I finally got around to planting carrots last night. After doing a little research online I discovered you need to plant carrot seeds about 10 -12 weeks BEFORE your first frost date. You can find out your first frost date HERE. Mine is around mid November. So, about 10 weeks away.
I’m not sure if it’s too late in the season or not, but I am going to give it a try. I’ve never tried to grow carrots this late, so I am hoping it works. If not, I suppose we’ll go back to buying those giant 10 pound bags of carrots over the winter and spring months at Costco again like we do every year.
But if it works… I’ll save be able to save some serious dough.
What do you think? Will I be able to grow carrots? Have you ever planted carrots this late in the year? How did it work out?
~Mavis
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Desi says
I think If you can get them growing they’ll be great. I’ve been told that you can cover them with straw and harvest them well into winter.
Also my neighbor and I were talking TOMATOES. I told her mine were not ripening. She said to cut them way back (to just before the tomatoes), pretty well butcher them and cut most of the green on top off. She did this a week ago or so and now is swimming in ripe tomatoes.
If anyone needs me I’ll be butchering my poor helpless tomato plants in the hopes of eating some yummy ripe ones. I figure better do it now because I can feel the cold coming sooner than I want.
Elizabeth says
We do this , though earlier on. Since tomatoes are really a vine can cut of any nonproducing branch, the tomatoes get more sun and energy and water is not put into continually growing vines you get nothing from.
patti m says
I had the same carrot question and contacted the WSU Extension last fall. They told me that certain carrots do better over winter than others. They suggested the Meridia (sp?) carrot. Plant in fall, they grow all winter and then in Feb you will have a full crop of tasty carrots. Got the seeds and am going to plant them this weekend. They also told me to leave my beets in the ground and harvest only when I am ready to cook them. Some have suggested that they might get woody over the winter, but they said that will only usually happen if you leave them in the ground over a year. I did do that last winter and it worked fantastically! I live in the PNW so did not even cover them with any straw or anything.
Mavis says
Thanks Patti M. JJ mentioned her parents cover their carrots with straw as well. I’m going to give this a try. Thanks!
Erica Lynn says
I just planted a bunch of carrots earlier this week 🙂 I bought a variety that WSU recommended for Fall/Winter in the PNW. I use soooo many carrots in my fall and winter cooking, so I’ve tried to stagger my plantings to have enough for the whole season. Oh yeah, this is also all in my container garden up on my 3rd floor decks! I tried gardening for the first time this summer and decided I didn’t want to stop, so researched fall gardening in the PNW. Besides carrots, I’m growing Jack-be-little pumpkins, Table King acorn squash, bunches of kale, bush beans, and broccoli raab, all spread throughout more than 20 varying size containers. 🙂
Sasha says
I am in Seattle and I just planted carrots two days ago, so hopefully it’s not too late!
Mari the Kiwi says
I love the look of you little round carrots. I plant red heirloom ones. What are yours called?
You can plant small carrots like yours, in pallet gardens like u have your lettuces in. Even plant then between your lettuces sue to the shorter time lettuce will be ready. My dad used plant lettuce, radish and onions in the same row. Worked really well. I grew carrots indoors in my greenhouse over winter last year. The did good and I even had some to freeze.