Vegetable · Root crop
Carrots
Daucus carotaAn easy, forgiving root for temperate gardens. A light autumn frost only makes them sweeter. The one rule: never let the seedbed dry out before germination.
Sow depth
½ in
Spacing
2 in · rows 10 in
Sun
Full sun
Germination
10–20 days
Time to harvest
60–80 days
Difficulty
Easy
When to sow carrots
- Sow from about 3 weeks before your last expected frost until about 6 weeks after your last expected frost.
- Sow from about 14 weeks before the first expected autumn frost until about 11 weeks before the first expected autumn frost.
Direct sow only — carrots hate being transplanted; the root forks.Rake to a fine tilth, sow thinly along a shallow drill, cover lightly.Keep moist until seedlings show — up to three weeks in summer heat.
Thin to 2 in once seedlings are finger-high; crowded roots stay skinny.Water evenly — a dry spell then a soak splits the roots.Hill soil over any orange shoulders so they do not turn green.
Pull from finger size onwards — small ones are the sweetest.Loosen with a fork first in heavy soil to avoid snapping.After the first frosts the flavor deepens; mulch and pull as needed.
Companion plants
Alliums confuse the carrot fly’s sense of smell — the classic leek-and-carrot row pairing earns its keep.
Watch out for
Carrot fly — Lays eggs at soil level in late spring and again in late summer. A 24 in insect-mesh fence or fleece over the row keeps them off.Forked roots — Caused by fresh manure or stony soil. Sow into settled, unmanured beds.