How to Grow Carrots

There are different shapes and sizes of carrots to choose from, including: Yates Carrot Topweight – one of the most popular carrots, it's a vigorous variety with long fleshy deep orange roots; Yates Carrot All Seasons – a large, super crunchy and easy to grow variety; and Yates Carrot Manchester Table – a cylindrical variety with sweet, medium sized roots; Yates Heirloom Carrot Rainbow Mix is a colourful blend of gold, purple, white, orange and red carrots, that add fun and vibrant colour to your vegie patch and recipes. 

Smaller growing varieties, such as Yates Baby Carrot, do best in pots. Yates Baby Carrots is a small and sweet variety with crisp roots, and are great for growing in pots.

Carrots need at least 6 hours of sunshine a day, so choose a sunny position with well-drained soil. The top 20 cm of soil should be soft and free from hard lumps and stones, which can result in crooked Carrots.

Improving the soil before sowing seed will give the plants a great start. Soil improvement is as simple as mixing 2 handfuls of Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser into each square metre of soil.
Ensure you dig around and loosen the soil to break up any hard pieces.

Carrots are best started from seed, sown directly where the plants are to grow. Carrots grown from seedlings can suffer from transplant shock and the roots may not grow straight.

Sprinkle seeds in furrows around 6 mm deep and seeds should be spaced 3-5cm apart.. Furrows should be 10-30cm apart, depending on the variety. Cover with loose soil, firm down, and moisten.

After sowing Carrot seed, lay a plank of wood or section of cardboard over the row. Remove the plank every few days to re-water and keep the soil moist. As soon as the first seedlings pop up, permanently remove the plank. The plank technique helps keeps the soil soft and moist, which improves seed germination and success.

Carrot seeds can take up to 21 days to germinate, so (please) be patient!

Water regularly to keep the soil moist. Thin out excess seedlings after 4 weeks, gently pulling out the smallest and leaving the healthiest in place. Overcrowded Carrots leads to smaller plants and misshapen roots.

Snails and Slugs can be a problem for young Carrot seedlings, particularly during damp weather. Protect seedlings from Snails and Slugs with a light sprinkling of Yates Snail & Slug Bait.

To help keep the soil moist, apply a thin layer of mulch, like sugarcane or pea straw, between the furrows.

Well-fed carrots will be healthier and more productive, so regular feeding is important. Once the seedlings are established (around 4 weeks after sowing), start feeding the plants every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive All Purpose Soluble Fertiliser. Mix 1-2 spoonfuls in a 9 litre watering can and apply over the plants and surrounding soil.

Carrots can be picked at any stage, but it's best to wait until the top of the root has just emerged out of the soil. It's a good idea to pick one Carrot first to see whether the crop is ready. If they're not the right size for that variety, wait for another week and pick another.

To pick a carrot, grasp the leaves close to the root and pull gently upwards. Try not to break off the leaves or pull the carrot sideways, as the root may snap. 

To give you an ongoing supply of carrots, sow more seed every 4-5 weeks.

More compact Carrot varieties that have shorter roots, such as Yates Baby Carrot, are best for growing in pots and containers.

Choose a well-drained pot or trough at least 30 cm wide and 20 cm deep. Position in a spot that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day.

Fill the pot with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.

Carrots are best started from seed, sown directly into the potting mix. Carrots grown from seedlings can suffer from transplant shock and the roots may not grow straight.

Sprinkle seeds in furrows around 6 mm deep and seeds should be 3-5 cm apart. Furrows should be 10-30cm apart, depending on the variety. Cover with loose potting mix, firm down, and moisten.

After sowing Carrot seed, lay a piece of cardboard over the potting mix. Remove the cardboard every few days to re-water and keep the potting mix moist. As soon as the first seedlings pop up, permanently remove the cardboard. This technique helps keeps the potting mix soft and moist, which improves seed germination and success.

Carrot seed can take up to 21 days to germinate, so (please) be patient!

Water regularly to keep the soil moist. Thin out excess seedlings after 4 weeks, gently pulling out the smallest and leaving the healthiest in place. Overcrowded Carrots leads to smaller plants and misshapen roots.

Snails and Slugs can be a problem for young Carrot seedlings, particularly during damp weather. Protect seedlings from Snails and Slugs with a light sprinkling of Yates Snail & Slug Bait.

To help keep the soil moist, apply a thin layer of mulch, like sugarcane or pea straw, between the furrows.

Well-fed carrots will be healthier and more productive, so regular feeding is important. Once the seedlings are established (around 4 weeks after sowing), start feeding the plants every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive All Purpose Soluble Fertiliser. Mix 1-2 spoonfuls in a 9 litre watering can and apply over the plants and surrounding soil.

Carrots can be picked at any stage, but it's best to wait until the top of the root has just emerged out of the soil. It's a good idea to pick one Carrot first to see whether the crop is ready. If they're not the right size for that variety, wait for another week and pick another.

To pick a carrot, grasp the leaves close to the root and pull gently upwards. Try not to break off the leaves or pull the carrot sideways, as the root may snap. 

To give you an ongoing supply of carrots, sow more seed every 4-5 weeks.

Carrots need at least 6 hours of sunshine to grow well. Less sun will lead to reduced growth and poor development of Carrot roots.

Look for the top of the Carrot root emerging out of the soil. It's a good idea to pick one Carrot first to see whether the root is ready. If it's not the right size for that variety, wait for another week and check again.

The short answer is no. Despite what you may have read, true Carrot roots can't regrow from just Carrot tops. When placed in water Carrot tops may sprout fine roots, and the leaves may grow, however, a new Carrot root will not develop.

Although, growing Carrot tops can be a fun activity to do with kids, as they can watch the fine roots and leaves grow.

Yes, you can! Compact varieties that have shorter roots, such as Yates Baby Carrot, are best for growing in pots. See How to Grow Carrots in a Pot for more info.

The best fertiliser to feed carrots contains a blend of nutrients to promote healthy green leaf growth as well as strong root development. Once the seedlings are established (around 4 weeks after sowing), start feeding the plants every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive All Purpose Soluble Fertiliser. Mix 1-2 spoonfuls in a 9 litre watering can and apply over the plants and surrounding soil. Yates Thrive All Purpose Soluble Fertiliser contains a balanced combination of nutrients that's ideal for feeding carrots.

Most vegetables or herbs can be grown after Carrots, depending on the time of year. You can grow leafy vegetables such as Lettuce and Silverbeet, legumes like Beans and Peas or fruiting vegetables like Cucumbers and Tomatoes. If your carrots have shown any signs of diseases, it's best to avoid growing vegetables from the same plant family, such as Celery, Coriander, Dill, Parsley and Parsnips.

As Carrots can take up to 20 weeks to mature, small fast-growing vegetables can be grown between the rows of Carrots, helping to make the most of your space. Yates Baby Beets, Yates Lettuce Baby Combo and Yates Spinach Baby Leaf are all quick-growing and compact options and can be picked from just 6 weeks after sowing.

Carrots need the soil or potting mix to be at least 20 cm deep. This allows the Carrot roots to grow to their ideal length.

There can be several reasons why Carrot seeds don't grow including incorrect sowing depth, inadequate moisture, poor soil quality, old seed age, and sowing at the wrong time of year.

The seed was sown at the incorrect depth. Carrot seed is small and if sown too deeply the seedlings will not be able to emerge from the soil or potting mix. Sow Carrot seed 6mm deep.

The soil or potting mix was not kept moist. It's important to keep the soil or potting mix consistently moist, to help all the seeds germinate. If the seeds or tiny seedlings dry out, even for a short time, they can die.

Soil or potting mix that dries out can also form a hard crust on the surface. Tiny carrot seedlings find it difficult to break through this hard layer. Keeping the soil or potting mix moist, together with using the plank or cardboard method, helps prevent this crust forming.

Check the sow-by date on the seed packet. Seed that is too old may fail to germinate.

Sow seed at the correct time for your climate. Seed sown outside the optimum months may not grow.

One of the best ways to stop Ants from taking seed is the "plank-method". After sowing your seeds and watering them in, get a long, thin and flat piece of untreated timber and lay it on top. Remove the plank every few days to re-water and keep the soil moist. As soon as the first small leaves emerge, permanently remove the plank. Seeds can take up to 3 weeks to germinate. If the plank of wood remains on top after the new leaves come up, they could be injured.

Carrot plants need access to sun, moisture and nutrients. Keep the soil or potting mix moist and feed every 1-2 weeks with Yates Thrive All Purpose Soluble Fertiliser. This will help promote strong and healthy Carrot growth.

Developing Carrot roots that encounter a rock or hard lump of soil will become deformed. The root can split into multiple smaller roots or the root can become crooked. It's important that the top 20 cm of soil or potting mix is soft, loose and free from hard pieces.

Carrots require well-drained soil or potting mix. Too-wet soil or potting mix can cause the roots to rot.

There are also several diseases that can cause Carrots to rot, including black root rot, which appears as dark patches on the roots, often after harvest. If diseases appear, avoid growing Carrots in the same spot for another 2-3 years. Also pick and store carrots carefully, to minimise damaging the skin on the roots.

Some Carrot varieties are purple and so, this is the natural colour for their roots. Other causes for purple roots can be phosphorus deficiency which is also associated with stunted roots, and some root diseases may cause purple roots.