Carrots are a staple of the home garden due to how easy they are to grow and harvest. They are common to eat as a snack or alongside a meal, and offer an array of health benefits. If you’re new to gardening or looking for a low-maintenance vegetable to add to your garden, carrots are an excellent place to start.
Here are the essential steps to successfully growing carrots:
Prepare the Soil
In order to prepare soil for growing carrots, use a tiller to turn the soil and mix in compost and fertilizer.
Then, add organic matter such as grass clippings or hay, which will help keep moisture in the ground. Carrots grow best in loose soil that has a pH of 6-6.5. Soil that is extremely acidic or full of nitrogen will make it difficult for carrots to grow.
In general, a sandy loam soil will promote the most productive carrot growth. Consider the local soil of your area and adjust accordingly. If you live in an area where soil has high contents of clay, consider purchasing a sandy soil to mix into your garden area before planting carrots.
Sow the Seeds
Seeds should be sown about ¼ inch deep, but no more than ¾ inch deep so that they are deep enough to grow but won’t push themselves up out of the soil prematurely as they germinate.
Keep them evenly spaced about ½ inch apart to allow room for growth, and cover with 1 inch of compost or topsoil mix.
The best time to sow carrots is in early spring, but they can also be sown in late summer for a fall crop.
Keep the soil moist but not wet until germination occurs (usually between 10 and 14 days). You may need to water daily during this period if conditions are hot and dry.
Water Frequently
Watering is an important part of growing carrots. Underwatering can lead to poor growth, while overwatering can drown the seeds.
The amount of rainfall in your area will determine how often you need to water your carrot plants. The best way to know whether or not your carrots need watering is by feeling the soil and checking for moisture.
If the soil is dry, add enough water so that the soil is evenly saturated. If the soil is already wet, the carrots should already have a sufficient amount of water to maintain healthy growth.
Fertilize Once a Month
Fertilizing carrots can promote an abundant harvest. Ensure that you’re using the correct amount, because too much fertilizer can be damaging to crops.
Soil pH also affects the availability of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which are both important for growing healthy plants. Most soils have an average pH level of 6-7, but if yours is lower than that, you may need to apply a higher amount of fertilizer.
The pH of your soil can be tested using a soil pH meter.
Weed Regularly
If you are growing carrots in an open garden, it is important to eliminate weeds. Weeds compete with your carrots for nutrients, water, and light. They can also harbor pests and diseases that can destroy your plantings.
If you find that your garden is attracting any pests, take steps to naturally prevent garden pests and weed your garden.
Weeding can be done by hand or with a tool such as a tiller. However, there are some people who prefer not to disturb their soil when they weed so they use mulch instead of pulling out the unwanted vegetation.
To minimize disturbance to the carrots while removing weeds, add mulch to weeded areas but add minimal amounts to the individual areas where carrots are growing.
Mulch will essentially suffocate the weeds and reduce their growth. In areas where you wish to reduce the growth of weeds, add a layer of mulch that is 2-3 inches deep.
Harvest Carrots
Carrots will be ready to harvest around 60-80 days after initially planning the seeds. In order to harvest carrots, they can be pulled out by hand or with a tool such as a pitchfork or shovel.
If you’re not sure if your carrots are ready to be harvested, start by pulling out a few and assessing whether or not they’re ready. If they appear fully grown, the rest should be ready to harvest as well.
If they don’t appear fully grown, wait another week and try again. Sometimes, carrots can take up to 100 days to fully mature depending on growing conditions and type.
How to Grow Carrots: Final Thoughts
Carrots have been a reliable staple of the human diet for thousands of years, and continue to be to this day!
Growing your own carrots is a great way to ensure that you always have access to this food source as an easy-to-maintain crop in your garden.
As you enjoy fresh carrots from your garden along with other produce, use the Lil’ Broc app to track and monitor the freshness of your produce.