How to grow Carrots
Daucus carota
Sweet roots — a fall frost makes them sweeter.
Carrots love loose soil and a long, cool fall — a light frost actually turns them sweeter. The trick anywhere is keeping the seedbed moist while the slow seeds sprout.
Grow Carrots with step-by-step help for your exact yard.
Start free in Seededly →Carrots at a glance
| Sun | Full sun |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 6.0–6.8 |
| Spacing | 2–3 in |
| Harvest | 70–80 days |
| Plant | Apr & Jul |
| Soil | Loose, stone-free |
How to grow Carrots, step by step
Prep loose soil
- Work the bed deep and remove stones — rocks make forked carrots.
- Heavy clay? Grow short, stubby types or use a raised bed.
Sow & keep moist
- Sow seed shallowly; they’re slow to germinate (2–3 weeks).
- Keep the surface damp the whole time — a board or light cover helps.
- Thin seedlings to 2–3 in so roots can size up.
Harvest
- Pull when shoulders are an inch wide.
- A fall crop sweetened by frost stores right in the ground under straw.
Carrots problems & fixes
Carrots — Forked or stubby roots: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Stones or fresh manure in the soil. Grow in deep, loose, stone-free beds.
Carrots — Seeds never came up: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
The bed dried out during their slow sprout. Keep it constantly moist and re-sow.
Carrots — Rusty tunnels in the roots: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Carrot rust fly. Cover the bed with insect netting and avoid thinning at dusk.
Recommended carrots varieties
- Danvers — Best for heavy soil. Tough and adaptable — handles less-than-perfect soil and stores well.
- Nantes — Sweetest. Cylindrical, tender and sweet — the snacking carrot.
- Napoli — Fast / fall. Quick and very sweet, especially as a fall crop.
Carrots month-by-month
| January | Plan the bed. |
|---|---|
| February | Order seed. |
| March | Prep loose, stone-free soil. |
| April | Sow first crop; keep moist. |
| May | Thin seedlings. |
| June | Roots sizing up. |
| July | Sow a fall crop now. |
| August | Pull spring carrots. |
| September | Fall crop growing. |
| October | Harvest — frost sweetens them. |
| November | Mulch and harvest as needed. |
| December | Off-season. |