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Growing carrots

Daucus carota subsp. sativus. A cool-season root crop, sown where it is to grow because the roots don't like being moved. It wants deep, loose, stone-free soil and even moisture, and hot weather spoils the roots. These steps work anywhere: they go by soil and weather, not by month.

How a carrot grows

1. 
   SowTiny seeds in a shallow rowDay 0
2. 
   SeedlingsGrass-like seed leaves appearUp in 1–3 weeks
3. 
   ThinThinned to 3 cm (1 in) apartAbout 4 weeks
4. 
   GrowFeathery leaves, the root reaches down4–7 weeks
5. 
   Thin againFinal spacing, baby carrots to eatAbout 7 weeks
6. 
   SwellRoots thicken and colour up7–10 weeks
7. 
   ReadyFull-sized roots, tops kept covered10–16 weeks
8. 
   PullLoosen with a fork, then ease outOver 3–4 weeks

Times run from sowing and vary with the variety and the weather. Short and round kinds are quickest; long kinds take the longest.

Growing it, step by step

1. Is it right for you?

   • Carrots like mild weather, with days around 16–21°C (60–70°F). They take light frost, but heat gives pale, poor-tasting roots, and seed comes up poorly in hot soil.
   • They need deep, loose soil. Stones, clods and heavy clay fork and twist the roots. On heavy or shallow soil, grow short or round kinds, or use a raised bed.
   • They take little room: about 5–7 cm (2–3 in) a plant once thinned. Short kinds grow well in pots at least 30 cm (12 in) deep.

2. When to plant

   Sow once the soil is at least 7°C (45°F). In cold soil the seed can take three weeks or more to come up; in warm soil, about a week. For a steady supply, sow a short row every three to four weeks, and time sowings so the roots grow in mild weather rather than the hottest weeks.

   Cold winters: sow from spring until about 10–12 weeks before the first autumn frost. Mild climates: sow from early spring to early autumn, a row every few weeks. Hot or subtropical places: sow in autumn and winter, so they grow in the cooler months. Tropics: the cool, dry season or the highlands.

3. Prepare the bed

   • Full sun, and deep, loose, well-drained soil. Dig it over to at least 20 cm (8 in) and remove stones and clods.
   • Slightly acid soil suits them, about pH 6.0–6.5. See soil pH.
   • A little well-rotted compost is fine. Don't dig in fresh manure, fertiliser or woodchips before sowing: they give leafy tops and forked roots.
   • Choose a bed where carrots, parsnips, celery, celeriac or parsley didn't grow in the last few years. They are relatives and share pests and diseases.

4. Sow

   • Sow straight into the bed. Carrots don't like being moved: transplanted seedlings give forked, stunted roots.
   • Sow thinly, 5 mm–1 cm (¼–½ in) deep, in rows 25 cm (10 in) apart. The seed is tiny: mix it with dry sand to spread it more evenly.
   • Cover with fine soil, firm it gently and water with a fine spray so the seed doesn't wash away.
   • A few radish seeds in the row mark it while the carrots come up. Pull the radishes before they crowd the carrots.

5. Get it started

   • Keep the surface moist every day until the seedlings are up, one to three weeks. A plank or hessian sack over the row helps; lift it as soon as the first seedlings show.
   • In hot weather, shade the row: tiny seedlings scorch at the soil line.
   • Weed carefully by hand while they are small. Carrot seedlings are slow and can't compete with weeds.

6. Keep it growing

   • Thin: when the seedlings are about 5 cm (2 in) tall, around four weeks after sowing, thin them to 3 cm (1 in) apart. About three weeks later, thin again to a final 5–7 cm (2–3 in). Eat the pulled baby carrots.
   • Water: once they are up, a deep soak about twice a week in dry weather is better than a little every day; in cool or showery weather they seldom need any. Keep it even: a dry spell followed by a soaking splits the roots, and too much water gives hairy, forked roots.
   • Mulch: after the final thinning, a thin layer of straw, about 3 cm (1 in), between the rows keeps moisture even. Keep the tops of the roots covered with mulch or a little soil: in the light they turn green and bitter.
   • Feed: good soil needs none. Extra feed grows leafy tops and small, forked roots. Only if the leaves turn pale on poor soil, give a weak liquid feed now and then. In pots, a weak liquid feed every two weeks from about four weeks after sowing.
   • Carrot fly: where it is a pest, cover the bed with fine insect mesh from sowing day, edges buried, until you lift the crop. Thin and weed on a still evening and put the mesh straight back: the smell of bruised leaves draws the flies.

7. Watch for problems

   The common ones, with a Garden help page each where there is one:

   Carrot flyAphidsSlugs and snailsPowdery mildewRoot-knot nematodesWirewormsAlternaria leaf blightAster yellowsForked rootsSplit rootsGreen shouldersBolting

8. Harvest

   • Pull baby carrots from the second thinning on. Most kinds are ready 10–16 weeks after sowing: brush the soil from the top of one, and at about 2–3 cm (1 in) across it is ready.
   • Water the day before if the soil is dry, then loosen the soil beside the row with a fork and ease them out. Pulled by the leaves alone, they often snap.
   • Lift them as you need them over three or four weeks, longer in cool weather. Don't leave them too long: oversized carrots turn woody and lose flavour.

9. After harvest

   • Twist or cut off the leaves straight away, leaving a short stub. Left on, they draw water from the roots.
   • Keep them cold and moist, close to 0°C (32°F): in a bag in the fridge they last a few weeks. For months, pack them in damp sand in a cool shed or cellar, away from apples and pears, which make them bitter.
   • Where winters are cold, they can stay in the ground: cut off the leaves, cover the row with straw and lift them as you need them. Lift the rest if the soil turns waterlogged.
   • Next in that bed: cabbage family crops, beans, peas or leafy greens. Keep carrots, parsnips, celery, celeriac and parsley out for a few years.

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Sources

• RHS: How to grow carrots
• University of Illinois Extension: Carrots
• Utah State University Extension: How to grow carrots in your garden
• Gardening Australia: Bumper carrot crop

Facts checked Wednesday 21 October 2026. General guidance only: local advice comes first.