How to Grow Carrots

As your mother always told you, carrots are good for you - chock-full of fiber and vitamins. They're beautiful too, with lacy, fernlike foliage that's perfect for containers and flower borders. Carrots are cool-season veggies, but they perform best in temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees F.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Carrot Seeds
• Compost Makers
• Fertilizers
• Garden Spades
• Garden Trowels
• Mulch
• Planting Containers
• Shovels

1. Choose a site that gets full sun (carrots will tolerate light shade but won't do as well). Soil should be light, with a pH of 5.8 to 6.8 (see "How to Have Your Soil Tested").

2. Dig to a depth of at least 12 inches, and remove all traces of rocks and other debris - even a small twig could injure a carrot's growing tip, stunting the root or making it fork.

3. Add plenty of organic matter; it will lighten heavy soils and increase the moisture retention of sandy ones. Carrots grow sweeter and less fibrous in soil that remains moist.

4. Sow carrot seeds directly about two to three weeks before the last expected frost in cool regions; in warm climates, you can plant in fall, winter or spring. (Like most root crops, carrots rarely appear as started plants in nurseries.)

5. Speed germination, which can take 10 days or more, by soaking seeds in water for 6 hours before you plant them.

6. Make early sowings shallow to capture warmth from the sun; sprinkle the seeds on the soil surface, tamp them gently and cover them with a thin layer of finely sifted compost. If planting later, when the soil has warmed up, plant seeds between 1/4 and 1/2 inch deep.

7. Thin seedlings before the tops become entwined: Either clip off the greens with scissors, or pull the roots very gently from the ground so you don't disturb the remaining plants. Allow 3 to 4 inches between carrots, depending on the variety (check the seed packet for details).

8. Spray young plants once with compost tea (see "How to Make Compost Tea") to ensure good growth, and mulch with compost to deter weeds and retain moisture. Young plants need at least an inch of water a week, but cut back on watering as they near maturity (check the seed packet for timing).

9. Begin harvesting carrots when they've turned deep orange.

Tips & Warnings

• To prolong the harvest, you can make succession plantings every two weeks until the temperature reaches 80 degrees F, then, when temperatures cool in autumn, plant another crop for winter harvesting.

• Like all root crops, carrots need lots of potassium. Boost your soil's supply by sprinkling wood ashes over the planting area before you sow the seeds.

• Carrots do well in containers. Choose pots that are at least 12 inches deep and have good drainage. Use potting soil enriched with compost, feed plants with compost tea every 10 days until they're 6 inches tall, and keep the soil moist. For best results, look for small or "baby" varieties such as 'Parmex', 'Oxheart' or 'Little Finger'.

• Carrots that are exposed to the sun turn green and bitter-tasting. To keep them orange and sweet, make sure the roots stay completely covered with soil.

• Avoid manure and other fertilizers high in nitrogen; they'll encourage top growth at the expense of good root development. If your carrots turn out with a branch or two, it means they're getting too much nitrogen.