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EmailBotanical name: Daucus carota
Plant type: Vegetable
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Sun exposure: Full Sun
Soil type: Sandy
Soil pH: Neutral

Carrots are a popular root vegetable that are easy to grow in sandy soil. They are resistant to most pests and diseases, and are a good late season crop that can tolerate frost. Not all carrots are orange; varieties vary in color from purple to white.
Planting
- Plan to plant seeds outdoors 3 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost date.
- Make sure your soil is free of stones; carrots need deeply tilled soil that they can push through.
- Have you ever seen a carrot that has grown “legs” or forked? Fresh manure, or even recently applied rotted manure, can cause carrots to fork and send out little side roots. Don’t use it before you plant your seeds.
- Plant seeds 3-4 inches apart in rows. Rows should be at least a foot apart.
Care
- Gently mulch to retain moisture, speed germination and block the sun from the roots.
- Soil should be well drained and loose to prevent forking and stunting of the root growth.
- Once plants are an inch tall, thin so they stand 3 inches apart. Snip them with scissors instead of pulling them out to prevent damage to the roots of remaining plants.
- Water at least one inch per week.
- Weed diligently.
- Fertilize 5-6 weeks after sowing.
- Carrots taste much better after a couple of frosts. Following the first hard frost in the fall, cover carrot rows with an 18-inch layer of shredded leaves to preserve them for harvesting later.
Pests
- Wireworms
- Flea Beetles
- Aster Yellow Disease will cause shortened and discolored carrot tops and hairy roots. This disease is spread by pests as they feed from plant to plant. Keep weeds down and invest in a control plan for pests such as leafhoppers. This disease has the ability to overwinter.
Harvest/Storage
- Carrots are mature at around 2 ½ months and ½ inch in diameter. You may harvest whenever desired maturity is reached.
- You may leave mature carrots in the soil for storage if the ground will not freeze.
- To store freshly harvested carrots, twist off the tops, scrub off the dirt under cold running water, let dry and seal in airtight plastic bags, and refrigerate. If you simply put fresh carrots in the refrigerator, they'll go limp in a few hours.
- Carrots can be stored in tubs of moist sand for winter use.
Recommended Varieties
- ‘Bolero’: resists most leaf pests.
- ‘Nantesa Superior’: sweet flavor, adapts to any soil.
- ‘Thumberline’: round carrot, good for clumpy or clay soil.
Recipes
Wit & Wisdom
Carrots are biennial plants. If you leave them in the ground, the tops will flower and produce seeds the second year.
Comments
Can you plant carrots mid
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By Randall Merth on June 9
Can you plant carrots mid season, middle of june?
Yes, you can plant carrots in
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By Almanac Staff on June 10
Yes, you can plant carrots in mid-June. The days to maturity (which are listed on the seed packets) depend on the variety--usually 50 to 90 days.
First time carrot grower. How
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By Nathan Rollins on May 26
First time carrot grower. How do you tell when they are ready to harvest?
Carrots can be harvested when
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By Almanac Staff on June 10
Carrots can be harvested when the roots are at least 1/2 inch in diameter. Gently dig out a carrot to remove the roots without damage. The days to duration depends on your carrot variety. It can range from 50 to 90 days.
carrots
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By Anonymous
Can you grow carrots by cutting the tops and planting them?
Yes, you can plant the tops
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By Almanac Staff
Yes, you can plant the tops of carrots. The won't grow a new carrot, but they will flower and produce seeds.
Carrots & Parsnips
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By Anonymous
I had read in a gardening book that parsnips are of the carrot family, however, it advised against companion planting the two together. I'm confused as to why. Any ideas?
I believe that it's best to
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By Almanac Staff
I believe that it's best to plant parsnips away from carrots because they need a lot of watering and you do not want to play them near any crop that needs drier soil (carrots enjoy sandy soil).
carrots & Parsnips
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By Anonymous
Thanks so much; that makes more sense now. (I'm a raised bed and container gardner and didn't have alot of space to spare!)
organic mulch
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By Anonymous
Can straw be used as a mulch for carrots and if yes is it only loosely applied to the soil?
I use straw and they do just
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By Anonymous
I use straw and they do just fine with it.
Rotted Manure
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By Anonymous
You mentioned that manure should not be incorporated into the soil at the time of planting, but can rotted manure be added to the soil as a fertilizer 5-6 weeks after sowing?
I like the post
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By Anonymous
As a professional farmer who will be trying carrots for the 1st time, I thought your info was helping and I am going to in cooperate much of what you said into what I do.
Carrots in Fridge
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By Anonymous
If you want to keep some carrots in the fridge to snack on, wash them, cut them, and then put them in cold water in a container in the fridge. They will last for days and won't dry up in the water.
Carrots in Fridge
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By Anonymous
We harvest the carrots in the fall before first freeze, although I may wait until later this year. We cut off tops, clean, and while still wet, store in plastic ziplock bags and they will last 3 - 5 months, still crisp.
I THINK THIS WILL BE FUN
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By kceskka
I'm gonna grow carrots in my garden on a piece of land we are moving to, so I'll tell y'all how it works out!
How did it go?
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By Anonymous
Carrotwise
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