Carrot
Vegetable · cool season
When to plant
- Sow seeds outdoors about 3 weeks before your average last spring frost.
- It can also be grown as a fall crop, timed back from your first fall frost.
- Ready to harvest about 70 days after planting.
- Sow again every 3 weeks for a steady harvest.
Keep the seedbed moist until sprouted (up to 3 weeks).
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Spacing
- 2–3 in
- Soil temperature
- At least 45°F
- Time to harvest
- About 70 days
- Containers
- At least 2 gallons
- Plant family
- Carrot family (umbellifers)
- Harvest per plant
- About 0.12 lb
- Seeds keep
- About 3 years
Companions
Good neighbors: Onion (sets), Leeks, Rosemary, Sage, Lettuce, Radish
Keep apart: Dill. Mature dill can stunt carrots and the two can cross-pollinate.
Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.
Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.
Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.
Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.
Varieties to try
- Paris Market 50 days: round, for heavy soil
- Scarlet Nantes 68 days: sweet, cylindrical
- Chantenay Red Core 70 days: stout, for clay soil
- Danvers 126 70 days: classic, stores well
- Imperator 58 75 days: long, needs deep loose soil
Pests and problems
Grow it well
Tips
- Keep carrot seeds moist until they sprout. Carrots can take 2 to 3 weeks to sprout, and a dry crust on top stops them. Lay a board over the row to keep it damp, check every day, and lift it as soon as you see sprouts.
- Sow a little every 2 to 3 weeks. Lettuce, radishes, bush beans, carrots, and cilantro all come ready at once. Sow a short row every few weeks for a steady harvest instead of one big glut.
- Plant a fall garden. Kale, spinach, lettuce, carrots, and radishes sown in late summer grow well in cool weather, and many taste sweeter after a light frost.
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