It’s worth cultivating your own carrots if you want them to be flavorful. Aside from the traditional orange carrots, there are a number of diverse types available in a rainbow of colors. They’re a popular, long-lasting root vegetable that grows well in a variety of climates.
Learn how to grow carrots indoors or out!
What materials do you need to grow carrots?
To fit your soil, choose carrot seeds with the appropriate root size and form. Grow carrot types with short roots if your soil is thick or rocky. Compost, sand, a rake, organic mulch, deep pots, and a garden trowel are some of the other items you could need.
When can I transplant carrot seedlings outside?
Wait until the carrot seedlings are about an inch tall before planting. Before seedlings become entangled with each other, they should be transplanted. Plants should be transplanted into open soil at temperatures above 28 ℉.
How long do carrots take to mature?
70 to 80 days after planting, carrots should be ready to harvest. When the roots are 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, pull them out of the dirt. Loosen the dirt around the carrot with a shovel to avoid breaking it during pulling.
Thinning carrots
Carrots must be thinned since they will not mature unless they have enough space. When you thin carrots, you remove some of the baby plants in a row to provide room for the remainder of the plants to grow to full size.
Here’s a guide to show you how to trim carrot seedlings so that there’s enough room for a good crop.
- Before thinning carrot seedlings, give them plenty of water. This will help you to pull them out without harming the roots, which attract carrot root fly due to their fragrance. Simply grasp the seedling with your thumb and forefinger and pull it out. Seedlings should be spaced 2–4 cm apart. To keep carrot root flies at bay, cover with horticultural fleece.
- After three to four weeks, repeat the thinning method to leave seedlings at a spacing of 4cm – 8cm apart. The second thinning tends to result in little carrots that can be cut and used as a garnish in salads.
When should you thin your carrots?
To limit competition, thin carrots once they have germinated. Your carrots will not be able to reach their full size and shape due to competition. When seedlings reach two inches in height, you’ll start thinning to ensure a high-quality yield. When the plants reach four inches in height, you’ll need to thin them again.
Tips for thinning carrots
Remember that carrots, particularly the smaller and shorter types, have shallow roots and are thus susceptible to harm. Carrots require a weekly soaking that is long enough to let water reach down to the developing roots. Reduce the amount of disturbance to the plants you’ll be leaving in place.
When it comes to carrot thinning, the keyword is gentle. The last time you should pull carrots is when they’re ready to be harvested. Prior to this point, your goal is to cause as little damage as possible. Thinning can be aided by moist soil and cutting rather than pulling. The same guidance applies whether you’re growing small baby carrots or larger carrots.
Growing carrots indoors
Carrots are one of the most simple veggies to grow indoors, and your indoor carrot garden will be both beautiful and useful. This is a step-by-step guide to growing carrots indoors.
- Choosing the Right Location. You’ll need to find a spot in your house that gets at least 9 to 12 hours of sunlight per day, perhaps on a sunny windowsill or balcony. Temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for carrot growth.
- Choosing the Right Pots. Choose pots or containers that drain well and can carry at least 8 to 12 inches of soil, plus an extra 3 inches of headroom, so they can grow and mature without being disturbed. At the very least, the foundation should be 4 inches wide.
- Prepare Potting Soil Mix. Add a reasonable amount of organic fertilizer, such as worm compost, to a light, well-draining, ideally sandy potting soil mix.
- Planting Carrots. Make two holes, each about an eighth to a quarter inch deep. Because each variety has distinct space and growing requirements, it’s essential to check the seed packaging for the appropriate depth. Make holes in the earth with your fingers and plant three or four carrot seeds in each hole. Spray them with water and softly cover them with soil. Until the carrot seeds germinate, keep the soil moist.
Growing carrots in pots
Getting those tiny little seeds into the soil is the first obstacle of growing carrots indoors. Don’t worry about spacing them uniformly around the pot to save yourself some time and frustration. Simply wet the soil and scatter the seeds on top.
Cut out the additional seedlings with a pair of scissors once they’ve germinated, so the remaining carrots are about one-half inch (1 cm) apart. Thin them to about an inch (2.5 cm) apart or the distance advised on the seed packet when they are about 3 inches (8 cm) tall and you can observe which seedlings are the toughest.
Keep the potted carrots in a sunny window until the seeds germinate, and keep the soil moist at the surface. Once the seedlings start to grow, water the container when the soil is dry to a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm).
It’s appropriate to start a regular feeding plan when the seedlings reach a height of 3 inches (8 cm). Every two weeks, use a full-strength liquid houseplant fertilizer.
Harvesting Carrots
When to harvest carrots?
Depending on the variety, carrots should be ready to harvest 60-80 days after sowing seeds. The tips of the carrot roots will be about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter and will most likely, but not always, start to emerge out of the dirt. They’ll be bright in color as well.
How to harvest carrots?
Before pulling out from the greens, loosen the soil around the carrot with a spade or trowel to avoid breaking the greens away from the carrot roots. Carrots ripen at about the same time, but you don’t have to pick them all at once. The greatest method of preservation is to leave them in the ground.
