Wondering how to grow carrots for your new garden?
Carrots are a popular root vegetable that tastes crisp and sweet after frost and isn’t hard to grow!
Growing carrots from seed can add variety to your stash and are perfect for all kinds of seasonal recipes.
In this post, I’m going to show you how to grow carrots the right way so that you can enjoy this crunchy-sweet root year-round!
How To Grow Carrots For Beginners in 2023
Common Types Of Carrots
There are a bunch of different carrots that you can consider growing, each with different pros and cons.
Here is a list of some types of carrots that you may want to start growing.
- Dragon: Has regular orange flesh but purple skin, matures in up to 90 days.
- YaYa: Typically grows 6-inch roots, best grown in warmer climates with 60 days maturity.
- Imperator(recommended): Most common type of carrot grown and matures in 70 days.
- Yellow Moon: Grows around 7-inch roots and matures in 80 days.
Now that you’re aware of some carrot varieties, here are some supplies that you’ll need to start planting.
What You’ll Need
Growing carrots doesn’t require a ton of equipment, you’ll just need to have a few items to make the process smoother.
To start growing carrots, you should have…
- Thermometer
- Organic Soil & Compost
- Burlap Fabric
- Organic Fertilizer
- Garden Space Or Raised Garden Bed
Although using organic materials is best, they aren’t required for growing but are recommended.
Take it from us, using organic is far more rewarding than conventional because it usually leads to a tastier and more nutritious harvest long-term.
When To Plant Carrot Seeds
For summer harvest, you should plant carrot seeds 2-3 weeks before the last spring frost.
Harvesting carrots in the summer may feel best if you aren’t a fan of cooler weather.
Optionally, you can plant carrots 10 weeks before the first frost for fall harvest.
As mentioned prior, carrots tend to be crisper and sweeter after frost so you may want to consider a fall harvest.
How To Germinate Carrot Seeds For Planting
This is where your soil thermometer will come in handy.
If you aren’t aware, germination is the process of sprouting a seed after dormancy. Basically preparing the seed for planting and growing.
To properly germinate carrot seeds, you’ll want to ensure the soil temperature is 45-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the carrots grow, the soil temp should decrease to 70 or below.
To prevent soil from drying during the germination process, use burlap fabric to cover the plant.
This fabric will help maintain moisture and help seeds flourish in heat better.
Planting Carrot Seeds
When planting carrot seeds you’ll want to sow them directly into the garden’s soil.
Carrots grow best in full sunlight, but light shade is exceptional as well.
Your garden soil should be the loam variety with a PH of 6-7.
Take some time to remove stones and other objects from the soil, as they can disturb growth.
If you’re struggling to clear the soil, try using a raised garden bed to make the process more organized.
Seeds should be planted a quarter inch deep and an inch apart. Rows should be aligned with 12-18 inches in between.
Measuring can be a doozy sometimes, which is why using pelletized seed can be simpler.
Preventing Disease And pests
Like any other vegetable, carrots can fall subject to disease and pests.
One way to protect your carrots is to place a floating row cover over them.
Floating row covers can shield your carrots from pest intrusion.
You should pull back row covers to remove weeds(they stunt growth).
Diseases & Pests To Look Out For…
- Leaf Hoppers: Suck the life out of your plants and spread harmful pathogens.
- Nematodes: Super small worms that don’t like marigolds(plant them to repel).
- Worms(Army and Wire): Kills carrot seedlings and can live in soil up to 6 years.
- Flea Beetles: They can create holes in carrot foliage.
- Carrot Rust Fly: Maggots that feed on carrots.
- Carrot Weevils: Pesky beetle that slows growth.
Watering Carrot Plants
Carrots don’t require frequent watering every day, an inch per week at the early stages is enough.
As the carrot plants approach maturity, you can add another inch to the weekly watering routine.
Fertilization
Your carrot plant’s fertilizer should have an even amount of nitrogen and phosphorus.
Once the carrot tops approach 4 inches tall, apply fertilizer between the garden rows.
Harvesting carrots
Once your carrots have reached maturity, you can pull them up and feast!
You can use a shovel to dig up the carrots. It’s best to harvest what you’ll eat sooner than have extra just sitting around.
Keeping a stash of carrots in the garden while only harvesting a portion will help preserve them better.
Here are some tasty recipes to try with your new carrots!
Now that you know how to grow carrots, you can now enjoy them for your meals!