How to Plant and Grow Carrots in the Garden

Daucus carota sativus

You’ve probably never tasted a really excellent carrot, unless you’ve grown one yourself.

Homegrown carrots are crisper, fresher, and come in a much wider variety of flavors, colors, and shapes than what you can buy in the average supermarket.

A close up of different colored carrots all arranged in a row, on a wooden surface. To the center and bottom of the frame is white and green text.

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You too can get those unique flavors, colors, and shapes to take root in your own garden. Here’s what’s to come in this article:

Ready to learn how to grow carrots? All right, let’s go!

Cultivation and History

Close your eyes for just a moment and think of a carrot. What do you see?

I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that you thought of something orange in color. So it may surprise you to know that the wild ancestor of our domestic carrot, D. carota, has a white root.

The orange color we associate with this vegetable is a fairly recent development in the history of the domestic carrot.

A close up of white carrots, harvested and cleaned, with green tops still attached.

Researchers seem to be unsure just how far back domestication of this root vegetable took place. In an issue of Chronica HORTICULTURAE from 2011, John Stolarczyk and Jules Janick point to evidence that domestic carrots have been around since at least the second century CE.

There is a consensus among experts, however, that a thousand years ago people were eating yellow and purple carrots in Central Asia, the place where they are thought to have been originally cultivated – or perhaps as far back as 5000 years ago.

Freshly dug yellow and purple carrots with soil and foliage still attached are on a wooden fence post. In the background is a wicker basket with soil and vegetation in soft focus.

It wasn’t until much later that orange varieties came onto the scene. In “Origin and Distribution of the Western Cultivated Carrot,” author Otto Banga cites the first historical evidence – from written accounts and paintings – of the orange carrot in the 1600’s.

According to Banga, orange pigmentation in carrots came about through mutation and selection of a strain of yellow carrots.

A close up of one long thin carrot on a dark background, with foliage arranged to the left of the frame. The bright orange contrasts with the background and the rich green of the leaves.

Knowing just a bit about the history of carrots should give us a greater appreciation for both the bright orange ones we are all familiar with, and varieties in other beautiful colors.

These days we have heirlooms and hybrids available for growing in the home garden in black, purple, red, yellow, and white as well.

How to Sow Carrots

Whether you want to grow carrots that are orange, black, or something else on the color spectrum, you’ll need to know how to start them from seed. Carrots do not transplant well – the roots are sensitive to disturbance, so seed sowing is a must.

A close up of carrot seeds spilling out of a packet onto a piece of brown paper on a wooden surface.

Choose your seeds and select a garden spot with full sun, one where you can create a carrot paradise. This paradise will consist of loose, sandy loam soil that is well-draining.

It should be free from rocks, roots, and clods of dirt to about 12 inches deep. Pull up any weeds if you see them as well.

Plan to sow your carrot seeds as soon as your soil can be worked. For a spring garden this is usually two to four weeks before your last frost date. You can also sow them 10 to 12 weeks before your first frost date for a fall harvest.

A close up of garden soil with a row of carrot seedlings just starting to sprout. Tiny green shoots showing through the dark rich soil in light sunshine.

If you are planting in rows, space them 10 inches apart. Pat the soil gently without compressing it, then lay out your seeds. Plant two to six seeds per inch. Cover with a quarter to half an inch of soil, then pat the soil again gently.

Carrots also grow well in containers, and potted carrots can even be grown indoors – in fact, they are one of the easiest veggies to grow inside, and their leafy green foliage makes them an attractive plant for the home. Just make sure your carrots are on a sunny windowsill and keep them watered.

Water lightly, since carrot seeds are small and light, and prone to being washed away. Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged – you may need to water every day until germination.

A close up of rows of carrot seedlings just sprouting through the dark, rich earthy soil, in the rain. The green of the foliage contrasts with the dark earth and the background is soft focus.

Carrot seeds can take up to 21 days or longer to germinate, so this is a good time to exercise your patience and complete some other gardening tasks.

How to Grow Carrots

To grow them successfully, carrots will require a little more care and attention than some of the more laid back members of your veggie garden.

A vertical picture of a close up of a carrot plant with the top of the root just poking through the soil. The orange root contrasts with the green foliage and the dark soil. The background is soft focus.

But providing this attention will be well worth the extra work – your reward will be a delicious crop of vegetables to roast, juice, or transform into carrot cake.

Soil

Work well-matured compost or vermicompost into your soil to prepare it for planting. Make sure there are no large clods in your compost, as this will cause misshapen roots. If you add manure, make sure it is aged – high nitrogen levels are detrimental to root development.

A close up of a row of carrots, pictured in bright sunshine, in the soil, with green wispy foliage. The soil is light brown and moist, the background is soft focus.

This root vegetable requires phosphorus for healthy growth. If a soil test reveals that your soil is lacking in phosphorus, work some bone meal into your soil when you prepare it for planting.

Thinning

When seedlings are three to four inches tall, thin to one inch apart, pinching off the tops of the sacrificial carrots rather than pulling them out, since this can disturb the roots of surrounding plants.

A month later, thin again so that plants are two inches apart. This time, pull up the baby carrots you are removing and keep them to cook with.

A selection of odd shaped carrots, laid out on the grass with the foliage still attached.

Thinning plants is necessary to keep them straight – crowded carrots will have twisted roots.

Mulching

After your seeds have transformed into proper seedlings, mulch lightly around them. Once the roots begin to grow, cover any crowns that bulge above the soil level with mulch or soil to keep them from turning green and bitter.

Mulching will also help to prevent weeds from taking up room and resources in your beds.

Weeding

Keep the area weed free, but weed carefully so as not to disturb the carrots’ roots. To avoid accidentally pulling up your seedlings, cut the tops off neighboring weeds instead of pulling them up.

A close up of rows of carrot tops sprouting out of the dark earthy soil.

Once the plants are established, make sure to stay on top of the weeds or they will pull valuable nutrients away from your crop.

Growing Tips

  • Interplant with radish seeds as nurse plants. Radishes grow faster than carrots, and their roots loosen the soil and prevent weeds.
  • Cover your newly seeded area with burlap to keep the soil moist. Check daily, and remove when seeds germinate.
  • Grow in raised beds or containers if your soil is too heavy.
  • Succession plant every four to six weeks for a continuous harvest.
  • Homegrown carrots are known to split and crack; we have a guide to help you to prevent this from happening.

Carrot Cultivars to Select

When choosing cultivars, you can select the best varieties for your needs if you take a few things into account: soil depth, early or late maturing varieties, and – perhaps best of all – color.

Soil Depth

There are two main groups of carrots in terms of soil depth needs: the long and thin ones, and the short blocky ones.

A close up of purple carrots, with their green foliage still attached, freshly harvested and cleaned. The tapering roots go from a deep purple at the top to a light color at the tip. The background is a wooden surface.

The long, thin ones – Nantes and Imperator varieties – need a foot of loose soil to grow in, while the short blocky ones – Danvers and Chantenay varieties – will do well in more shallow soil.

Chantenay Red Core

This sweet and tender orange variety with a red core will prove to be a good selection if your soil is heavy and contains a lot of clay.

A close up of small, short 'Chantenay Red Core' cultivar, with tops still attached in a wicker basket. To the bottom right of the frame is a circular logo and white text.

‘Chantenay Red Core’

‘Chantenay Red Core’ roots only grow up to six inches long. This cultivar matures in 68 days, and seeds can be found at True Leaf Market.

Early vs. Late

When choosing your carrot seeds, you’ll also want to consider how many days are required to bring your crop to maturity.

If you have a long growing season, you can go with one of the later maturing types, while those of us with shorter seasons may want to rely on early maturing types.

Little Finger

‘Little Finger’ is a Nantes type that looks like – you guessed it – a little finger.

A close up of 'Little Fingers' cultivar recently harvested, with tops still attached and soil on the roots. These carrots are short and stubby. The background is dark soil.

‘Little Finger’

This orange, fast-maturing variety grows up to four inches long and will be ready to harvest in 55 days. Seeds are available in various packet sizes from True Leaf Market.

Nearly Every Color of the Rainbow

Once you narrow down your soil depth needs and preferences for early versus late varieties, then you can get to the fun part – choosing your colors.

Carrots can be found in various shades of orange – of course – but also yellows, reds, purples, whites, and even black!

Rainbow Blend

If you can’t decide which colors of carrots you like the best, a seed blend is a good way to experiment.

This rainbow blend includes five colorful varieties to provide you with a full palette.

You’ll pull a bright bunch of seven-inch carrots from the ground in 65 to 75 days. Varieties included are ‘Atomic Red,’ ‘Bambino Orange,’ ‘Cosmic Purple,’ ‘Lunar White,’ and ‘Solar Yellow.’

A selection of different colored carrots in a row. Around them are various others cut into rounds, with some foliage.

Rainbow Blend

Packets of 19,000 seeds per ounce are available from True Leaf Market – you’ll have plenty to go around!

If you want even more choice in your selection, read our article on 13 of the best carrot varieties to grow at home.

Managing Pests and Disease

Carrots are such a simple, wholesome vegetable. But growing them can be a bit complex since they are a target for many pests and diseases.

You can handle these problems with a holistic strategy, as outlined in our guide to Integrated Pest Management.

Herbivores

If you see signs of damage to your carrots, do a little investigating before you jump to place the blame.

Do you see any droppings nearby? How about any tracks? Deer and rabbits might both appreciate a munch on your carrot tops, while mice and moles might nibble on the crowns.

A close up of a rabbit to the left of the frame, investigating a vegetable garden. To the right of the frame is green carrot foliage, which the rabbit is sniffing. The background is soil and vegetation in soft focus, in light sunshine.

Interplanting your crops will make select vegetables less obvious to deer. Deer fencing will also keep them out. Fencing with a tight grid will help keep smaller nibblers like rabbits out of the veggie patch.

Insects

The main risk to your roots comes from underground. Various larval pests such as carrot rust fly, carrot weevil, and wireworms can burrow into the carrot root, causing extreme damage to your crop.

A close up of harvested carrots with black rot damage to the roots. The orange vegetable has gone dark and has lesions. The background is soil and green foliage.
Carrots damaged by carrot root fly maggot.

Above the ground, some insects will chew the leaves. These include flea beetles and aster leafhopper.

Most of these won’t cause widespread damage – unless you live in an area where grasshoppers are prevalent, in which case they will chew your greens down to the nub.

There are many different insect pests that can target these plants, but these will vary depending on your region. You can find a comprehensive list in our “How to Identify and Control Carrot Pests” guide.

To prevent insect problems, there are various steps you can take:

  • Interplant carrots with aromatic herbs such as rosemary, sage, or wormwood, or surround them with leeks or onions. The odor of these plants can confuse insects that rely on smell to find their favorite foods.
A close up of tiny carrot seedlings pushing through the soil. Small leafy foliage against a white background with soft focus soil in front.
  • Use floating row covers.
  • If carrot rust flies are a problem for you, avoid leaving your carrots in the ground over winter. Beneficial nematodes are the main recourse for dealing with this type of pest. Learn more about controlling carrot rust flies here.
  • And always, always, rotate your crops. Rotating crops – or not planting the same crop in the same location year after year – keeps the soil healthy, by not constantly depleting the same nutrients. It also prevents pests that feed on a particular crop from taking hold. For example, planting nitrogen fixers such as legumes replenishes levels of this nutrient and improves soil quality for future plantings.

Disease

Carrots can also be affected by many different diseases, but don’t let this dissuade you. If you follow good practices, such as interplanting, planting resistant cultivars, and rotating your crops, you may never have to worry about these.

Diseases can be caused by bacteria or fungi. If you see dark gray spots with yellow halos appearing on older leaves, this can be due to Alternaria leaf blight. Bacterial leaf blight presents small yellow spots that rapidly get bigger, distorting the leaves. Both of these are seed borne diseases which spread in water.

Carrot black rot can look similar to Alternaria leaf blight, but it can kill seedlings and decay the root. Crater rot presents as brown lesions on the root, though the first you’ll probably notice is decay on the crown.

Prevention is definitely better than cure for all these diseases. Keeping the crops moist but not waterlogged, with good airflow between them, and weeding regularly should keep your vegetables healthy and disease free.

Just as they protect your crops from insects, floating row covers will also offer protection from the diseases that certain insects commonly spread.

Harvesting Carrots

To get a general idea of when your carrots will be ready for harvest, refer to the days to maturity info on your seed packet. Rather than relying solely on this average timeframe, also inspect your plants. Most cultivars are mature and ready to harvest when the crowns grow to be at least half an inch in diameter.

If the roots aren’t bulging from the ground, brush back some of the dirt around the crowns to see how big they are. If they need more time, cover them back up and check again in a couple of weeks.

For spring plantings, harvest your crop before the summer heat sets in to avoid bolting – bolting greens produce fibrous, inedible roots. For fall gardens, harvest after a few light frosts, which will sweeten the roots.

If you are growing heirloom varieties, you might want to consider leaving a few in the ground and allowing seed development for a seed harvest.

A hand and a spade from the right of the frame, the hand holding a bunch of freshly dug carrots pulling them out of the earth. A shoe and blue trouser bottom in the background, with soil and grassy vegetation all around.

When you’re ready to harvest, first loosen the soil with a shovel, garden fork, or broadfork, being careful not to damage the roots, so that you can pull them up without breaking them.

Wipe off excess soil and cut off greens to prepare for storage.

Two hands from the left of the frame, with white gloves holding a bunch of carrots by their green tops. The freshly dug vegetables still have soil attached. Light sunshine bathes the harvest and the background of soft focus vegetable garden.

For long term storage, either leave fall crops in the ground and mulch heavily, or place them in a bucket of moist sand in a cool cellar. For short term storage, clean the roots thoroughly and place them in a perforated bag in the fridge.

A close up of a plastic basket full of freshly harvested carrots, with green tops removed but soil still on the roots, in light sunshine.

Some varieties are bred for long storage, so if you are planning for a bumper crop that you won’t use all at once, make sure you choose one of these.

Find out more about harvesting carrots here.

Preserving

Now that you are a carrot gardening master, it won’t be long until you’re ready to turn your homegrown carrots into culinary delicacies.

Carrots can be canned, pickled, or preserved by fermentation, frozen, dried, or even cooked down into jam.

Freezing is easy. Just cut off the green tops, then cut them into the size you require. Briefly blanch in boiling water before plunging into ice water.

Dry thoroughly on a paper towel then pop them in the freezer. When you want to use them, there’s no need to defrost, just cook straight from the freezer.

It’s possible to freeze carrots without blanching them first, but be sure to clean them thoroughly beforehand to remove any bacteria, and use within three months.

To dehydrate, cut them into small chunks or slices, blanch briefly (one minute, depending on the size) then put them in a dehydrator or oven at 125°F until dry and crispy. Store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to use them.

From the left of the frame, a small plate containing grated carrot, a peeled onion, and two cloves of garlic, next to a sealed jar containing grated cabbage to be made into sauerkraut. To the right of the frame is a bowl with grated vegetables and a fork sticking out of it. The background is dark wood.

Add them to sauerkraut, kimchi, or if you’re in a hurry make a quick pickle with apple cider vinegar.

Cut into thin slices, and place in a heatproof jar. Heat up a cup of apple cider vinegar, about a tablespoon each of mustard seeds and salt, and a quarter cup of sugar in a pan, stirring frequently.

Bring it to the boil and pour into the jar over the carrot slices. Cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate. They’ll last for two to three weeks in the fridge. Learn more about fermented foods on our sister site, Foodal.

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

I love goat cheese with just about any fall vegetable. If you do too, why not head over to Foodal and try the recipe for herb-roasted carrot tartines with pesto and goat cheese? It’s delicious!

A top down close up picture of a carrot and pesto tartine. A dark slate background, with a piece of bread topped with cheese, green herb pesto, and roasted thinly sliced carrots on top. Parsley leaves scattered around.
Photo by Nikki Cervone

One of my favorite ways to showcase the flavor of homegrown vegetables is with a simple soup. This carrot soup recipe on Foodal will certainly warm you up when it’s chilly outside.

A white bowl with creamy carrot soup, topped with a swirl of cream and herbs on a wooden surface with a blue patterned cloth beside it and a spoon.
Photo by Raquel Smith

And don’t forget dessert. How about some paleo cupcakes with coconut whipped cream? They’re also gluten-free.

A top down view of paleo carrot cupcakes with white frosting, a walnut on top and thinly sliced carrots arranged in a swirl.
Photo by Nikki Cervone

You can find the recipe on Foodal.

Quick Reference Growing Guide

Plant Type:BiennialWater Needs:1 inch per week
Native to:EurasiaMaintenance:Medium
Hardiness (USDA Zone):3-10Soil Type:Sand or loam
Season:Spring, fallSoil pH:5.8-7.0
Exposure:Full sunSoil Drainage:Loose and well-draining
Time to Maturity:50-120 daysCompanion Planting:Caraway, calendula, chamomile, chives, flax, leeks, lettuce, love-in-a-mist, marigold, onions, peas, peppers, radishes, rosemary, sage, wormwood
Spacing:2 inchesAvoid Planting With:Anise, dill, parsley, parsnips, potatoes
Planting Depth:1/4-1/2 inchesOrder:Apiales
Height:12-24 inchesFamily:Apiaceae
Spread:6-8 inchesGenus:Daucus
Tolerance:Cold, light frostSpecies:carota sativus
Common Pests:Aster leafhoppers, carrot rust flies, carrot weevils, flea beetles, grasshoppers, root knot nematodes, wirewormsCommon Disease:Alternaria leaf blight, aster yellows disease, bacterial soft rot, cercospora leaf blight, carrot cotton root rot, downy mildew, powdery mildew, southern blight

Black Is the New Orange?

Good work, gardener. You are ready to create magic under the soil!

Now all you have to do is make the hard choice of selecting a few varieties of carrot seeds to include in your next veggie garden.

A close up of freshly harvested, cleaned heirloom carrots in a variety of colors. Orange, deep purple, and milky white on a green leaf in the background. The bright green stems contrast with the vibrant colors.

Are you going to be tempted by a black variety or will you stick to the traditional orange? Will you try long and straight or short and blocky? Let us know in the comments. And once your carrots are harvested, show us your pics!

If you found this growing guide helpful, why not root around and find even more helpful gardening tips here for growing your own root vegetables:

Photo of author
Kristina Hicks-Hamblin lives on a dryland permaculture homestead in the high desert of Utah. She is a Certified Permaculture Designer, holds a Certificate in Native Plant Studies from the University of North Carolina Botanical Gardens, a Landscape for Life certificate through the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Kristina strives towards creating gardens where there are as many birds and bees as there are edibles.

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Karen wojcinski
Karen wojcinski (@guest_9929)
3 years ago

This article has everything anyone would need to know about growing carrots. I’ll be looking for more gardening advice from this author.

Kristina Hicks-Hamblin
Kristina Hicks-Hamblin (@guest_9934)
Reply to  Karen wojcinski
3 years ago

Well, thank you so much, Karen! I appreciate your kind words!
We are happy to have you as a reader here on Gardener’s Path.

sansan
sansan (@guest_10479)
3 years ago

As the weather in California here will be cooler in the middle of November, around 28-32°F/-2°C-0°C, should I harvest carrots before that? If not, what time is the best time to harvest them?