Carrot Planting Time

  • Carrots are a cool-weather crop and can be grown in almost every climate (USDA Zones 3-11).
  • You can start sowing seeds 2-3 weeks before the last frost date and continue doing this throughout the growing season until about 8 weeks before the scheduled average first frost date. If you live in a hot climate (USDA Zones 9b-11), wait until the weather cools down and grow carrots after the summer: In fall and winter.

Sow carrot seeds every 2-3 weeks successively for a fresh regular harvest all growing season.

Choosing a Pot

Container size (6-15 inches deep) may vary according to the carrot type you’re growing and the planting depth it requires.

For growing carrots in containers, a pot that is at least 10-12 inches deep and as wide as possible can be used to grow most of the carrot varieties. You can use pots, tubs, planter bags, window boxes to grow this root vegetable. Even in soda bottles, the Instructables has an article on it.

Carrot Varieties for Containers

Though you can grow any type of carrot in a pot, shorter varieties are better. There are four common types in which the carrot varieties fall into:

  • Imperator: Imperator carrots are sweetest, 8-12 inches long, and slender. To grow, you’ll need a container that is more than 12 inches deep.
  • Danvers: More intense in taste, 6-7 inches long, slender, but wider at the top than the Imperator types.
  • Nantes: Sweet and crispy, 6-7 inches long, more cylindrical than tapered. Good for containers, it can be grown in 8 inches deep pots.
  • Chantenay: Up to 5 inches long, wide at the top, and narrowing, cone-shaped, can be grown in small pots in most soil types.

How to Grow Carrots in Containers

Once you’ve selected the carrot type you’re growing, gather the desired pots and fill them up with quality potting soil. Sow seeds 1/2 to 1/4 inches deep.

After germination, thin carrot seedlings (when they’re 2 inches tall) to about 2-3 inches apart. For thinning, instead of uprooting the baby plants, cut them using scissors so as not to disturb the roots of adjacent plants.

Also Read: How to Grow Beets in Containers

Requirements for Growing Carrots in Containers

Position

Choose a sunny location. However, in late summer or warm climates, you can keep your carrot plants in partial sun. In colder regions, growing carrots in a less sunny position result in slow growth.

Soil

Carrots prefer well-drained, loamy, and aerated soil that doesn’t obstruct root growth. You can either buy quality potting soil for containers or make your own. Ensure the prepared soil is more sandy than clayey and has no stones, or else your carrots will be crooked and bent. The soil should be slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, pH range from 5.5-7.5. Ideally, 6-6.8.

Prepare your own potting mix by adding 1 part soil, 1 part compost or well-rotted manure, and 1 part perlite. If you want to make a soilless mix, add 1 part peat moss or coco peat, 1 part compost or well-rotted manure, and 1 part perlite, vermiculite, or sand. You can also add time-based fertilizer that is low in nitrogen at the time of mixing the soil.

Watering

One of the essential things to remember when learning how to grow carrots in pots is maintaining an adequate water level constantly. Water regularly and evenly to keep the soil slightly moist.

Check the soil moisture level with your finger to see if the medium is drying before watering, and never allow the soil to dry out completely. However, refrain from overwatering and waterlogging the pots.

In the end, when your carrot roots are about to mature (after 3/4 of their mature size), reduce the frequency of watering as too much moisture at maturing stage leads to growth crack in carrots.

Temperature

The seed germination temperature for growing carrots is between 42-90 F (5.5-32 C), but the optimum seed germination temperature is between 55-75 F (12-24 C). Carrot seeds usually germinate in the time-frame of 1-3 weeks, much slower in low temperatures.

Best tasting carrot roots are grown when the temperature ranges around 60-72 F (15-22 C) during the growing period. As you’re growing carrots in pots, you can adjust the temperature slightly by moving the containers to shade if the weather is warm and in more sun if the weather is cold.

Thinning and Spacing

Maintain the 2-4 inches space between each carrot plant and thin out the seedlings when they are 2 inches tall.

Carrot Plant Care

Fertilizer

As carrots are a root crop, they don’t prefer soil that is high in nitrogen. To encourage root growth, use a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen but high in phosphorous and potassium.

For example, a formula of NPK 5-10-10. It’s a good idea to add time-based fertilizer or aged manure to the potting soil initially. Also, during the midseason, scrape some topsoil and side-dress with compost or well-rotted manure.

If you’ve not added anything to the soil, feed the carrots with liquid fertilizer biweekly according to the product’s instructions. You can also make your own organic liquid fertilizer from compost or manure, which is also called “Compost Tea.” Here’re a few recipes to check out!

Pests and Diseases

Weeds, pests, and diseases impede the growth of carrot plants on the ground. However, in containers, you don’t need to worry about them as much. Aphids, spider mites, and flea beetles can disturb the growth but can easily be controlled because growing in a small area means you can easily identify the threat and take measures. Spraying insecticidal soap or neem oil after the early signs of an infestation is a nice chemical-free way to eliminate carrot pests.

Also Read: Natural Ways to Control Aphids

Harvesting

Harvesting time may vary, from 50-100 days, depending on the type, climate, and growing conditions. Generally, most carrot varieties are ready for harvest in 60-75 days, whereas you can pick baby carrots much earlier. Before digging all of them, see whether your carrots have reached the desired size or not by uprooting a couple of plants.

  • Dr. John Taniamae from Solomon Islands
  • July 27, 2019 At 8:17 am
  • I would like to know more about growing carrots. Please advise me
  • Reply

I would like to know more about growing carrots. Please advise me

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