RHS Growing Guides
How to grow carrots
Our detailed growing guide will help you with each step in successfully growing Carrots.
Getting Started
Sweet, tasty and packed with vitamins, carrots are a traditional grow-your-own favourite. They are straightforward to grow from seed, taking up little space, and can also be grown in containers. Sow small batches regularly from early spring onwards, for harvests almost all year round.
Carrots are ready to harvest in about 90 days, bursting with flavour and sweetness
Month by Month
Jobs to do now
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Choosing
While most carrot varieties are orange, other colours are becoming increasingly available
Stony, shallow or heavy clay soil can cause long-rooted carrots to become misshapen – short-rooted types should fare better in these conditions. Although just as delicious, wonky or forked carrots can be harder to clean or slice evenly. Long-rooted varieties are suitable for deep, sandy soil.
For overall reliability, look for varieties with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which shows they performed well in trials – see our list of AGM fruit and veg and our Recommended Varieties below. You’ll also find carrots and other root crops growing in the veg areas of the RHS gardens, so do visit to compare varieties and pick up growing tips.
A few varieties offer some resistance to carrot fly.
What and where to buy
Carrot seeds are widely available from garden centres and other seed stockists. They are usually reasonably cheap, with plenty of seeds in a packet.
Recommended Varieties
Sowing
Carrots should be sown directly outdoors, as transplanting can disturb the roots and lead to forked or distorted carrots. The main sowing season is from April to early July. The seed packet will state whether it’s an early or main-season variety. Early varieties can be sown in February or March if protected with cloches or biodegradable fleece. Avoid sowing in ground that has recently been used for carrots, as it may harbour carrot fly eggs.
Make a shallow drill, about 1cm (½in) deep, water along the base, then sow the carrot seeds as thinly as possible along its length. Space any additional rows 15–30cm (6–12in) apart. Carrot seeds can be slow to germinate, so be patient. Sowing small batches every three to four weeks will give you continuous harvests. Protect carrot seedlings from slugs and snails if possible, and cover the crop with insect-proof mesh to keep carrot fly away. Thin out the seedlings if necessary, aiming for plants 5–7.5cm (2–3in) apart. For more sowing tips, see our guides below.
Thin out seedlings to at least 5cm (2in) apart, as overcrowding can cause distorted roots
Sowing in a container
Carrots grow well in containers of peat-free multi-purpose compost, so are a great crop if you have limited space. Sow thinly and cover the seeds with about 1cm (½in) of compost, then water well. Small, round-rooted varieties are ideal for most containers. Deep containers are needed for long-rooted carrots; alternatively they can be harvested when young, as baby veg, if grown in shallow pots.
Plant Care
Watering
Carrots are drought resistant, so seldom need watering. However, in long dry spells they will benefit from a good soaking every fortnight to keep them growing consistently. The roots can split if moisture levels vary a lot. When growing in containers, which dry out more quickly, they should be watered regularly.
Protecting your crop
Carrot fly can potentially ruin your crop, as the larvae tunnel into the roots, leaving holes that are susceptible to rotting. Late-sown carrots (after mid-May) avoid the first generation of the fly, while carrots harvested before late August avoid the second generation. RHS research found that the most effective method of preventing damage from these low-flying insects is to entirely cover the crop with insect-proof mesh. Crop rotation is also important – avoid sowing in ground that has recently been used for carrots.
Weeding
Fast-growing weeds can crowd out carrots, so remove them regularly – hoe between rows, but hand weed close to the plants to avoid damaging the top of the root. Try to avoid touching the foliage when weeding, as the smell attracts carrot fly, and replace the insect-proof mesh as soon as you finish weeding.
Harvesting
Lift a few carrots at a time, whenever needed, taking care not to damage them
Main-season carrots, grown to full size, can be harvested through summer and into early autumn. They can also be left in the ground into winter, for harvesting whenever needed. Lift carrots carefully using a fork to avoid snapping them, especially if your soil is heavy.
Storing
Store carrots in a crate or box to keep them in good condition through late autumn and into winter
Problems
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