Growing Carrots

Timing and Temperature Requirements

Growing carrots is easy once they germinate. Carrots are a cool season crop of the same family as parsley but will tolerate some heat depending on the variety. The ideal temperature for root development is when the soil is between 60°F to 70°F. They come in various colors; from orange to purple, yellow, red and white.

Types of Carrots

There are six types of carrots and all the varieties fall under these types. Some get to be 10 inches long while others are only 1 ½ inches long.

• The Chantenay are short varieties up to 5”. They are blocky and adaptable to heavier soils like clay.
• There are the Davers, which get to be 6-7” long. They tolerate some heat.
• The Imperators are a little longer at 7-10”. They have semi-blunt ends, a stronger flavor and need loose soil.
• The Nantes get to be around 7”. They have mild flavored cylindrical roots. It does well in storage..  Some varieties of Nantes do well in clay soils.
• The Paris Markets and the Amsterdams are a short rounded variety that grows to 2′-5” They will prove to be the best for poorer soils, as they don’t grow very deep.

What type to grow depends on the soil type and how loose, stone-free and clay-free your soil is.  Plant short-season varieties in spring, and you will be able to enjoy them in the summer.  The long-season varieties get harvested in the fall and they store better.

How to Grow Carrots

It’s definitely a direct seeded vegetable. The plant sends out a tap root into the soil, like a “probe”, to test the soil conditions. How the root will develop depends on the soil structure.

Sow seeds in the spring ½ inch deep and one inch apart, eighteen to twenty four inches between rows, three weeks before the last spring frost.

The biggest problem with growing carrots is they are very slow to germinate. See my video Carrots not germinating? for more clarification. The germination tends to stagger, and they come up slowly. Once you get full germination, thin plants 2-4” apart. You also need to thin them out before they reach two inches tall, otherwise you may not get any root development.

Carrots require full sun, though they do tolerate slight shade, and good loose organic soil with good drainage that goes deep to 12″. There are some varieties, like the Nantes, that will grow in more dense soil with a lot of clay and perform quite well. Raised beds work great, as the soil should be looser and less compact.  Still, any obstruction will cause a slight bend. The pH should be around 6.5 but they will tolerate more acid and alkaline conditions.

Depending on the variety, you need about 55 – 90 days to harvest. It will tolerate a slight frost, though the roots in the ground will tolerate colder weather.

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Companion Planting

A good tip is to plant radishes in the same row as the carrots. The radishes are fast germinators and help break the soil for the carrots. Then thin the radishes so they don’t interfere with the carrots. By the time the carrots finally start to come up, you can harvest the radishes. To read about growing radishes Growing radishes

Replant every three weeks or so all the way into midsummer, and then again eight to ten weeks before fall frost for a late fall crop.

Insect and Diseases

The best thing to do is to have a three-year rotation system to avoid any problems with diseases.  Don’t plant right after you remove grass or sod, as you may get wireworms.

Carrot weevil: keep garden clean in fall.  Carrot rust fly: use fabric cover or harvest before they develop a second brood.