Growing Carrot

Daucus carota : Apiaceae / the umbelliferae family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
    P P P P P          

(Best months for growing Carrot in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 2 - 12 inches apart
  • Harvest in 12-18 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Onions, Leeks, Lettuce, Sage, Peas, Radishes, Tomatoes, Beans, Celery, Rosemary
  • Avoid growing close to: Parsnips, Beetroot, Dill, Brassicas, Fennel
  • Carrot harvest (commons.wikimedia.org - woodleywonderworks - CC BY 2.0)
  • A few seedlings
  • Very young carrot seedlings
  • Young carrot plants

A hardy root vegetable which grows well in deep cool soil.

Carrots take about 3 weeks to show themselves and the first leaves look like grass.

If broadcast sowing, mix with radish seeds which will germinate quickly and indicate the sown area. In hotter or dry areas, water well before seeding then cover with boards to maintain the moisture and cool soil for more successful germination. Check every week or so.

Over fertilised ground will produce split roots. Protect against carrot fly. It is best to put carrots in a different area of the garden each year for four or five years.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Carrot

Steamed or raw carrots are tasty. Cook them in a small amount of water until nearly dry then add a pat of butter and teaspoon of brown sugar to glaze.
They can be added to most casserole-type dishes.
Grate raw carrots and add to salads

Your comments and tips

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18 Feb 24, Pat (USA - Zone 8a climate)
Cover with a board means: place a board on the ground flat over the seeds. Carrot seeds do not need light to germinate. Look under board a couple times a day if possible, until you see first leaves of carrots. When more than 10 % or so appear, remove the board so they can grow normally. PS it works well to plant not a single ROW of carrots, but a band of carrots, maybe 6 to 10 inches wide. Whatever width you can manage to work. To thin. If sown thicket enough, you can pull the little babies to thin and use them in salads.when you have carrots left about 2” apart, leave them to grow to size. As you need carrots, thin further. By the time they mature you should have enough room for them to grow full since. You might leave 2 or 3 in a back corner to continue on to next year, when they should eventually go to seed for you. To save seed, allow them to die and brown, save the tops and further dry seed indoors on an herb rack of mesh that should prevent seeds from coming through. When dry, collect on a piece of paper and allow to dry further. When dry, store in a paper envelope or seed pack.
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11 Feb 23, Norman (USA - Zone 9b climate)
fastest growing carrots zone 9b florida
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13 Feb 23, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Just a few common gardeners reply to comments here - we are not experts on all plants all over the world. Carrots are slow growing and you grow the kind you might like to eat. I live in Australia and reply to some of the questions here.
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05 Dec 22, Harold J Roth (USA - Zone 10a climate)
What varieties of carrots do best is zone 10A ?
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01 Nov 22, Sharon (USA - Zone 7b climate)
When should I start my carrot seeds for harvesting in January February March
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07 Nov 22, Liz (USA - Zone 7b climate)
Find your zone at the top of the Carrot page Check the harvest time and work back from that, or check the chart which suggests sowing time.
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22 Oct 22, Mar (USA - Zone 8a climate)
Can I sow carrot seeds in mid October zone 8a. The fall heat hasn't helped my failed attempts.
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18 Nov 22, Ruth A Hersh (USA - Zone 9a climate)
Absolutely, you can! The weather is not the same every year.
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25 Oct 22, Anonymous (USA - Zone 8a climate)
It suggests up to Sept. Carrots need to be cover with some hessian or shade cloth/??? and watered a couple of times a day. Prepare your soil well and have it in a fine crumbly level soil,
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10 Dec 21, Helen Chon (USA - Zone 9a climate)
I use Neem oil to control pests for most of my plants. Will Neem Oil work for Carrot flies? I know you can’t use Neem oil in 90° weather but can you use it in 60° weather?
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Showing 1 - 10 of 22 comments
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I thought I might mention: after you harvest your first crop of carrots you probably have enough time to grow a crop of the smaller varieties of radish. Radishes: ******** Germination temperatures: ideal 15c - 25c acceptable 10c - 30c ************ Germination time: 5 -10 days *************** Growing temperatures: ideal 10c -18c intermediate to short day lengths -Growth must be continuous and rapid for good quality. Acceptable grow temps 4c – 24c. Roots of globe varieties tend to elongate and develop poor shape in hot weather when the tops also grow taller and larger than in cool weather. Long days induce flowering or seed stalks (bolting) and with warm weather the seed stalk may develop so rapidly that no edible root is formed *************** Days to harvest: Regular radish reach market size in 21 to 28 days. Chinese radish take 50 to 90 days (or more) to mature. ** A regular radish seed can produce a radish from planting to harvest in about 33 days. This crop also likes short day lengths and cooler temps making it an ideal crop to “squeeze” in late in the season, before the first frost. With a first potential frost date of October 15 – you could direct sow radish seeds like Cherry Belle, or French Breakfast (both with about 21 days to harvest from seedlings) on September 7th and reasonably expect to harvest your radishes before the first frost. You could also sow in trays and then plant them out… if real-estate is an issue, or if you need to get the radishes started before your harvest your carrots (timing) ************* Storage and Conditioning the recommended storage temperature is 0 C with a relative humidity of 95% to 100%. Topped radishes packaged in perforated plastic bags will keep for 3 to 4 weeks. Bunched radishes will keep 1 to 2 weeks. ********** Temperature information was gleaned from: ATLANTIC PROVINCES AGRICULTURE SERVICES and amalgamated with information from individual radish varieties such as Cherry Belle. ****** if you don't harvest your radishes on time they will be pithy/mealy

- Celeste Archer

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