How to Grow Baby Spike Carrots in Patio Containers

Baby carrots are simple to grow in patio containers.

The baby spike carrot is a small, sweet, tender variety that grows extremely well in patio containers. Because of their shorter root length, baby spike carrots require much shorter, smaller planter pots than standard-sized carrots. If kept on a protected patio, you can start growing baby spike carrots much earlier than you would be able to plant them in the ground. You can also plant the baby spike carrots in late summer to harvest them in early fall, because of their short time to maturity.

Things You'll Need

• Planter pot
• All-purpose potting soil
• Water-soluble 10-20-10 NPK fertilizer

Instructions

1. Fill a container that has drainage holes in the bottom with well-draining, loose, all-purpose potting soil made for vegetables. Select a 1-gallon planter pot that's at least 6 inches deep.

2. Plant baby spike carrot seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep into the potting soil. Plant no more than two or three seeds per 1 inch.

3. Position the container in full, direct sunlight so that the plants receive as much sunlight as possible each day. Move the baby spike carrots into a shady location in the afternoon during the hottest part of the summer season to protect the leaves from burning.

4. Water your baby spike carrot seeds lightly each day to keep the potting soil evenly moistened at all times until the seeds germinate. Thin out the baby spike carrot seedlings when they're about 1 inch tall so that there are one or two seedlings per inch.

5. Water your baby spike carrot seedlings lightly once every one to three days to keep the soil evenly moistened, but avoid waterlogging the soil. Leech out excess fertilizer buildup once every week by pouring water into the potting soil until it drains freely from the bottom of the pot.

6. Feed your baby spike carrots with 2 cups of water-soluble 10-20-10 NPK fertilizer mixed with 1 gallon of warm tap water. Dilute 2 tbsp. of this mixture into 1 gallon of water and apply this solution to your baby spike carrot seedlings once every week or two.

7. Harvest your baby spike carrots when the edible roots are about ½ inch thick and 3 to 4 inches long, usually about 52 days after planting the seeds. Simply pull up the carrots by the leafy tops.

Tips & Warnings

• Line the bottom of the planter pot with about 1 inch of coarse gravel to improve drainage.

• Don't allow the baby spike carrots' roots to become "sunburned." When the carrots are nearing maturity, ensure that the tops of the roots stay covered with some soil and don't become exposed to the hot sun.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Watch Your Garden Grow--Carrot
• AgriLife Extension: Vegetable Gardening in Containers
• Ohio State University Extension: Container Vegetable Gardening