chips, if needed-- and topsoil or sand. This will ensure that the carrots have to grow further to find nutrients, resulting in better yields.
Place the containers in a full sun position-- somewhere with at least six hours of sunlight daily, and ideally eight or more. Water them regularly, and keep in mind that anything grown in a pot will demand more water than it would in a raised bed or in the ground.
Harvesting carrots
Most carrots are ready to harvest when their tops are about 1" in diameter, although some varieties grow larger. Mature carrots sometimes show a 'shoulder'-- the top half inch or so of the root-- above the soil, which is a good indication of size. If you can't see the top of your carrots in the soil, gently dig down around their roots with your hand to see how well they're growing.
Though carrots take anywhere from 55 to 80 days to mature, technically they are good to harvest and eat at any time. You can harvest immature carrots all season. You can also leave mature carrots in the ground in the fall to keep them fresh and ready to harvest whenever you want them.
If the tops of the roots have started to turn green, that's a good indication that they've been in the ground too long. They're still okay to eat, though; harvest them when you have time and cut off any green parts.
Harvesting carrot seeds
Carrots are biennial plants, meaning that they establish roots in the first year, are dormant over the winter, and die in the second year after producing flowers and seeds. So, to harvest carrot seeds, you'll need to let some carrots stay in the soil over the winter and into the following summer.
In order to save seeds, you'll also need to grow an heirloom variety. Heirloom carrots are open-pollinated, unlike hybrid seeds, which allows them to reproduce nearly identical carrots grown from their seeds. Seeds saved from hybrid carrots won't produce as well, so they're worth buying new every year.
If you're growing heirloom varieties, here's how to harvest carrot seeds:
- Wait for flowers to emerge in the second year of growing, or if the plants have started to bolt in their first year. You can harvest the seeds once the flowers are pollinated, turn brown, and start to dry out.
- Clip off the flower heads from a few of your best plants, place them in a paper bag somewhere out of direct sun, and give them a few more days to completely dry out. Waiting for the umbels to dry as much as possible prevents mold growing in the seed packets later on.
- Rub the flower heads between your fingers to release the seeds. This will produce a large amount of chaff, as well.
- Separate the chaff by hand, then use a sieve if necessary to filter out any dust or smaller chaff particles. This is another measure that can cut the odds of mold growing in the packet.
- Store the seeds in a paper envelope or packet and keep them somewhere cool and dark. Seeds need air; storing them in glass or plastic can produce an ideal environment for mold and mildew, so it's best to avoid using jars.
- Label the seeds with the variety and the year. Use them within two years for the best results.
Carrot varieties
When buying carrot seed, there are a few traits to look for: do you want fresh eating carrots, or carrots bred to last in storage? Do you want orange carrots, purple carrots, or a colorful blend? Do you need an early maturing variety for your short growing season?
If you're not bothered with being too picky about your carrot variety, you're sure to enjoy a classic Scarlet Nantes or Naval carrots.
Otherwise, here are some of the best carrot varieties for different needs:
- Storage varieties: Bolero F1 is a classic storage carrot, producing 7-8" carrots that are ideal for growing in the fall and winter. Napoli F1 is another sweet variety, and while it isn't bred for storing specifically, it is bred to grow overwinter in mild and warm climates, providing a consistent supply of winter carrots.
- Early maturing carrots: Yaya carrots mature in just 56 days, with roots growing up to 6 ½" long. At 3-4" long, Adelaides mature in 50 days-- or 32 days, if you want to harvest them as baby carrots.
- Colorful carrot varieties: Glow Stix Sunrise mix matures in 70 days, grows compact leaves, and produces a blend of purple, white, and orange carrots. White Satin produces all-white, 8-9" long carrots in about 70 days. Deep Purple has an earthy flavor and rich color, with 7-8" roots that develop in just over 70 days.
One more factor to keep in mind when choosing a variety: whether you want heirloom or hybrid seeds. The decision comes down to whether you want to save your own seed, and whether you have specific growing needs.
- Heirloom varieties are ideal for saving seeds, as they produce a consistent crop from one season to the next. These are old varieties that haven't been bred for specific qualities. Gardeners improve their heirloom varieties from one season to the next simply by saving seed from the most successful plants.
- Hybrid seeds are bred for specific qualities: to be bolt resistant, fast-maturing, colorful, good for storage, sweet, etc. On the other hand, they aren't suited to seed saving. If you were to grow hybrid carrots, save the seed they produce, and sow that the following year, you'd likely end up with carrots that are smaller, grow more slowly, and/or bolt more easily than their parents.
How long do carrots take to grow?
Carrots can take 50 to 80 days to grow from seed, depending on the variety and season.
How long do carrot seeds take to germinate?
Carrots seeds germinate in 10-21 days, depending on the age of the seed and the time of year. Soil temperatures of around 55-65º encourage faster germination, which means that carrots sown in the spring and late summer grow faster than summer-sown carrots. It is common for carrot seeds to take a full two weeks to germinate.
Finally, carrot seeds need regular light waterings to germinate. Ensuring that the top inch of soil never fully dries out can also aid germination rates.
When are carrots ready to harvest?
Carrots can be harvested at any point, but they are mature once their tops are about 1" in diameter. You may or may not be able to see the top of the root peaking above the soil. If you can't, dig down gently with your fingers to check the size of the root.
Depending on the variety, it takes 55 to 80 days to grow carrots from seed. You can harvest immature carrots before that point, and you can also keep carrots in the ground after they've matured. This allows the carrots to stay fresh and ready to harvest whenever you want them, providing a steady supply instead of a glut.
Keep in mind that if you need to keep your carrots in the ground after the last frost date in order for them to reach maturity, it's best to protect them with either a cloche or a floating row cover.
What is the best time to plant carrots?
The best time to plant carrots is generally in the early spring and late summer, providing a summer and fall harvest. In warmer regions, carrots can also grow in the late winter and late fall. In milder regions, you can sow carrots as late as June for a late summer harvest.
Do carrots need full sun?
Carrots require at least six hours of sun daily, and they'll benefit from having eight or more hours. This makes them full sun plants, and they'll appreciate the sunniest position that your garden has to offer them.