Growing Guides How to grow carrots

Date Published:

15/10/2007

Sowing

Check the seed packets and you'll find that different varieties of carrot are categorised by the time of year they are sown ('early' or 'maincrop') and their eventual length (short, medium or long).

The longest types are less reliable and best-suited to vegetable exhibitors - beginners are better off opting for short or medium roots.

Lengthier varieties are, however, better suited to winter storage.

Carrots prefer a light, sandy soil - if yours is heavier clay, opt for short types which will cope better in these conditions.

The ground should be dug over in late winter, mixing in well-rotted garden compost as you do so. Pick out any large stones as they can cause carrot roots to distort.

If your soil is exceptionally stony or heavy, try sowing into large containers filled with multipurpose compost instead.

Carrots can be sown outside as early as February or March, as long as you protect them with cloches - plastic covers available from most garden centres.

Sow early varieties, which also have the best flavour, from February through to April, switching to maincrop varieties for sowing through to early August.

Use a trowel to make furrows in the soil, spacing them 15–30cm (6in–1ft) apart. They should be 1cm (1/2in) deep or slightly deeper in high summer to keep the seeds a little cooler (excessively warm temperatures can slow germination).

Ensure you sow them very thinly by mixing them with dry, sharp sand first. This will reduce the need for thinning later on (see below).

Refill the furrows with multipurpose compost, as this will be easier for the seedlings to push through.

Thinning

Carrot seeds are slower to germinate than many vegetables but should still emerge within two to three weeks.

For a continuous supply, keep sowing them throughout the growing season, setting out a new row every three to four weeks.

Even the most cautious seed-sower will still need to thin the emerging carrots to ensure they get decent-sized roots.

Wait until they are at least an inch tall before removing the weakest seedlings to leave a young plant every 5–8cm (2–3in). Early and short-root varieties will need less room between them than long or maincrop varieties.

Firm down the soil afterwards and water the row well. If possible, thin them in the evening to avoid the attentions of carrot fly, which can damage the crop and are usually active in the day.

Other ways of keeping this pest at bay are to grow your crop under horticultural fleece (available from garden centres) or by sowing them in alternate rows with onions.

The strong smells of each crop should confuse their respective pests, carrot and onion flies, both of which rely on scent to navigate.