6 Tips for Growing Carrots

Last updated on September 21st, 2019 at 06:31 pm

1. Carrots like loose, rich soil. Carrots grow best when soil has been previously worked. Plant your carrots in an area where something like potatoes have been previously grown. The loose soil will allow your carrots to grow bigger, longer, and all around prettier!

2. Carrot seeds take a while to germinate. Keeping moisture is key to ensure the health of your vegetables! Use a piece of burlap to cover the soil to prevent any premature water evaporation.

3. Carrot seeds like to be planted close to the surface of the soil. A general rule when growing carrots is to plant one and a half to two times the width of the seed. Being close to the surface allows them easier access to oxygen, and the soil tends to be looser towards the surface. I simply sprinkle the seeds on the surface of the soil when planting, and then I cover them with a thin ayer of vermiculite.

4. Carrots do better when planted together. Use a hollowed out muffin tin to plant your seeds. Carrots like to grow in “bunches” and the muffin tin is a great tool to help you plant the correct number of seeds. Plus, when they’re grown together, it will be easier to identify weeds!

5. Carrots appreciate a lot of phosphorus in the soil.  Give them a healthy dose of bone meal when you work up the soil at planting time. If you don’t like gardening with bone meal, an alternative is to use Dr. Earth Liquid Fertlizer. This fertilizer also works great with garlic, potatoes, and any other root vegetable.

6. Make sure you do not plant carrots where you had sod growing the previous year If you have no choice, plant mustard as a cover for next year’s crops. Mustard greens help solve problems to the density of the soil caused by growing sod, and they help root vegetables to grow fully.