Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus · Carrot family (Apiaceae)
| Hardiness zones | 2 to 11 |
|---|---|
| Sun | full sun |
| Water | moderate |
| Life cycle | biennial |
| Frost | Half-hardy: takes a light frost |
| Soil pH | 6.0–7.0 |
| Spacing | 2 to 4 inches |
| Days to harvest | 60 to 80 days |
| Soil temperature to plant | at least 40°F |
About Carrot
Carrots are cool-season root crops, sown directly in spring and again in midsummer for fall. They are biennials that store sugar in the root, which is why a well-grown carrot tastes so sweet.
Grown as a cool-season annual in every zone; time it for the cool weather of spring or fall.
When to plant
Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.
- Sow seeds outdoors: up to 3 weeks before the last frost
- Fall planting: 9 to 10 weeks before the first fall frost
Days count from seeding; seed can take up to 3 weeks to come up in cool soil. Make two or three sowings 3 weeks apart, and thin seedlings to 2 to 4 inches when they are 3 to 4 inches tall.
Soil
Deep, loose, light sandy loam free of rocks and clods, which fork the roots.
Use loose, stone-free sandy loam with pH 6 to 7; follow a soil test and use no more than 1 inch of compost per 100 sq ft.
Feeding
- about 6 weeks after the seedlings come up: nitrogen fertilizer such as 21-0-0. Use about 1/4 cup per 10 ft of row, beside the plants, and water it in.
Too much nitrogen gives leafy tops and small roots, and rocky, heavy or packed soil makes forked roots.
Harvest
Harvest any time roots reach usable size; brush soil from the top to check the shoulder width, then pull one and taste. Water first so roots slide out easily.
Pull roots once they size up (about 70 to 100 days from seed); sow every 4 weeks through midsummer for a season-long supply. Carrots can stay in the ground after light frosts, and under heavy mulch can be dug as needed through winter.
Varieties (34)
| Variety | Type | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Finger | Baby (Nantes type) | Small and sweet. A miniature Nantes carrot with roots about 4 inches long. | |
| Minicor | Baby (Nantes type) | Baby carrot; baby Nantes roots are only about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. | |
| Short 'n Sweet | Baby/short | Short, stubby carrot grouped with the baby types. | |
| Cupar | Chantenay | High-yielding Chantenay type with big roots about 3 inches wide and 8 inches long. | |
| Hercules | Chantenay | 65 days | Cone-shaped roots 6 to 7 inches long that store well. Handles rocky and heavy soils. |
| Red Cored Chantenay | Chantenay | 68 to 70 days | Short, thick, tapered root 4 to 6 inches long with heavy shoulders and a reddish core. |
| Royal Chantenay | Chantenay | 65 to 70 days | Stubby, broad-shouldered root that is a bit longer and more cylindrical than older Chantenay strains, with deep reddish-orange flesh. |
| Danvers 126 | Danvers | 75 days | Moderately tapered, blunt root 6 to 8 inches long with broad shoulders. Open-pollinated and handles high temperatures. |
| Danvers Half Long | Danvers | Classic cone-shaped Danvers root up to about 7 inches long, deep orange with a lighter center. Danvers roots are best when young and get fibrous as they age. | |
| A-Plus | Imperator | 71 days | Long Imperator-type hybrid. |
| Imperator 58 | Imperator | 75 days | Imperator types are generally less sweet and more fibrous than other types. Long, slim, tapered root that can reach about 10 inches; deep orange with a lighter core. |
| Orlando Gold | Imperator | Long, tapered Imperator-class carrot. | |
| Mokum | Nantes | 54 to 60 days | Very sweet with a tender texture. Early Nantes-type hybrid. |
| Nantes Half Long | Nantes | 70 days | Nantes types are known for sweet flavor and a small core. Cylindrical, blunt-tipped Nantes root about 6 to 7 inches long; bright orange. |
| Naval | Nantes | 72 days | Long, smooth roots with strong, healthy tops. Matures early. |
| Negovia | Nantes | Sweet and crunchy. Big, smooth, uniform, dark orange roots. | |
| Nelson | Nantes | Nantes-class carrot: cylindrical and blunt-tipped. | |
| Pioneer | Nantes | 67 days | Nantes-type hybrid recommended for Utah and Wisconsin. |
| Scarlet Nantes | Nantes | 68 days | Sweet; it consistently earned the top rating in older University of Minnesota variety trials. Blunt-ended, cylindrical roots about 6 to 7 inches long with even reddish-orange color and a small core. Reaches usable size early. |
| Yaya | Nantes | 56 days | Early carrot with roots about 5 to 6 inches long. |
| Gold King | Processing type | 68 days | |
| Atlas | Round (ball) | 70 days | Small, ball-shaped roots about 1 to 2 inches long. |
| Thumbelina | Round (ball) | 55 to 70 days | Short, round carrot. |
| Cosmic Purple | Specialty color (purple) | 70 days | Sweet and a little spicy. Purple skin over an orange interior, sometimes with a yellow core. Roots 6 to 7 inches long. |
| Purple Haze | Specialty color (purple) | Tapered root about 7 to 8 inches long with purple skin and an orange core, so slices show a purple ring. | |
| Apache | |||
| Bengala | Main-season carrot recommended after North Dakota trials. | ||
| Bolero | 75 days | ||
| Goldfinger | 69 days | A short carrot. | |
| Kuroda (New Kuroda) | Carrot recommended for Wisconsin and North Dakota gardens. | ||
| Laguna | 65 days | Carrot recommended in Kentucky and North Dakota. | |
| Napoli | 55 days | Early hybrid carrot, also used as a baby carrot. | |
| Sugarsnax | 68 days | Carrot recommended for Kentucky and Wisconsin gardens. | |
| Tendersweet | Carrot recommended for Kansas gardens. |
Good neighbors
Extension sources suggest sowing quick radishes with slow carrots to save space; pull the radishes before they crowd the carrots.
Pests to watch for
Carrot rust fly, Cutworms, Aphids, Grasshoppers, Tarnished plant bug, Wireworms, Leafhoppers, Carrot weevil, Mole crickets, Mice (house mice and deer mice), Garden symphylan, Rabbits, Voles, Groundhog (woodchuck)
Diseases and problems
Aster yellows, Leaf blights, Root rots, Hail and wind damage, Bolting (going to seed), Herbicide injury, Powdery mildew, Damping-off, White mold, Southern blight, Common scab, Cucumber mosaic
In the kitchen
Eaten raw as snacks and in salads, or roasted, steamed and added to soups and stews.
Keeping it: Cut off the tops and refrigerate carrots in a plastic bag for 2 weeks or more; in cold, humid storage they keep for months.
Pets: Listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, 'Carrot Flower', garden carrot); the plant contains psoralens that can irritate skin.
Sources
- extension.umn.edu
- extension.usu.edu
- extension.colostate.edu
- yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu
- warren.cce.cornell.edu
- extension.umn.edu
- extension.umd.edu
- aspca.org
Photo: Photo: Evan-Amos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo resized for the web.
Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.