Growing Carrot

Daucus carota : Apiaceae / the umbelliferae family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P P             P P P P

(Best months for growing Carrot in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed

January: water well

September: broadcast sow

  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 5 - 30 cm apart
  • Harvest in 12-18 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Onions, Leeks, Lettuce, Sage, Peas, Radishes, Tomatoes, Beans, Celery, Rosemary
  • Avoid growing close to: Parsnips, Beetroot, Dill, Brassicas, Fennel

Your comments and tips

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04 Jan 09, Gene (Australia - temperate climate)
Do not put kerosene on carrots! The roots take it up and the kerosene can be tasted. It can also cause reactions in sensitive people who eat them. I believe that kerosene is banned for agricultural carrots in Victoria.
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25 Sep 10, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
For all those gardener out there having little success with ther carrots and other root veges you should consider trying them in round tubes I cut them about 350 long and you can fill them up with your own special mix dont forget the sand when you do especially for your carrots.This method saves you having to diginto heavy soils and also you can grow them at any height from the ground as you like.good luck
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15 May 12, Glen (Australia - temperate climate)
I have planted carrots [seeds] they have come through in good quantity. Is it necessary to thin them out, At this stage they are quite tiny 2cm - I cant imagine them muturing when so crowded.
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07 Jun 13, Ben (Australia - temperate climate)
Use the gypsum, hydrated lime is absolutely not the same.
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16 Apr 16, Helen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Not replying to Gene. I live at alt 750m, 100kms northwest of Melbourne, Good rich volcanic soil. Is it too late to attempt to plant carrots now to grow over winter? We have vicious frosts when they come - down to -6 somenights but not constanlyt. First frost could be anytime now. Brassicas and garlic planted 3-4 weeks ago all growing well.
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27 Apr 20, Stephen Parkinson (Australia - temperate climate)
Whats the best type of sand to mix in with our raised vege bed soil to make it softer for growing carrots ?
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05 Jan 09, Kelli (Australia - temperate climate)
i recently found some carrot seeds that have an expiry date of four years ago? Are they likely to germinate? I also found a mixture of other veggie seeds with different expiry dates, are any of them likely to grow? Thanks for any help... im new to the idea of veggie patches but since i have a young daughter i would really like her to eat the good stuff :)
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05 Feb 11, Kt (Australia - arid climate)
Kelli some seeds will germinate years after the expiry date and some wont. The only way to tell is plant them and give them a try! Make sure you find the best time of year to plant them for your area though! I have had success planting cabbage seeds 2 yrs past their use by date. Almost all of them came up. Some cold weather vegies will germinate in the fridge during hotter periods and they can be transplanted when the weather gets cooler. I haven't tried the fridge with carrots yet though. Maybe I will try that next ;-)
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21 Jan 09, Adrian (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
My preference is to grow carrots after I have harvested my first crop of potatoes, usually in January. The reason for this is that the crop matures in around late May and can be eaten all winter. I have found that the carrots sweeten up with a touch of frost. I grow then quite close in rows 20 cm wide so that I get a strip of carrots of about 2-3 metres long. My favourite is Manchester Table, but I hear that Tip Top is the best tasting carrot - I haven't found the seed anywhere as yet. Anyhow, there's nothing like a solid plot of carrots over winter, They are the most versatile and tasty vegetable around.
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19 Feb 09, Alice (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
well when planting carrots to make sure theyre planted evenly you can mix the seeds with a handful of sand and then plant them to make sure they're evenly planted! :-)
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Showing 11 - 20 of 363 comments
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I thought I might mention: after you harvest your first crop of carrots you probably have enough time to grow a crop of the smaller varieties of radish. Radishes: ******** Germination temperatures: ideal 15c - 25c acceptable 10c - 30c ************ Germination time: 5 -10 days *************** Growing temperatures: ideal 10c -18c intermediate to short day lengths -Growth must be continuous and rapid for good quality. Acceptable grow temps 4c – 24c. Roots of globe varieties tend to elongate and develop poor shape in hot weather when the tops also grow taller and larger than in cool weather. Long days induce flowering or seed stalks (bolting) and with warm weather the seed stalk may develop so rapidly that no edible root is formed *************** Days to harvest: Regular radish reach market size in 21 to 28 days. Chinese radish take 50 to 90 days (or more) to mature. ** A regular radish seed can produce a radish from planting to harvest in about 33 days. This crop also likes short day lengths and cooler temps making it an ideal crop to “squeeze” in late in the season, before the first frost. With a first potential frost date of October 15 – you could direct sow radish seeds like Cherry Belle, or French Breakfast (both with about 21 days to harvest from seedlings) on September 7th and reasonably expect to harvest your radishes before the first frost. You could also sow in trays and then plant them out… if real-estate is an issue, or if you need to get the radishes started before your harvest your carrots (timing) ************* Storage and Conditioning the recommended storage temperature is 0 C with a relative humidity of 95% to 100%. Topped radishes packaged in perforated plastic bags will keep for 3 to 4 weeks. Bunched radishes will keep 1 to 2 weeks. ********** Temperature information was gleaned from: ATLANTIC PROVINCES AGRICULTURE SERVICES and amalgamated with information from individual radish varieties such as Cherry Belle. ****** if you don't harvest your radishes on time they will be pithy/mealy

- Celeste Archer

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