How to Grow Carrots from Seed

No garden is too small for the addition of carrots! These popular root crops are perfect to grow in the home garden, even if your garden is a small apartment patio. In ground or in containers, carrots will grow and thrive with ease. Even better for gardeners is the fact that you'll have countless harvests, as carrots are extremely fast growers! In this carrot growing guide, you'll learn how to grow carrots from seed and the processes involved with preparing, watering and harvesting! If you're in the business of seeking out how to grow carrots, look no further, because you've just found the answer!

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Carrots will thrive in a variety of conditions, but there are a few requirements that you will want to meet before planting any seeds.

• Soil - Carrots prefer a light well draining soil that's free of rocks, pebbles and large clumps. If you happen to have a dense garden soil with high clay content, carrots can still be grown, but a short and squat variety of carrot is recommended. Mixing a couple of handfuls of sand into ever square foot of garden soil will greatly improve carrots' ability to produce bigger roots.
• Nutrition - It's important to note that a nitrogen-rich diet will result in deformed and ruptured carrots. To prevent this from happening, amend the initial garden soil with a good amount of compost. This will serve as a steady food for the carrots throughout their life cycle. For container grown carrots, a high quality potting soil should carry them through their life, though a single application of fertilizer will greatly boost productivity.
• Sunlight - Healthy carrots rely on full sun to survive. Make sure that you have a spot that will receive at least 8 hours of direct sunlight.
• Containers - Higher moisture levels in containers can lead to carrot rot. Avoid plastic containers for growing carrots. Unfinished Terra Cotta and clay pots are the best option because they allow the soil to breathe and dry quicker. Also be sure that your container is a few inches deeper than the expected length of your variety of carrot.

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When - For an early spring harvest of carrots, plant carrot seeds 2-3 weeks before your expected last frost. If you go by soil temperatures, allow the soil to reach 50F (10C) for optimal carrot seed germination.

How - There are a wide variety of ways in which you can plant carrots, but for the highest productivity and density, sow carrot seeds one inch apart in all directions. Carrot seeds should be planted at a shallow depth of 1/4 inch or sown directly onto the soil and watered in. In either case, keep the soil evenly moist and the seeds should germinate in 5-14 days.

Thinning - When the majority of your seedlings have sprouted, thin them so that they are spaced at two inches apart. Sowing extra seed ensures that enough carrots germinate, and thinning provides proper spacing for healthy growth.

Mulching - Once the carrot seedlings have reached a height of three inches, a grass clipping or leave mulch is a recommended addition to in ground garden beds. This extra organic material added to the top of the soil will help the soil retain moisture and keep cooler during hot weather.

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Carrots are one of the less demanding garden vegetables. Throughout their entire growth, carrots will prefer a moist soil that is allowed to dry slightly. Over watered soil can hold in too much moisture and eventually lead to carrot rot. Depending on your climate, humidity and container size, you should water your carrots 1-3 times weekly. To be sure you should water, stick your index finger in the soil. If you reach the middle knuckle and can't feel moisture, then it's time to water!

• Fertilizing - If you mixed compost into your garden beds, you won't have to worry about fertilizing. For carrots growing in containers, a mild all-purpose organic fertilizer or compost tea may be applied once, when the carrots are around 20 days old.
• Wood Ash - If you have it, wood ash can be a great addition to in ground and container carrots alike! The available potassium in wood ash stimulates root growth and vigor, basically meaning you'll have bigger and stronger carrots. Twice during their life cycle, I'll feed with a wood ash solution. Mix one tablespoon wood ash with one gallon of water. Feed once early in growth, and another around two weeks before harvesting.

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The right time to harvest carrots is really up to you! Since they can be eaten at all stages of growth, you can choose to eat them as baby carrots or as fully grown roots. To get a sense of how big your carrots are, uncover the dirt around the base of each carrot base and view the top of the root. If they're ready, grab the top of the carrot root and give it a quick tug. Just for information's sake, most carrots are fully matured in 50-75 days.

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Following this guide, you'll be producing carrots faster than the neighborhood rabbits can keep up with. Well, maybe that's not entirely true, but the process is pretty dang fast! Thank you for reading my article on how to grow carrots from seed. Please leave me questions or suggestions you may have, and good luck with your garden!

If you enjoyed this article on growing carrots from seed, you might also like:

• Growing Beets in Containers
• How to Grow Arugula in a Container
• Sweet Basil Care
• Growing Container Cherry Tomatoes
• Container Gardening Broccoli

Along with the above guides, you'll also find a complete list of articles in my Vegetable Gardening section.

Please Note - All photos in this article belong to their respected owners. Each photo was made available through the Creative Commons Attribution License.