Growing your own food can be a deeply satisfying experience. Veggie gardening—and particularly carrot harvesting—requires very little care but can bring a lot of delight to a stew, salad, or main course. The fact that everything happens out of sight also adds a bit of mystery and intrigue to the process.

You don’t really know if your carrot is doing well until the day you pluck it out of the dirt. To ensure that you have the tools to harvest bright and healthy carrots, read our tips below.

What You Need To Get Started:

  • Soil that is rich in potassium and phosphate and is well-draining (veri-compost is great for carrots!)
  • Gardening tools such as a small shovel or hand trowel
  • One packet of carrot seeds

When to Plant:

The best time to plant your new carrot seeds will be during early spring when nighttime temperatures average about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. But carrots can be planted all year round, especially if you start them out indoors in the cold months.

Where to Plant:

Carrots do best in sunny spots, though they can tolerate a bit of shade. The soil must be fluffy down to 12 inches; this gives the carrot plenty of space to grow. Remember that when you grow carrots, rocky soil leads to poor quality roots.

Seeds should be planted about a quarter-inch deep, two inches apart from each other. A good method is to sprinkle the seeds in a row and then lightly cover them with soil. Rows should be about 10 inches apart.

Carrots can also be planted in pots, just make sure to give them enough room. Pick a pot that is 18-24” deep.

Carrot seeds are very small so make sure that you are not planting too many in one spot. Don’t make my mistake of dumping 10 seeds in a single spot! Each seed will sprout into a single carrot so it’s essential to give them enough room to grow.

Pests:

It’s important to keep weeds away from your carrots. Weeds can take nutrients away from your harvest and make your carrots small and underdeveloped. A common pest is the rust fly, which lays eggs on the soil and its larvae tunnel through your carrots. If you choose to use pesticides to prevent weeds and pests, be sure to follow our tips for safe usage:

  • Strategically apply any chemical products to your lawn only when rain is not expected.
  • Spot-Apply rather than blanketing the entire area with pesticides, apply chemicals directly to the area that needs treatment.
  • Safely dispose of unwanted products through the San Bernardino County Household Hazardous Waste Centers.

Find more tips about how to be water-wise, how to pick non-toxic alternatives, and how to reuse yard waste, by visiting our gardening page.

Harvesting:

Carrots take about 50-60 days to be ready for harvesting. When your carrots are ready you will just have to loosen the soil around the carrot and then pull it out of the ground.

Be sure to participate in our Share Your Harvest Campaign to send a friend a Gratitude Gram and free packet of carrot seeds!