Growing Carrots

This guide shows you how to grow your own carrots from seed in a raised bed or in a large pot/planter.

Bright Orange 'Beta 3' Carrots

What Month do I Sow?:

• Earlies: Mid February to June. Harvest in June to August
• Summer Maincrop: March to August. Harvest July to Sept
• Autumn: March and August. Harvest June to November

Carrot Varieties to Try:

• Container: Atlas (globe shaped), Early Nantes or Chantenay
• Early Varieties: Nantes 2, Amsterdam Forcing, Napoli F1 and Flyaway F1
• Maincrop Summer Varieties: James Scarlet Intermediate, Resistafly, Purple Haze,
• Autumn Varieties: Autumn King 2, Cortina F1, Flankee, Rothchild.

Carrot Growing Conditions

Carrots like well drained soil with no stones (as the carrots will grow forked) and no manure (this will burn the taproot).

Sowing Instructions:

1. Refer to your own seed packet or take these instructions as a guide only.
2. With your trowel or dibber, draw a row or line in the raised bed soil that is no more than 1.5cm or half inch deep.
3. Sow thinly so they have enough room to establish.
4. Then keep moist.
5. When the seedlings have two or more leaves thin them to 5-8cm apart, then water well to flatten soil removed from thinnings. Always thin seedlings at the end of the day and when it is dry. Then water straight after to remove the scent of carrot to carrot flies.
6. Repeat sowings fortnightly for more crops.
7. Water well until established.

Tips on Growing Carrots

Use enviromesh or fine netting to prevent carrot fly or grow a carrotfly resistant variety (resistafly or flyaway). Also grow spring onions or chives either side of your carrots to throw the carrot fly off the scent.

Approx No of Weeks til Harvest: 12 – 20 weeks.

How to Harvest Carrots

Pull the carrots out of the ground using the feathery leaves. Use straight away or refridgerate for summer varieties. For autumn varieties store in sand or crushed/shredded newspaper.

Growing Carrots in a Raised Bed

• iGrowVeg

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  Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

• Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

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  3 Weeks Growth - Small Seedlings

• Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

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  5 Weeks Growth - Feathery Seedlings

• Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

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  8 Weeks Growth - Seedlings 3-4 inches high

• Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

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  10 Weeks Growth

• Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

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  12 Weeks Growth - Overwatering has split this carrot open

• Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

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  Week 15 - Carrot tops popping out of soil

• Growing Carrot ResistaFly F1

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  Week 16 - Carrot Harvest for Sunday Dinner

• Veg Harvest

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  Veg Harvest

• Carrot Harvest

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  A photo of my Carrot Harvest.

iGrowVeg Quick Links

Find all the blog posts on Carrots in one place with my Quick Links to Carrots.

Vegetables to Grow with Carrots:

• Spring Onions – Try silver-skin pickling onions or purple spring onions. Sow in Spring, Summer and Autumn.
• Summer Radishes – Whether you like them mild, medium or hot, there’s a radish for everyone. Try Pink Beauty for a stunner, Sparkler for a dazzler and French Breakfast for a crunch.
• Pak Choi – Sow Summer to Autumn. Green or a new red leaved variety brightens up the veg plot in late summer for perfect stirfry leaves.

iGrowVeg Tips and Advice Pages:

Planning Your Vegetable Garden Series

A colourful six part guide to help you plan your own vegetable garden and get sowing! Covers: crop rotation, easy to hard to grow rated vegetables, drawing a plan on paper or online, choosing seeds, putting your plan into action.

Free Resources Page

A Free downloads page of resources to accompany my Planning Your Vegetable Garden Series including plan and seed templates, pdf advice pages, all free for you to download, print and take away for your vegetable garden.

Seeds to Sow Now and Next

What can you sow now in your vegetable garden? View my month by month series which contains details on harvest dates, varieties to choose from and growing tips.

How To Grow Veg Guides

Step by Step instructions and what you will need to start sowing your very first vegetable crops with a handy photo slideshow to show you how to get started and what to expect from your seedlings.

Veg Directory

Find out more about the vegetable varieties that I’m growing, where to buy them, when to sow, harvest, special features and photos or slideshows to help you choose which variety to grow in your vegetable plot.

Monthly Newsletter

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