Carrots are a cool season root crop and will grow best in the spring
and fall in most regions. In areas with mild winters they can be overwintered as well.
Begin planting carrots as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring or three to five weeks before
your last spring frost date. For a fall harvest plant carrots approximately 10 weeks before
your first fall frost date. Carrots prefer loose sandy loamy soil and will often have misshapen or
stunted roots when grown in heavy soil. Carrots will tolerate light shade but for best yields
plant in full sun. Sow seed 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart, in rows 6 to 8 inches apart. Carrot
seed is very small and can be challenging to space evenly. You may find it easiest to sprinkle seeds
evenly over the planting area and cover very lightly with fine soil earthworm castings or
sieved compost. Moisten thoroughly and keep evenly moist as seed will not germinate in dry soil.
Carrot seed will germinate in approximately six days at soil temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit
Seed can germinate in soil as cool as 45 degrees Fahrenheit but will take two to three weeks to do
so. When carrot tops are two to four inches tall thin to no less than two inches apart
either by snipping off the greens at the soil line or very gently pulling up the entire root
Keep carrots consistently moist as they grow providing them with one to two inches of water
per week. Mulching the soil around your carrots can also help keep the soil moist and cool.
Once carrot tops are four to six inches tall side dress with an all-natural fertilizer.
Look for a formulation which is lower in nitrogen and slightly higher in potassium and phosphorus.
High nitrogen can encourage foliar growth and lead to hairy cracked roots.
Carrots can be fed again when tops are approximately eight inches tall
if the soil is particularly nutrient depleted or if tops are looking pale and weak
Carrots will be ready for harvest 65 to 90 days after planting depending on the variety. Over
wintered carrots can take twice as long to mature harvest when the desired size is reached. In
general carrots should be at least a half an inch across at the top, also known as the shoulder,
and you'll start to see the shoulder peak above the soil when the carrots size up.
If you are unsure you can gently loosen the soil around the roots to check the size of the carrots
or pull up one or two. If they have sized up you can harvest the remainder of the crop
if they are still too small wait another week or so and check again.
In very loose soil you can gently pull carrots up by their tops to harvest
in heavier soil loosen the roots first with a garden fork and then gently pull out of the soil
Store carrots by clipping off the green tops then brush off excess dirt
but do not clean and store in plastic storage baggies in the refrigerator.
For long-term storage layer carrots and damp sand or sawdust in a box or plastic pail in
a cool root cellar around 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Fall grown carrots can also be left in the ground
until they are ready to be eaten just be sure to mulch heavily to prevent the ground from freezing