The Ultimate Guide to Planting Carrots

Carrots can be a finicky vegetable crop to get started. Let us help you with some easy tips for growing the best carrots ever.
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[@joelhenderson5526]

Travis you did the best always work the soil. God intended for the soil to be worked!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Yes he did.

[@larryrobertson3310]

well not originally, but yes after the fall of man through adam and eve !! lol

[@harleytucker21]

Thanks for the great video. I have very heavy clay soil, and through trial and error found this method to work best. I no longer till the soil, but plant a deep rooting cover crop then mow it or roller crimp right before or at bloom. Sometimes I plant turnips, beets or radishes before instead of cover crop. The idea is to break loose the soil. Then I cover it with black plastic for 4-6 weeks depending on how cold it is. Then I work a light cultivation with a small amount of compost. I plant 4 rows on 30” beds with 18” walkways. In my soil this method outperformed all other methods by a considerable amount. I seed raw seed with your hoss seeder with a slightly more opened up #2 plate. I sprinkler germinate, then switch to drip once fully up. I was surprised to see you hand sow your raw seed!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We like to plant especially thick and not thin. That way they're planted in a band instead of a single linear line. Sounds like you've got a great system!

[@brianradio7311]

Tryed the double row method this late August and had great success. easier to plant,weed and got double production from a 2 row 40 foot long bed.For better production and straighter carrots plant on a raised bed using a row hipper.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Good to hear you had great success with double rows. Our soil drains really well, so we don't have to bed it when planting.

[@jandevries6660]

best video i ever have seen about planting carrots! Clear and contentful ... 👍👍👍

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@charlesherrington63]

I bought my carrot seeeds and alot more from you. The genetic strength. .. super vital. Nice strong plants. Not just the carrots. I have squash ,tomatoes a few if your seeds. Just wanted to shout out for ya.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Good stuff

[@valerygallardo6972]

Really helpful! Thanks

[@DeepSouthHomestead]

I may give this a try this fall.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We think you'll be pleased. The key is to have that stale weed seed bed and keep the beds soaked until germination.

[@GrowWhereYouArePlanted]

Thanks so much for this video. I planted carrots and only a few have germinated. Your tips about planting a lot of seed and keeping the soil moist for the seeds to germinate are very helpful.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Glad it was helpful! That does make a world of difference.

[@amsav2718]

Thank you so much for this video, and thee step by step. I have been researching for a few hours for planting direction for carrots, and yours gave me the confidence to have a good outcome...... God bless for all the time and patience 👼🥕🥕👼 God bless for all the time and patience......i

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Thanks for watching! Best of luck with your next carrot crop!

[@jamieceazar]

Once again you guys give the Best info! Definitely going to try this method this year with my carrots.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Thanks Jamie! Let us know how it works for you.

[@AUDIOSWAMP]

I bought some pepper seeds from you and by chance there was a stray carrot seed in the pack I have no idea what the variety ie but it is growing strong and healthy everything we get from you does really well even if it’s a random seed!! Looking forward to tasting it soon !! Thanks I plan on ordering carrot seeds from you next season !!

[@CaneCreekMusic]

I sew my carrot seeds sparingly in a raised bed because the carrots don’t like my clay soil. I apply a one inch thick layer of compost and see on top. Once I see I cover them with some old light gray bed sheets I picked up used and keep the bed, sheet and all, wet. After 4-5 days I check for germination every other day. Once the majority of the seed have germinated I uncover. The sheet has eliminated my germination and weed issues for the last few years

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We've seen people use this technique in raised beds before. Seems to work very well.

[@bertinabeng8393]

Wow! I love it! I found the first video that didn't talk about thinning out... oh, one that actually talked about not thinning out. So it's another tip I learned. Meanwhile, I might not be mechanincal but I think this application will help a great deal. Thank you... Let's do carrots!

[@ronbell7920]

Travis, I just can't stand bending over to plant those seeds by hand. So, I use my Hoss seeder and the pelleted seeds for lettuce, broccoli, and carrots! Carrots are a bit more of challenge, and patients is a virtue with carrots as they take a long time to mature! I am doing more and more with my broad fork and wheel hoe. Maybe you should retouch on using these tools in another video!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

If bending over is an issue, the pelleted seeds and our Garden Seeder definitely make it easier.

[@RandWFarmstead-TonyWalsh]

Catching up on videos while trying to improve my carrot knowledge.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Thanks

[@musiimeremegio434]

I like u farm sir am going to start

[@cherylbertolini3140]

Thanks so much for the great tips! I planted pelleted last year and they grew:) did not buy them this year I’m going to try scarlet Nate’s, cosmic purple and Amarillo carrots non-pelleted.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Nothing better than fresh carrots from the garden!

[@timothygunter1712]

Thank you!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You're welcome!

[@ashelymichael5808]

That was really helpful.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

👍

[@christiensgarden3325]

Great video

[@wsmith6270]

Thanks for a most informative article, I would love to find sources to purchase the manual tools that you use.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You can find all of our products online at www.hosstools.com.

[@tinaoliver6399]

Thanks for the info on starting my carrot seeds, i was so confused on when to start them, but your video gave me all the info i needed. Thank you....sorry don't know your name.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Glad you enjoyed the video Tina!

[@abkchapter6074]

Tina Oliver can we do business together

[@abkchapter6074]

Tina Oliver meet me on Facebook Abk chapter

[@tinaoliver6399]

@@abkchapter6074 sorry don't know what you mean !!!

[@1982MCI]

Tina Oliver just another scammer Tina, ignore the idiots!!

[@jacobeksor6088]

I am eating carrot now when I watching you video.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Haha! Nothing like the smell and taste of fresh dug carrots!

[@MrJh66sh]

Nice information video on growing carrots which is one vegetable i know nothing about growing so thanks for that . One quick question after you have havest the carrots do you pull up your drip tape and can you reuse next season? Thanks Jason

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You can reuse next season

[@jeg3508]

How often do you water your carrots when the plants start growing? Thank you for your reply. Great video!!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We like to keep the soil wet, but not boggy. That will depend on your climate and soil type. Usually once or twice a week for the overwintered carrots.

[@jeg3508]

Thank you

[@Mtkrvi06]

I tell my daughter she is going to turn into a carrot lol. She eats so many....and year after year I try to plant some so I am not buying 4 bags a week. I think I’m planting too hot! Thank u for this Where do u find that wheel thing u were using??

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You can see all our wheel hoe models here: hosstools.com/product-category/wheel-hoes/

[@krisoluich9119]

For hotter weather, I’ve found Mokum to be unsurpassed. No bitterness.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Might have to check that one out.

[@howardrawlings4456]

I have trouble with germination, just like you said. I don't have a large patch like you. Someone suggested I put a board over them until they come up. Have you ever tried this?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You can use a board or a tarp. The concept is to keep the soil moist for at least 7 days to get good germination. The drip tape makes it easy because you can just run it over night and keep it wet.

[@Farmd427]

You mentioned shooting some fertilizer to the carrots. What fertilizer schedule do you advise on carrots?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Every two weeks, 20-20-20 + MicroBoost through the injector.

[@buckshots4800]

I sure wish I had found y'alls channel back in October. There is always next year. Planting them in November seems way early. I would have never thought. What is your ball park estimate of bolting early onions for the standard winter for you? I blood pressure goes up when I see bolting onions. Thanks.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We always plant onions in November and overwinter them, much like we do carrots. The earlier we can plant them, the larger they'll get before they bolt. The Texas Legend is a great variety that seems to not bolt as much. Glad you found our channel!

[@davidbass7593]

We used to plant sets in February in n Louisiana but these days it's a rainy and wet time to plant anything

[@brmabry58]

What’s your thoughts on using mushroom compost as a soil amendment? Made my first order yesterday really excited! Thanks Brett from Arkansas!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Mushroom compost is good stuff! Wish we could get it by the truckload here, but all we can get is bags from the big box stores.

[@brmabry58]

Sorry didn’t mean to double comment was binge watching y’alls videos thought I had asked this on most recent video. I Need to quit being lazy and go plant those tators!

[@Trivit30]

Yaknow... I never really had any troubles with carrots.... I've been planting double rows of them for years.... like 20 + ... I like bush beans that way too

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Yes, it works well for bush beans, beets, radishes and many more.

[@Trivit30]

Hoss Tools did you know if you are diabetic beets can make your blood sugar wack.... they are super high in sugar content

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Did not know that.

[@Trivit30]

Hoss Tools I didn't know that Ethier until my mother went into diabetic shock.... she ate 1 too many lol but she's ok

[@larrymoore6640]

Travis, thanks for this helpful video. Just got my Bolero carrot seeds in. I don't have drip tape any good recommendation for watering, thinking of using a tripod watering system.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Keep the seed bed moist for at least 7 days after planting, regardless of watering method.

[@faithsrvtrip8768]

Go here: www mrdrip dot com they have 1/4 inch soaker hose, 1/2 inch soaker hose, drip tape, poly tubing, connectors and instructions.

[@rosejafari8917]

So you don't tarp them or put a board over the seeds for 7 to 9 days. I'll try this but I don't have irrigation but I'll water them by hand. Looks good.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

No, just water every day until germinated.

[@michaeldominy2084]

Hi, I see you give good info’ on planting your carrots, but, surely the most important thing is what you start with, that is, ‘ ground preparation’, surely from experience the ground for carrots has to be as light as a feather, for what reason I don’t have a clue.?🤔

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Very true!

[@flapitheflaper3592]

I like the item s you are using it in farming , it s safe the nature , my sincse teacher always say using machine s in farming destroy the soil , please do a vedioe a bout where you but your item's!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

hosstools.com

[@garyschmelzer]

Thanks travis, according to your dad your the carrot master

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Haha. Don't know about master, but had some pretty good harvests.

[@alph8654]

Who is his dad ???

[@garyschmelzer]

@@alph8654 Greg

[@alph8654]

@@garyschmelzer Thanks Gary for the info. On another video done by Travis i asked him and he said Greg just as you did. I thought they looked a lot alike.

[@jimrenderer6627]

What do you think about planting Chantenay carrots under Silver King sweet corn after the corn has been pruned at about 12 inches up from the ground ?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Could work if the soil temp is right for carrots.

[@jillhumphrys8073]

What zone are you in? Im in NWArkansas and judging by your accent, you must be somewhere around zone 7 or higher. I've had trouble sprouting carrots in summer for a fall crop, and didn't think planting them in October would even work. This year, we've been very cool only topping out at 90 so far and it's mid July now. So i planted last week, hoping for the best. But I think I want to try late fall planting and see what happens!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

8b

[@thefrenchgardener1865]

Hi, can you tell us what type of carrot you like to grow? Are teh seeds pelleted or not? What zone are you growing in? Thanks

[@thefrenchgardener1865]

I jumped the gun on these questions about pelleted vs non-pellet and varieties. Sorry. But what zone are you in? I live in NW Georgia.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We're in zone 8b, down here in south GA -- an hour north of the GA/FLA line.

[@billywright4517]

What about growing carrots in oklahoma? Can i plant early spring or should i plant in the fall? I feel our winter will be too extreme for carrots to winter in oklahoma.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Early Spring

[@debvoltolina6143]

Nothing like a nice fresh carrot. Where do you get one of those garden tools.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You can see all of our products on our website here: hosstools.com/

[@Tara-sf7uu]

Do you ever have issues with drip tape getting larger openings in it and reducing the water pressure past that point?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Have not had any issues with that. If you do get a leak, you can easily fix that with a coupling though. Sometimes we might accidentally nick the tape with a hoe and that requires a coupling, but it's an easy fix.

[@larrymoore6640]

@@gardeningwithhoss I have never tried drip tape yet. Do you have a video about it and how to repair it, like you just mentioned using a coupling for a leak

[@icecreamladydriver1606]

What nutrients do carrots need and is pine ash from the wood stove good for carrots and the garden in general? Thanks.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

moderate levels of nitrogen, and low levels of phosphorus and potassium.

[@gloriawemonia3189]

Can i plant carrots without fertilzer? Also, is it normal for carrot seeds to be colourful? Coz i bought some carrot seeds and they kinda look green

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You can plant them without fertilizer, but it's a good idea to add a complete fertilizer like a 20-20-20 at some point for optimal growth. Some carrot seeds are treated with thiram, which is a very mild fungicide that prevents damping off. That's probably why they were colored.

[@markprescott2011]

Great Video!! How would you do it on 30 inch raised beds?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

You could probably do two double rows, giving a total of four rows on the 30" bed.

[@alph8654]

I use pelleted seeds and get 5-6 rows in a 30 inch wide bed. I put them about 4-5 inches apart and they do fine. I get a lot of carrots that way. Definitely need to keep the bed wet until they germinate as Travis said.

[@nickuk911]

I am quite new to growing and last year i had a lot of sucess with many veg however i sowed a pack of carrot seeds and ended up weirdly with one very large healthy growing carrot plant! No idea what happened to the rest them! I did however spread a couple bags ofwell rotted manure in the soil and learned after sowing that carrot do not like manure.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We till in chicken manure prior to planting ours and they always do well. The trick is to incorporate it into the soil. You can't just put it on top of the soil.

[@rickpoteet371]

Know this is an older video, but have a question, when and how much fertilizer is used

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Check out our carrot growing guide from Hoss University. It has a fertilization schedule hosstools.com/carrot-growing-guide/

[@reesietee1963]

How do u keep the critters out of them? Like Thumper?🐿🐇🐺

[@gardeningwithhoss]

cats, dogs and lead

[@briantaylor1988]

How often do you fertilize them? Thanks!

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Check out our growing guide in the link below. It has our recommended schedule. hosstools.com/carrot-growing-guide/

[@jasongoodman3174]

Would this method work for radishes and turnips

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Yes, absolutely

[@The5thGen]

I live in Northeastern Maryland. We get hard freezes. Would that have a negative impact on fall seeded carrots?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Carrots are really cold hardy. The trick is to get them up and growing before the really cold temps arrive.

[@LauralieNY]

@@gardeningwithhoss Should you mulch once the cold weather begins?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We don't mulch annuals because it's time consuming and aggravating to remove when turning over crops and replanting, but you could if you wanted.

[@firefighter1797]

Thanks for the great video! I just planted my first crop of carrots a couple weeks ago. They germinated nicely and look good so far. How long is your typical time to harvest on your carrots?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

If we grow them in the spring, they usually take 2-3 months. When we grow them in the fall and overwinter them, they take 4-5 months.

[@qetsiyahhere8928]

any updates

[@James-mv9qx]

Thanks for the video, great advice, one question though. My first attempt at carrots, they germinated fine, in a brand new raised bed, with soil/compost from a garden centre. The tops of the carrots grew like 3-4 feet high, but when they started to die back and I harvested them, there was almost nothing underneath, maybe the size of your pinkie finger and all white. What did I do wrong?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Hmm. Never seen that before. First guess would be some sort of nutrient deficiency.

[@carolynsteele5116]

My carrots bolted last season and had pale, woody flesh, which I attributed to an unusually hot summer. Other years they produced tasty orange flesh and the tops weren’t super tall.

[@danhaley4465]

Too much nitrogen not enough phosphorus. Get some actual organic “carrot” fertilizer n you’ll be happy!

[@krisoluich9119]

Maybe this is a crazy question but do you sell tool handles that would allow you to walk on the side of the row like a BCS tiller does?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We have some offset brackets that allow you to do that. We don't have them listed on the site, but you can give us a call and order them.

[@krisoluich9119]

Hoss Tools Thanks

[@loragardner7311]

I planted my carrots in the seeding flat. When do I transplant into raised bed?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

It is not recommended to transplant carrots.

[@jackipalmer5680]

Great videos! What state do you live in?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We're in south GA, about an hour north of the GA/FLA line.

[@anthonyhawk7484]

@@gardeningwithhoss Sounds like you are around Valdosta.

[@LadyTSurvival]

do you mulch the carrots during the winter and then remove it in the spring to protect them?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We don't mulch them. Doesn't get cold enough down here to necessitate that.

[@willsmulongoti6237]

What fertiliser dd you use sir.

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Choose a fertilizer that has little nitrogen and more potassium and phosphate - 0-10-10 or 5-15-15 hosstools.com/product/tomato-vegetable-bubble-fertilizer/

[@SuperSafetychick]

Can carrots be planted in the fall to over winter in northern states such as Wisconsin

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Many folks do it, but you've gotta heavily mulch around the base of the plants with straw.

[@flapitheflaper3592]

When I give the water to my carrot every tow days?

[@customcutter100]

So you don't recommend planting carrots from plain seed with the Hoss Planter???

[@gardeningwithhoss]

no, they are too small. No mechanical planter does a good with carrots.

[@customcutter100]

@@gardeningwithhoss Thanks, I'm going to try my old Earthway again. Finally got it back from my In-Laws that borrowed it 25 years ago. They lost all of the seed plates except carrot. I picked up a used Hoss Wheel Hoe Planter last year for $25 in like new condition. It did a great job with my spring garden larger seeds. I noticed one small seed plate that looks like it is made for carrot or lettuce seed. Thanks for making a great product.

[@cowboy898]

What do you use for fertilizer?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We inject 20-20-20 (hosstools.com/product/20-20-20-garden-fertilizer/) and Micro-Boost (hosstools.com/product/micro-boost/) through the drip system. Works great!

[@VastCNC]

About how wide does the spacing end up between your carrots in the double row?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

In the double row, the carrots are probably about 4-6" apart.

[@agdayem]

Do you grow red radish the same way? Thanks

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Yes, but don't plant them as thick if you want larger radishes.

[@kaelieturner86]

What does it mean to plant in a band?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

Instead of the seeds being one-by-one in a linear row (like you see in corn), you have plants that are 2-4 wide in a band.

[@rbbiefah]

Thanks . What was the flow rate per 100ft of your drip tape ?

[@gardeningwithhoss]

0.4 gallons per minute per 100 ft of tape.

[@rbbiefah]

@@gardeningwithhoss I call that high flow . Mine is .44gpm per 100' What attachment did you use to to harrow your weeds between rows ?

[@joanneaschenbach3590]

How do you thin out your carrots

[@gardeningwithhoss]

We don't thin them. We like little carrots and big carrots. So we plant them thick and let them grow --works great for weed suppression between rows.