Learn to grow carrots with the complete guide to growing carrots at home!

Carrots are a cool season root crop and will grow best in the spring & fall in most-regions. In areas with mild winters they can be over-wintered as well.
Begin planting carrots as soon as soil can be worked in the spring, or 3-5 weeks before your last spring frost date. For a fall harvest plant carrots approximately 10 weeks before your first fall frost date.

Carrots prefer loose, sandy-loamy soil and will often have misshapen or stunted roots when grown in heavy soil. Carrots will tolerate light shade, but for best yields, plant in full sun.

Sow seed ¼” deep and 1” apart, in rows 6-8” apart. Carrot seed is very small and can be challenging to space evenly. You may find it easiest to sprinkle seed evenly over the planting area and cover very lightly with fine soil, earthworm castings or sieved compost. Moisten thoroughly and keep evenly moist as seed will not germinate in dry soil.

Carrot seed will germinate in approx. 6 days at soil temps of 75F. Seed can germinate in soil as low as 45F but can take 2-3 weeks to do so.
When carrot tops are 2-4” tall, Thin to no less than 2” apart, either by snipping off the greens at the soil line or very gently pulling up the entire root.

Keep carrots consistently moist, providing them with 1-2” of water per week. Mulching the soil around your carrots can help keep the soil moist & cool.
Once carrot tops are 4-6” tall, side dress carrots with an all-natural fertilizer. Look for a formulation which is lower in nitrogen, and slightly higher in potassium & phosphorous. (1-2-2, 3-4-4 or 3-4-3 formulations work well). High nitrogen can encourage foliar growth and lead to hairy, cracked roots. Carrots can be fed again when tops are approx. 8” high if soil is particularly nutrient depleted, or if tops are looking pale & weak.

Carrots will be ready for harvest 65- 90 days after planting, depending on the variety (overwintered carrots can take 2x as long).
Harvest when desired size is reached, in general carrots should be at least ½” across at the top (AKA the shoulder), and you’ll start to see the shoulder ‘peak’ above the soil when carrots begin to size up. If you are unsure you can gently loosen the soil around the roots to check the size of the carrots and/or pull up one or 2. If they have sized up you can harvest the remainder of the crop if still too small, wait another week or so & check again
In very loose soil you can gently pull carrots up by their tops, in heavier soil, loosen roots first with a garden fork and pull out of the soil.

Store by clipping off green tops. Then brush off excess dirt (but do not clean) and store in plastic storage baggies in the fridge. For long term storage, layer in damp sand or sawdust in a box or plastic pail in a cool root cellar (45F). Fall grown carrots can also be left in the ground till ready to be eaten, as long as the ground does not freeze. Mulch heavily with straw to keep ground from freezing.


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00:00 Intro
00:02 When to Plant Carrots
00:28 Soil & Light Requirements
00:41 Sowing & Spacing
01:09 Days to Germination
01:23 Thinning
01:41 Water Requirements
01:55 Fertilization
02:24 Harvesting
03:29 Storing Carrots










#growcarrots
#zone6gardening
#ohiogardening

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