How to Grow Carrots

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Here are some tips for growing carrots from seed.

Are you growing carrots this fall?  You can direct sow carrots for fall harvest, or let them overwinter for a spring harvest. They taste sweeter after a frost and will survive freezing temperatures once established in most cases.  They're also super fun to harvest with kids! 

Carrots are root crops, and do not transplant well, so do not waste money purchasing starts from stores. Grow directly from seed.

Tips for Growing Carrots from Seed

Carrots grow best in very loose soil. We grow carrots in 12 inch deep barrel planters filled with potting mix, amended with extra perlite and bone meal. Make sure you thin your carrots to about 2 inches apart. Not thinning them will result in tiny carrots or misshaped carrots.

You can see the whole seed sowing process in the video, above.

When direct sowing, sprinkle the seeds on the surface of the soil, lightly cover with 1/4 inch of soil, press the soil into the seeds, and water lightly. Keep the seeds moist until the seeds germinate, which could take 7-21 days. For a continuous harvest, direct sow carrot seeds every two weeks.

There are all colors of carrots, so try some fun ones! We grow several different varieties, but our absolute favorite is cosmic purple, and our least favorite was black nebula (although the black nebula made beautiful flowers when it went to seed, so they would be great for cut flowers if that’s your jam!).