Carrots are such a delicious treat from the garden, but they can be a challenge to get them growing. 

Carrots have one of the longest germination times for any vegetable – 14 to 21 days (depending on variety).  If you are just beginning gardener, germination time is roughly the time it takes for a seed to sprout.  In two weeks to almost a month, that is a lot of time for seeds to blow away and for you to have to maintain moisture. 

Whether you decide to plant intensively using square foot gardening or in rows, the most important part of planting carrots is to give them room to grow!  Carrots need to be planted 2” apart so the have enough room to absorb water and nutrients to grow.  If you choose to use the square foot gardening method like we do, you should plant enough seeds to ensure 16 carrots per square foot. 

If you plant them too closely you will have small, stunted carrots or wonky mutated carrots. 

Prior to planting, water the soil to ensure seed placement and saturation.  In order to plant this densely, I draw my hand sideways ¼ – ½” deep along the planting area (in my case 4 parallel rows per square foot) and sprinkle seeds generously down the row (they are little and a bit hard to handle at times). Cover the seeds lightly with soil and water again to make sure the seeds are properly hydrated for optimal germination. 

Cue *magic* – Ok, so it’s not my magic, but this HAS to be shared!

I learned the greatest carrot trick of all time from Roots and Refuge Farm (link to video). Simply cover the seeds after you sow them with cardboard or a 2×4.  Yep, that’s it, but WOW does it make a world of difference!

I had these boards left over from furniture packaging and they work great for this! They did warp a bit from the moisture, but this will be their permanent job, so I was fine with a bit of occupational damage.

Keep the seeds covered until they sprout – usually around a week.  This has been a GAME CHANGER in my carrot planting!

Check the seedlings daily for germination after about 7 days and uncover as soon as you see seedlings emerge.

After germination, carrots are very low maintenance – keep watering them and protect them from heavy frost.  Carrots concentrate their sugars following frosts and are sweeter after a frost.  Carrots can be mulched with straw to keep well throughout the winter.

I hope you found this helpful and happy planting!