How to start growing carrots
This is carrots for beginners, a quick search online will bring up a wide range of opinions for carrot growing.
I will just encourage you to start with a full proof method, you can then develop your own theories.
You can grow carrots, not just boring orange there is a range of colours.
Choose your variety
Carrots all grow the same way, early types form short blunt roots, maincrop roots are longer and need more time to develop.
We sow different colours in one pot to produce a rainbow of roots.
I would pick an early type or mixture of colours to start with.
When do I start
This depends on the final position of your carrots
If you have a cold (unheated) greenhouse or grow house.
Sow February or March
Have a bit of fleece handy for cold nights or bring them into the house for the night.
You can pull some small carrots towards the end of June.
If you only have a patio, you need to wait for the warm weather (If you are happy to share your house with the young carrot plants you can start earlier)
Sow April to June
You can pull some small carrots towards the end of June.
Sow your own
See above for timing
Patio pots
The secret is warmth keep the seeds at 20 degrees (room temperature) and they will germinate quickly.
Sow the seed directly into the final pot, water the pot, then just sprinkle the seeds over the top of the compost, cover the top of the pot with clear plastic until they germinate.
In the soil.
Create a shallow V-shaped trench 1-2m deep, soak with water and then sow the seed thinly along the row, aim for 3 or 4 seeds per 2cm. Cover with a thin layer of soil or compost. I would then cover the seeds with black polythene to warm the soil and protect the seed from heavy rain. Carrots prefer well-drained sandy soils, with heavy soils, make the trench deeper and fill with sand or compost before sowing.
Germinating
Patio pots
This will take about 12 days at 20 degrees after they germinate you can move the pot somewhere cooler. In early spring February to March this would need to be a greenhouse or grow house. From April onward they can go straight outside.
In the soil
You need to wait for the soil to warm up in the spring sunshine before sowing, and after the chance of a severe frost has passed, normally this will be mid-April onwards, you can use cloches or polythene covers to warm up the soil.
Buying carrot plants
It is possible to buy carrot plants in packs, but avoid disturbing the roots when planting out.
The idea of buying carrot plants is a relatively new idea, vegetable pack growers have added them to their range but there is no logical reason for the idea, as carrots hate having the roots disturbed. Sowing the seed is so easy, give it a try.
Looking after your carrots.
Choose a sunny sheltered spot, carrots need the sun and will grow faster when kept warm.
Early patio pot crops will grow better in a greenhouse or grow house, before moving outside during April to May.
Carrots need regular watering to avoid the roots splitting
You can pick some small carrots as soon as they are ready, leaving some to grow into bigger roots.
When are they ready? they normally need 10-12 weeks from sowing, you can check by feeling the top of the root when it is 1-2cm wide pull one out to have a look.
Watering
Patio pots, keep them well-watered, with some liquid feed, this might be every day in the summer. If in doubt, water them you can’t do any harm.
In the soil water in hot dry weather but keep it regular or the roots will split.
Problems.
Carrots are relatively trouble-free.
Greenfly will appear, they will slow the carrots down but won’t kill them. You can use a spray there are some safe ones, sometimes the birds will help you out.
Carrot fly can appear, the first hatch is mid-April and they lay eggs that turn into tiny grubs that will damage your roots.
In all the years we have grown patio pots we have never seen them, the flies are weak and may struggle to fly up to the top of the pot.
In the soil, they seem to be more common, as they can overwinter nearby in the soil. There are sprays available, but insect netting will work.
It is thought the carrot fly is attracted to the scent of damaged carrots so sow the seeds thinly or try companion planting, scented plants like marigolds even tomatoes can work.
Why would you bother growing your own carrots, they are so cheap in the supermarket.
Your homegrown carrots will be super fresh and extra sweet.
Go on give them a try.
Checklist
- A packet of seeds (sowing April to June)
- 30cm pots or bigger make sure they hold 10 or more litres of compost. Make sure the sides are dark enough you don’t want sunlight turning the carrots green
- Compost, try to get one with some John Innes or soil included it will add some weight and help with watering.
- Slow-release fertiliser not essential but it will make feeding the plant easier
- Buy some liquid fertiliser when you see it on offer and a watering can to apply the feed.
