Having recently planted a long row of carrots in our kitchen garden, today I thought I’d share some of my tried and true tips on how to grow carrots for those of you who haven’t grown them before.
In my opinion, carrots are hands down one of the easiest vegetables to grow {zucchini and peas are at the top of the list too}. Not only are they easy to grow, but homegrown carrots taste a million and ten times better than the pre-packaged “baby” carrots they sell at the grocery store.
So if you have the room in your garden to grow them, I highly recommend putting them at the top of your to-grow list!
Brief description
Carrots are a root vegetable. They have a sweet mild flavor. They are super easy to grow–and once you’ve had homegrown carrots, it will be tough to go back.
Where to Plant Carrots
Plant in raised beds and garden beds. I’ve typically always planted mine in raised beds to insure the soil is pretty much free of rocks. I have grown the nubby little Parisian carrots in pots before with success.
Planting Seeds
Sow outside 2-4 weeks before last frost. You can sow them every couple of weeks for a continuous crop, but stop about 2 months before the first expected frost. Sow seeds about 1/4″ deep. Thin to 1 every 3″ when seedlings reach about 1″ tall.
Growing Tips
Carrots prefer loose, well-composted soil. Don’t allow young carrots to dry out, consistent watering will provide the best growth and limit cracking.
How to Harvest
Don’t allow carrots to get too big. Check your seed packet for full grown length, and harvest by loosening the surrounding soil and pulling the carrots out by hand.
Digging them up sometimes results in damaged carrots so it’s best not to use a shovel and pull them up by hand instead. Carrots actually get sweetest after a light frost, so you may want to wait until later in the season to plant/harvest your carrots.
Fun Fact
In the 16th century, Dutch carrot growers invented the orange carrot in honor of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family. They created the carrots by cross breeding pale yellow carrots with red carrots.
Are you ready to start your garden but you’re not sure when you should plant your seeds or set out your transplants? Head on over HERE and you’ll be taken to a handy dandy chart that is broken down into what vegetables should be planted {or transplanted} each month in your area.
Anyone can do this. Dirt + Seeds+ Water = Food!
~Mavis
Diana says
The carrot cake jam is one of my favorites! I always have some in the cupboard. Here in the San Diego area, we are already harvesting our carrots! We have been eating them as a snack every day.
Carrie says
If you add sand to the top few inches of soil before you plant carrots, it helps a lot. Also, thin out the tiny sprouts when they are about 2 inches tall.
We plant a rainbow of carrots each year. We have done red, orange, yellow, white and purple. Purple ones are my kids favorite. We did not like the red ones…very hard.