I haven’t presented my readers with a growing guide in quite a while, aside from growing Lavender from seed. It’s about that time, isn’t it?
Carrots prove to be one of the most complicated crops for new gardeners and homesteaders to grow; unlike plants like cucumbers or potatoes (which grow anywhere and everywhere without a care in the world), carrots can be quite finicky. They don’t have to be hard to grow, though.
This is why I’m covering carrots with this growing guide today, because it truly saddens me to see new homesteaders giving up on carrots when they have a poor harvest or germination rate.
For those who have unfortunately wound up here due to an issue with their carrot seeds, plants, or harvest, I hope you’ll apply some of these methods and try again. Once you learn how to keep your carrots happy (I promise, it’s not too hard once you know what makes them tick!), you’ll be rewarded with bountiful harvests of these tasty orange taproots from incredibly small spaces.
Ultimate Guide: Carrot Growing Problems and How to Avoid Them
Let’s go over some of the most common growing problems for carrots! Sometimes, it’s as simple as a temperature fluctuation or a small soil amendment. Carrots are quite agreeable once you get the growing conditions right, but it can be hard to figure out where you’re going wrong as a new gardener. If you don’t see your problem here, please leave a comment! I’m happy to expand this guide in order to cover all growing problems for this root crop.
Why Won’t My Carrots Germinate? Carrot Seeds Not Germinating!
If you planted your seeds and you’re not seeing any signs of life, please be patient. These seeds are incredibly slow to start with; Germination can take two weeks or longer in many cases. Carrot seeds require that a few conditions be met before they’ll germinate and break through the soil’s surface, so delayed germination doesn’t necessarily mean that the seeds are dead or bad.
- If seeds have been in the ground for weeks, ensure that temperatures are optimal for germination. If the temperatures are in the 40’s or lower at night, it’s possible that it’s still too cold for the seeds to germinate. If you have them in a flat, try one of these pads; they also come in handy with pepper seeds. Colder temperatures delay germination; don’t worry though, as your seeds will sprout as the weather warms!
- If the seed bed is not kept moist, you will end up with spotty or low germination. Keep the bed covered with plastic (such as plastic mulch), cardboard, or another protective covering that will keep the surface soil moist for optimum germination rates. When you see the tiny carrot sprouts popping their heads up, remove the covering and mist the bed twice a day for 3 or 4 days; this will help to keep the surface moist for the rest of the seedlings that are preparing to poke their heads up.
- Carrots must be sown quite shallow, as planting seeds deeply will make it difficult for the germinating seedling to break through the surface of the soil. If you planted your seeds more than 1/3 inch deep, they may be buried too deeply.
- If you’re using old seed, this could be an issue as well. Carrot seeds have a reliable life span of 3 years; anything older than that may suffer from a reduced rate of germination.
In short, be sure to barely cover your carrot seeds with earth while planting. For the best results, plant seeds into moist soil, lightly cover with moist soil, then press the soil down to ensure that the seed is in contact with the soil. Lightly mist the bed, and cover it to hold in moisture. At day 14, begin checking the bed for seedlings. When 25% of the seedlings are up, remove the covering. Keep the bed misted twice per day for 3 or 4 days, and water once a week thereafter, to encourage deeply rooted plants. Personally, I allow Mother Nature to care for my seedlings; I just sow the seeds in January and leave them to decide their own fates. They usually pop up a few weeks before the start of spring, during lengthy wet weather. Ideally, fall and late winter are when I should sow and grow carrots in my area to avoid bolting. Every homesteader gardens differently, and no two gardens (or climates, or soil types…) are just alike.
Carrot Tops, but No Carrots? Carrots Not Forming Within 4 Months?
If you are finding that you have carrot tops but no carrots, your plants weren’t receiving the resources they needed to produce a large tap root. Generally, carrots can be ready for harvest within 70 to 120 days. Let’s back up for a second, and discuss taproots:
- Tap roots are large roots, much like tubers. Small feeder roots form off of this root, providing the plant with water and nutrients from the soil. This taproot stores nutrients, water, and energy produced with the sun’s light; therefore, the tap root is essentially an insurance policy. It serves to sustain the plant through harsh weather and grazing. Carrots, being biennial in most cases, grow large taproots in their first year of life. The plant will die back in harsh winter weather. Once the winter is over, the carrot plant will rebound rapidly, exceeding 3 to 4 feet in height easily. This is due to the reserves stored within the carrot plant’s taproot. It then flowers, producing seed. This is the end of the carrot’s life cycle.
Thus, if your carrot was not able to form a large taproot, something happened. Any of the following scenarios could leave you with nothing more than a lovely patch of foliage:
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- Crowded Out: If your plants aren’t thinned properly, they likely won’t grow to a large size. They will compete for light and nutrients, reducing the size of all of the carrots in the bed.
- Weeds: If the carrots are not weeding regularly, the weeds will begin to rob them of nutrients, water, and sunlight. Keep the weeds out of the bed, and away from the edges of the bed. You want your carrots to bask in full sunlight.
- Poor Soil: If you want a good harvest, be sure to amend your soil with some compost. This enriches the soil, allowing the carrots to absorb all that they need to grow to a plump size.
- Heavy Soil: If you have clay soil (like I do), you might find some funny looking specimens if you don’t amend the soil. Heavy soil makes it hard for the taproots to grow as they should; they may fork or split, they may grow short and stubby, or they might twist and turn among themselves. Heavy soil is one of the biggest causes of forking in carrots.
- Bolting: If you have a long hot growing season like I do, you may encounter bolting among your carrots. Yes, carrots can perform as annuals in some climates! When the carrot bolts, you’ll notice a flower stalk forming. Some varieties, especially the novelty ones, are notorious for bolting early and quickly. They put all of their energy towards flowering and seeding rather than forming a taproot; which is understandable, as their primary purpose is to reproduce rather than survive.
Carrots Growing Flowers the First Year? Aren’t They Biennial?
Carrots are biennial plants. This means that they live for two years:
- In the first year, they sprout and grow foliage, while producing a taproot to store energy in.
- In the second year, the taproot sends up a very large plant that flowers, which produces seed.
If your carrots are bolting in the first year, they’re likely experiencing conditions that are excellent for flowering. For some, their carrots may go through a frigid early-spring cold snap and begin bolting when the temperatures warm up. For others, they may have long growing seasons with record heat.
If your carrots seem to bolt every year, try planting them 8 weeks before the first frost date in your area. This should allow your carrots to achieve a significant amount of growth without giving them an opportunity to flower. As the taproot develops, cool weather will arrive. This will make a very big difference in your harvest.
Why Are My Carrots Growing Slowly?
If your carrots barely seem to be growing at all, be sure to have some patience. As seedlings, they take what seems like forever to reach even a few inches in height. They will be very slow to grow during their first 8 to 10 weeks!
If it has been longer than 12 weeks and your seedlings are hardly any bigger than they were at sprouting, you likely have a lighting problem or the weather is still too cold. Are the seedlings receiving full sunlight? Are the days reaching into the 60’s (Fahrenheit)? If the answer to either (or both) of these questions is no, then your carrots aren’t thriving well enough to produce the growth you’d like to see from them.
My Carrots Are Short and Stubby. How Do I Grow Long, Thick, Straight Carrots?
When carrots grow short and stubby, one of two things occurred:
- You grew carrot seeds that produce carrots that are short and stubby or,
- Your carrots encountered resistance or poor growing conditions.
Always research the size of different carrot varieties if you are in search of a large carrot. Some people prefer naturally short and stubby carrots (like this cute variety), especially if they have clay soil. If you have lighter soil, opt for a longer carrot. Most online catalogs will tell you what carrot size you could expect; however, please note that not every plant will produce a prime carrot.
If you are looking to grow the longest, thickest, straightest carrots you’ve ever seen, be prepared to baby your plants. First, start with a great variety like this one, and ensure your seeds are fresh.
Next, amend your beds for planting. You want the carrots to have loose, sandy soil, enriched with compost. The soil should be fine, providing excellent drainage. If you can run your fingers and tools through the soil easily, the carrots should have an easy time growing large tap roots. The soil should be deep enough to accommodate the roots; with the variety recommended above, this would mean you need a bed of 12″ or deeper.
When the seedlings sprout and begin to take off, ensure that the plants have a minimum of 2″ spacing; 3″ if you want the largest carrots and have the space. Keep the bed weed free to reduce competition for nutrients, sunlight, or water.
The carrot bed should not be planted in an area that is shaded, or you will not grow very large carrots. Keep this in mind when planning your beds initially.
What Causes Carrots to Fork, Grow Knots, and Twist?
Carrots may fork in dense soils, especially in compacted clay. Forking is one of the simpler (and most common) forms of carrot disfigurement. It looks like the carrot has a lower torso and two legs; again, this is common in heavy soils as the carrot’s taproot attempts to dive down into the earth.
If you grow your carrots in heavy soil, you may also find some funny looking carrots that knot themselves up, growing into one another, into a strange looking mess. These carrots are still edible, they’re just hard to clean! Twisted carrots are pretty neat little discoveries though; they’re kind of like clouds. There’s no telling what you’ll see with these carrots!
Root knot nematodes are also a major cause of forking, but infestation is usually evident. You may see galls on the taproots, unusual formations, and generally a reduced yield overall. You won’t see a smooth, clean, healthy carrot in these cases.
Can You Eat Carrots with Root Knot Nematodes?
You CAN eat these carrots, but the much bigger question is: Do you really want to?
Few people are interested in eating a carrot infested with nematodes; but it is largely cosmetic. The carrot is still edible, as the nematodes won’t hurt you. However, you may invest more work than it’s worth trying to clean, prepare, and cook these carrots, especially with a reduced yield.
However, it probably is good to know that, in an emergency situation, you can eat these carrots without any worries. I would recommend working lots of marigolds into the soil, as the plant is known to reduce populations of these nematodes. You could even grow Marigold seeds it as a green manure, then till it in.
Carrots Are Cracking and Splitting in the Garden Before I Can Harvest Them!
It’s absolutely heartbreaking to find out that your produce has split before you have the opportunity to harvest it. From tomatoes to watermelons, it happens quite frequently; you would never think a carrot would split though!
If your carrots are cracking or if your carrots are splitting in the ground, you’re likely dealing with a water problem. Too much water can cause carrots to split, but it’s usually due to water stress (rather than an abundance of moisture).
In short, when carrots go through periods of dry weather only to face days of continuous rainfall or watering, the plant absorbs too much water and the root may split or crack due to pressure.
In order to prevent this issue or limit it, ensure that your carrots have well draining soil, and that they are not exposed to excessive moisture following drought-like conditions. Water them as necessary throughout the growing season to maintain even moisture throughout the bed. This may not be enough to prevent cracking in very wet climates; in these cases, you may need a raised bed like this one with additional sand to promote drainage.
Carrots Taste Bitter, Why Aren’t They Sweet?
If your carrots were exposed to hot conditions while growing, that’s why they’re bitter. I promise: in our area, a fall carrot is a sweet carrot. Spring carrots just can’t compete! The cooler weather is responsible for the sweetness within a carrot; if your carrot plants knew no more than sunny spring days and sweltering July heat, you’re not going to enjoy the best flavor from your harvest. Considering starting your carrots a month or two early in one of these types of handy green houses if a late winter/early spring planting is your only option, or plant for a fall harvest.
This is the science behind a sweet carrot:
When the carrot plant encounters frost, it goes into survival mode and begins producing sugar. This sugar makes its way through the plant, keeping the plant from freezing in cold temperatures. Other plants would freeze, their cells would rupture, and the plant would wilt upon thawing. This is not so with carrot plants (and others, such as Brussels Sprouts!). Instead, this sugar that is produced acts like a sort of plant antifreeze. Thus, when you harvest carrots that have been kissed by frost, you will have deliciously sweet carrots.
This is the trick to producing the juiciest, sweetest, most divine carrots that you’ll ever produce on your homestead.
If you have other issues with your carrot patch, feel free to discuss it in the comments below!