How to Grow Your Best Carrots - From Seed to Harvest
Learning how to grow carrots can be a challenge for any gardener. Growing this classic root vegetable may seem simple, but without careful cultivation, it will end up with a small harvest to show for your efforts.
I had my own carrot challenges. When I was staying in West Virginia, the dense clay garden soil prevented the roots of the plants from penetrating as deep as necessary. I was only able to grow squash, lean carrots, though they are still packed with flavor.
When I moved to Michigan my growing conditions turned upside down. During this time, sandy soils led to drainage problems, which made garden irrigation a challenge for the master. At the beginning of the season, I loosened up watering my growing carrot crop during the summer. That one misstep was enough to shrink the final harvest into hard, tasteless roots.
By growing at both ends of the spectrum, I finally learned what really works for the home carrot crop.
Here's what you need to know to bring beautiful carrots for the first time, despite my failures.
Popular carrot varieties to grow
My first tip for growing carrots is to choose the type that best suits your garden conditions. Unlike what is displayed in the grocery store, carrots come in a variety of shapes and colors.
Here are some popular types to consider with different characteristics.
Bolero: Sweet and crunchy, Polero carrots are bright orange and grow to 7 to 8 inches. Market gardeners like them because they hold up well and are resistant to most pests and blight.
Danvers: This classic deity is considered medium-sized and produces rich flavor and dark orange flesh. It tolerates soil worse than other carrot varieties and does well in heavier clay.
Moon White: This potent maker offers a light flavor and bright white flesh.
Little Finger: Four inches long, this little heirloom is ideal for container gardening.
Oxford: Although each stubby carrot can weigh up to a pound, this type is sweet, light, and ideal for winter storage.
Nantes: These little carrots are known for their sharp edges and crunchy, sugar-sweet taste. They mature quickly and are well adapted to short growing seasons.
Paris Market Carrot: Sorry for confusing this carrot variety for a radish. Shallow and squat at height, highly tolerant of rocky, shallow soils.
Sun-yellow: This pale yellow heirloom reaches about eight inches and has a light, sweet taste.
Seed tape, granules, or regular carrot seeds?
Carrot seeds are small and tricky to plant. If you do not want to easily put every seed in your garden bed (you have to make half of them thinner later), it is worth planting seeds with seed tape or particle instead.
Seed tape The pre-spaced seeds are embedded on top like a piece of biodegradable paper. Cover it with soil and plant your carrot crop.
When to plant carrots
In most growing areas, carrots can be planted in the spring and late summer for two separate harvests.
A common carrot mistake is to sow the seeds too soon. They germinate very slowly and do not germinate if the soil temperature is too low. Wait at least three to five weeks for the last frost date, and notice that the soil is pre-heated with large dark darts that concentrate the sun's heat.
Most carrot varieties take two to four months to mature. Longer harvest times can be ensured by planting once every two weeks until early summer.
Plan to plant your autumn crop ten weeks before the first frost date in the fall.
How to prepare garden soil for carrots
Like all root vegetables, carrots thrive in sandy loam soil, with good drainage and at least eight hours of direct sunlight daily.
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