How to Grow Carrots in Your Own Backyard, According to Gardening Experts
Homegrown carrots are a sweet, crunchy, and fresh addition to your vegetable garden.
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Crisp, delicious carrots harvested from your garden are even better than the ones you can get at your farmers market. Not only are they as fresh and local as you can get, but homegrown carrots open up a whole new world of endless carrot varieties with varying sizes, lengths, and even colors that you won't find in the produce aisle at the grocery store. The best part? Carrots are easy to grow when planted in loose, well-draining soil and in an area that receives ample sunlight.
If you're ready to start growing carrots in your garden, we spoke with experts to share how to grow carrots, their care needs, how to harvest, and some of the best varieties to try.
Meet Our Expert
Parker Garlitz, managing partner at True Leaf Market, an independent non-GMO seed company
Resh Gala, author of Vegetable Gardening Made Easy: Simple Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Best Garden Ever
Chelsey Lenczyk, home and farm Market manager for Bejo Seeds Inc., a vegetable seed breeding and production company and National Garden Bureau member
Related: How to Plan Your Vegetable Garden the Right Way
How to Plant Carrots
You will want to grow carrots from seeds for optimal results. "Avoid buying or growing carrot seedlings as carrots are a root vegetable, and they don’t like their roots to be disturbed via transplanting," says Resh Gala, author of Vegetable Gardening Made Easy: Simple Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Best Garden Ever. The best time to plant carrot seeds is in early spring before the hot weather arrives or in the fall when temperatures begin to cool. Here's how to grow carrots, step-by-step:
Prepare the soil by loosening it about 10 to 12 inches deep with a garden fork and removing any pebbles, rocks, or soil clumps.
Add amendments, such as compost, to provide a nutrient-rich boost to the soil.
Plant two to three seeds about a half inch deep and a half inch apart. Your soil should be loamy, loose, and well-drained at a pH of 6.0 to 7.0, says Parker Garlitz, managing partner at True Leaf Market.
Rows should be 1 to 1.5 feet apart. Cover the seeds lightly with soil.
Gently water after planting and keep the soil moist but not wet.
Sow seeds every two weeks for a consecutive and continual harvest.
Make sure to thin seedlings to ensure they grow well. "When carrots are fighting with each other for space, they end up growing into funny-looking alien shapes," says Gala. Don't feel bad that you're eliminating some seeds, as you'll be ensuring the overall success of your carrot crop. "Choose the strongest looking seedlings to leave in the bed and thin to 1-2" between seedlings," says Lenczyk. "Using scissors to cut unwanted seedlings at the soil line reduces the risk of injury to remaining plants."
Be patient, as carrots take two to three weeks to germinate.
Related: 10 Vegetables to Plant in Early Spring
Caring for Carrots
Follow these care tips for a thriving carrot crop.
Watering
Carrots thrive in moist soil. This means the soil is slightly damp but never soaking wet or soggy. "Carrots generally need about 1 to 2 inches of water per week, depending on the soil, climate type, and weather conditions," says Garlitz. If you're not sure if your carrots need water, do a simple soil check. "Check the soil to determine the watering requirements by inserting your finger roughly 2 inches deep into the soil surrounding the plants to determine if the soil is moist or not," he says. Carrots growing in drier or sandy soil may need to be watered more frequently.
Sunlight
These root vegetables love the sun, so grow them in a sunny area that receives a minimum of six hours per day. "Carrots prefer full sun for best photosynthesis (food making) and therefore best harvest," says Lenczyk. Carrots that receive inadequate amounts of sunlight may produce smaller and weaker roots, she says. Don't have an area of your garden that has sufficient sun? Consider growing carrots in moveable raised beds or containers. "If sun exposure is limited or moves throughout the season as trees fill in for the summer, consider using movable containers to maximize sun exposure," says Lenczyk.
Soil
Soil is a key component to the success of growing carrots. Clay-heavy soils and soils that have too many pebbles and rocks or don't hold water well can cause deformities. "Soils that have too much clay or rocks will result in forked or blunted roots that may be hard to dig, whereas soil that is too loose will be low in water holding capacity and spindly roots," says Lenczyk.
Carrots like well-drained, fluffy soil with plenty of amendment, such as compost. "Soil that is loose, fertile, well-draining, and with a pH of 6.0-6.8 will provide straight, healthy carrots," says Lenczyk.
Not quite sure how to tell if carrots will thrive in the soil? Do an easy soil test. "If you take a handful of soil and firmly squeeze it in your hand, you want it to hold shape but crumble easily," she says. "If it sticks in a tight clump, add more fine-particle organic matter, like sand or peat, to loosen it up; if it holds no shape, then add a heavier particle amendment like compost."
Temperature
Carrots grow best in cooler temperatures, which is why they are typically planted in early spring or in the fall.
Fertilization
Fertilizing carrots isn't typically necessary, and sometimes fertilizers can cause more harm to your carrot crop than help. "Avoid using nitrogen-rich fertilizers which are known to cause root abnormalities as well as excessive greens and weak root development," says Garlitz.
Common Pests and Diseases That Affect Carrots
When growing carrots, you may see pests or diseases crop up. "One of the most common pests that attack carrot plants is the carrot root fly," says Gala. "The larvae can burrow under the soil and eat or damage the root vegetable itself." She recommends covering your carrots with hoops and insect netting when you plant the seeds so the insects can't get in.
Some fungal diseases can afflict carrots. Alternaria leaf blight afflicts the foliage by producing brown spots that become black and yellow. Powdery mildew also affects the carrot tops with a white powder that spreads by spores. Providing ample air circulation can prevent this pathogen from spreading. "The best path to prevention is a healthy crop overall, and particularly healthy tops in these cases, which result from good pH, fertility, steady water, and full sunlight," says Lenczyk.
How to Harvest and Store Carrots
Carrots typically take around 70 to 80 days from planting seeds to harvest. The best way to know the harvest time for the specific carrot variety is by checking the seek packet. "Refer to the seed packet or seed supplier website for the 'days to maturity,' which gives a general idea of when your carrots should be ready," says Garlitz.
There are also visual cues to pay attention to when harvest time is approaching. Check the carrot leaves for clues. "The tops of the carrots’ foliage should be vibrant in color," he says. The golden sign that harvest time has arrived is when carrots begin emerging from the soil. "If you see the tops of the actual carrots starting to peek above the soil, it is time to harvest."
Another option is to do a taste test. "If still unsure, pull up one of the carrots in your garden and give it a taste test," he says. "The taste should be sweet and crisp."
Once you've successfully harvested your carrot bounty, make sure they are completely dry before storing them. Keep them in the fridge at cold temperatures, says Garlitz.
Related: 24 Vegetables to Plant in Your Fall Garden That Will Survive—and Flourish—in the Cold
Common Issues When Growing Carrots
There are some common issues people experience when growing carrots.
Short Carrots
Short and stunted carrots? The soil is likely the culprit. "Growing carrots in heavy, clay soil can make them stunted or twisted in shape as the root has to push against the hard soil," says Gala. "To avoid this problem, amend your soil by adding sand and compost to lighten the texture [and] allow roots to grow easily."
Bitter Carrots
Are your carrots tasting bitter? When you grow them may be why they don't taste great. "Carrots thrive best in the cooler seasons of spring and fall and can even withstand a light frost," says Gala. Carrots grown in cooler and cold weather are sweeter. "Cold temperatures force the carrots to convert their starches into sugars," she says.
Woody, Tough Carrots
Carrots that are woody and tough are usually caused when they are harvested late and stay in the ground for too long. Plants often bolt, which is when they produce flowers and grow tall, says Gala. "To avoid this, make sure that you harvest them on time, ideally 65 to 75 days after sowing when their shoulders start peeking out from the soil," says Gala.
Carrot Varieties
There are many carrot varieties to choose from when growing these slender root vegetables at home. Below, our experts explain some of their favorite homegrown varieties to try.
Adelaide: "A true baby carrot that puts out sweet 2- to 3-inch long roots in a little over 50 days," says Chelsey Lenczyk, home and farm market manager for Bejo Seeds Inc. She says these are excellent for containers, window boxes, and shallow soils.
Cosmic Purple Carrots: "Most gorgeous carrot variety with a beautiful gradient purple-pink skin on the outside and traditional orange on the inside [and] sweet tasting as well," says Gala.
Istanbul: This variety is known for being skinny and long, over 10 inches with strong tops, says Lenczyk. "The real winning attribute is that these roots have the power to make length in heavy soils and produce roots even with some competition if thinning just isn't your thing," she says.
Little Fingers: This variety grows quickly, reaching 3 to 4 inches. "Great when planting a garden with kids," says Gala.
Napoli: "A full-sized 7 to 8 inches, Nantes carrots—prized for flavor, root power, and top health—are the perfect variety for late summer and fall harvest," says Lenczyk. Gala adds that these are great to grow for overwintering.
Rainbow Carrots: "Rainbow carrots will yield a stunning variety of orange, red, white, and yellow carrots," says Gala. "Impress your guests when you serve an array of colorful carrots on a charcuterie board at your next party."
Red Cored Chantenay: This variety is short and thick with an almost triangular-looking shape with a remarkable sweetness, says Gala. "They grow easily even in heavy, clay soil, which isn’t ideal for most carrots," she says.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart.
