Vegetable / Cool season
Carrot
Slow to sprout, sweet after frost, fun to pull
Plant out byMay 4zone 6
- Family
- Carrot (Apiaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Some care
- Days to harvest
- 60-80 days
- Spacing
- 3 in apart, rows 12 in
- Pot size
- 3 gal pot (fine in pots)
- Frost
- Hardy
- Start
- Direct sow
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Too late this year (try fall)
In zone 6, sow or plant outdoors Mar 30 to May 4; sow again for fall Aug 11 to Aug 25. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
Carrot seed has a reputation, and it earned it. The seeds are tiny, they take two to three weeks to come up, and they stall if the top of the soil dries out and forms a crust. Most failed carrot rows fail right here, before you ever see a leaf. Cover the seed with a thin layer of fine compost or sand and water lightly every day or two. Mix in a few radish seeds, too. They come up in days and show you where the row is while you wait.
After that slow start, carrots are easy company. They need full sun, loose soil without rocks, and thinning to about 3 inches apart once the seedlings are up. Skip the thinning and you get a tangle of skinny roots. Dry spells later on can lead to forked or cracked carrots, so keep the watering steady.
In a pot, depth decides everything. Short or round types are happy in 6 to 8 inches of soil, while full-length carrots want 12 inches or more. Sow in spring a few weeks before your last frost, then again about 10 weeks before the first fall frost. The fall crop is often the sweetest, since cold weather improves the flavor. Kids love pulling them up, and my son still talks about the one shaped like a pair of pants.
Things to consider
- Germination takes two to three weeks and stalls if the soil surface crusts, so plan on light, frequent watering until the seedlings are up. A board laid over the row for the first week holds moisture in, as long as you lift it the day sprouts appear.
- Rocky or heavy clay soil gives forked, stunted roots. A raised bed or a deep pot of loose mix solves most of that, and short varieties forgive heavier ground.
- Carrot rust fly larvae tunnel into the roots and leave rusty brown scars. Row cover laid over the bed from sowing day keeps the adult flies from laying eggs.
Good neighbours
Keep apart
Pests to watch for
Carrot rust fliesWirewormsFlea beetlesLeafhoppers
Questions about growing carrot
How do I know carrots are ready without pulling the whole row?
Brush the soil away from the top of one root and look at how wide it is. Many are ready once the shoulder is at least half an inch across, around two months or more after sowing. Pull that one as a test and taste it before you harvest the rest. Water the bed the day before, and the roots slide out without snapping.
Why are my carrots split or forked?
Uneven water is the usual cause of splitting. A dry stretch followed by a heavy soak makes the roots crack. Forked roots tend to come from rocks, lumps or dry soil in the way. Keep the bed evenly damp and mulch lightly once plants are a few inches tall. Crowding also twists roots around each other, which is one more reason to thin early.
Can I leave carrots in the ground after frost?
Yes, carrots handle frost well and often taste sweeter after a cold snap. Many growers leave the fall crop in the bed under straw and dig roots as needed. Get them out before the ground freezes solid, or you will be chipping them free with a shovel. In a pot, move the container somewhere sheltered, since potted roots freeze much faster than roots in the ground.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.