The EASIEST Way To Grow Carrots!

[@Jacqueline-nk1pt]

Here's my carrot seeding method: I sprinkle the seeds in the soil then I say "I sure hope these carrot seeds don't sprout. Having carrots growing would be a nightmare." The seeds can hear you and will sprout in record time.

[@sparklelee5948]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@sparklelee5948]

Omg!!!! I laughed so loud on this

[@meggrowsplants]

Hahahahahaha exactly!

[@meggrowsplants]

Yall, I was sweating so much out in this muggy and hot garden!!! was so hot had me tripping up on my words 😂😂

[@DebRoo11]

Clearly you've never seen most of us looking like a hot mess in our gardens 😂 you look beautiful as always

[@meggrowsplants]

@@DebRoo11thank you! But trust me when I’m not on camera I definitely am looking a mess! I just try to at least look presentable for KZbin but this weather is not cooperating with me 😂

[@cheese_andcrackers]

I feel you- I’m in the Triangle area of NC and I’m getting ready to go out and garden before more rain. I just checked the weather and it’s 99% humidity right now 🥵.

[@jenmv3483]

Girl, your hair gotta go up in a ponytail when it's hot! Hot mess LOL 😎

[@breik8183]

You need an extension cord and a good fan! It will keep the mosquitos off you too

[@sagessedantan]

I have 39 days until my supposed first frost date, and so I'm throwing a last hoorah for my garden! I chaos sowed some carrots, started some more brassicas and planted some bush beans - we'll see!

[@AlisonV362]

I love your term "chaos gardening"! I definitely live that, even outside the garden! LOL

[@jessicadavis1709]

The timing on this is so perfect. I have tried Everything to get carrots to germinate-pure potting mix, all different percentages of vermiculite, perlite, sand. The cardboard trick, the board trick, on top of the soil, buried 1/4 in, you name it. I was just telling a friend the other day that I'm giving up on carrots. But I'm going to give it one more shot with the "not caring trick." 😂

[@meggrowsplants]

I'm telling you, the carrots know! Just throw them out before a rain and watch the magic happen. Let me know how it goes for you!

[@wellersonoliveira5334]

About the "mystical" aspect, seems if you are puttin' high expectstions on said plant, they seem to become overcharged and not grow at all. Recently, I planted some red sun flowers, and the ones I was expecting growing, never did. At the same time, the ones I never paied much attention are stunning, granted, its white fly season here, so they grow slower, but anyway, thats my take haha

[@meggrowsplants]

Agree!

[@mamaslittlehomestead]

Same! I had highest hopes for my zinnias and paste tomatoes this year, and literally nothing yet 😞

[@IDpeaceBOA46]

I just did mine! I’m in zone 7b and I just filled a large grow bag with what ever potting soil I had left and sprinkled in seeds. Chaos gardening is my style for sure

[@meggrowsplants]

Sending you all of the amazing carrot energy! Carrots grow pretty well in grow bags!

[@carolinavargas9362]

I planted this type of carrot this spring after you recommended last year and my carrots came out amazing 😻

[@TinaAnn527]

Such a great idea with the radish seeds! Definitely going to try that! I love your videos and weirdly feel like I know you from how much your personality shows through your content. 😂 Plus, I always learn a lot! Thanks for all the great ideas! Keep em coming! 😊 -Justine, Pennsylvania Zone 7a, Newbie Gardener

[@meggrowsplants]

Thank you so so much Justine! So glad you are here ❤️ Def try the carrot + radish trick. It’s the best!

[@AlliyScott]

this is so true, the random seeds that blew away to random spots did the best for me

[@meggrowsplants]

It always the random crops that do the best!

[@KK-FL]

Thanks for the hot & humid variety recommendation!

[@meggrowsplants]

It’s tough out in this mugginess!

[@usmsci]

@@meggrowsplants does the Danvers do as well in the hot/humid weather? i am in central florida and we do get rain but also the heat index reaches 100 before noon.

[@hawkrose8403]

I love this advice! I tried to grow carrots for the first time this spring and they were the multicolored carrots but I think I pulled them up too early they were so tiny and skinny. I now know what to do thanks to your advice! My fall seeds are set to arrive very soon and carrots are in that order. I can’t wait to plant them and see what happens!!!

[@meggrowsplants]

I’m sending you all of the good carrot growing energy I can muster!

[@teniaosayande6355]

Carrot top chimichurri sounds interesting! Great vid Meg. After Beryl destroyed my 1st gardening attempt, this vid gave me encouragement& an idea of something easy to try.

[@meggrowsplants]

It’s actually really good!! Thank you so much ❤️ I’m SO sorry to hear about the hurricane destroying your garden. I hope you can find inspiration in fall gardening and don’t give up on the year just yet!

[@LemonZaller]

6:13 I lived in North Carolina for a few years that humid and hot combo can be tough for sure! But like you said a good benefit is all that rain ,when other places would be bone dry this time of year in other parts of the US great point indeed.

[@DottieLanger]

I’m excited to report that the seeds I just sprinkled in my garden bed have germinated. I did exactly what you suggested and it worked!!! Can’t wait to see the harvest in few months!

[@GerRafferty]

Great vlog meg like those veg🥰❤

[@meggrowsplants]

Thanks so much!

[@thespiritnook]

I've never had success with carrots so I'm gonna try this no-trick trick of planting them. 😆

[@mohammadmusawwarshaikh8647]

meg if you dont know what to do with the carrots make carrot pudding its easy to make and tastes delicious and you can store it for a long time

[@meggrowsplants]

That sounds yummy! I will have to look for some recipes

[@tarawatterson4188]

Just sowed my first ever round of cosmic purple last week under cardboard. Was thinking it was a fail but you reminded me carrot germination can be slow. Might sow some orange ones too in case the finicky carrot theory applies to my garden too 😄

[@troxycat]

My cosmic purple had a very bad germination rate compared to all my others this year! Hoping to get some seeds next spring from the ones that do well, hopefully better germination next time?

[@meggrowsplants]

Oh yes, they can take up to 28 days to germinate! They can be so slow so don’t worry! But a good idea to plant some backups. Just sow some every few weeks to get some succession sowing going on!

[@emkn1479]

There are some delicious shaved/shredded carrot salads out there. And the carrot “hot dog” 😂 which I’m honestly going to try some day

[@meggrowsplants]

Carrot hot dog?? Like a whole carrot inside of a hot dog bun? I need to look this up now lol

[@StephsHealthMatters]

It's a vegan hot dog alternative ​@@meggrowsplants

[@tammyohlsson7966]

In S E Texas, I feel your pain. Humidity is like a bath, but you still stink! Blessings!

[@meggrowsplants]

Humidity is like the bane of my existence lol. Every summer makes me consider being a desert dweller

[@mikimayagain]

I dehydrated my carrot tops and made a green powder to add to so many other dishes. It's yummy.

[@tammystoddard2830]

I be had success with New Kuroda and Uzbek Golden. I’m in FL. I do cover mine with wet cardboard until they germinate.

[@meggrowsplants]

Is new kuroda like shin kuroda?? I’ll have to try that one!

[@tammystoddard2830]

@@meggrowsplants I’ve not heard of Shin Kuroda

[@bachpham1783]

I live in Zone 8a also and have SO failed on colorful carrots for a long time. Definitely sticking to orange varieties. Excited to just go wild in the garden with my carrots!

[@aileenbell6750]

Yeahhhh I live in the AZ desert. For me, vermiculite was the answer. We just don’t have enough rain, especially in the Fall/Winter, when I grow my carrots. I have grown carrots in the warmer months, and found they didn’t taste as sweet. I appreciated all of your heat tolerant suggestions. Gonna get some Shin Kurodas. ❤

[@meggrowsplants]

I think sometimes I take all of the rain we get for granted! It definitely makes surface sowing and chaos gardening alot easier. Def try shin kuroda though!!

[@Arcticdi]

Your videos resonate with me. Always look forward to your recipes too.

[@meggrowsplants]

I'm so glad to hear that! All of my recipes are going up on my SubStack now so that no one misses any of them! :)

[@courtneycullen6289]

YES! I am having an amazing carrot year thanks to your previous post on Epic about chaos carrots and radishes. I just fling seeds in my beds along with radishes and then thin as needed. Hugely helpful and the carrots keep on coming.

[@meggrowsplants]

this makes me so happy to hear! I love hearing success stories :) It honestly such a game changer for carrots all year round. Just keep throwing them out every once in a while and you have a steady supply!

[@SammyTDIYgardenAdventure]

Great harvest, I am so hoping for my carrots to grow this time I plant them in my garden

[@tammytamz3046]

I love your highlights!!

[@thecadets1031]

So true my husband’s carrots are doing so well this year by chaos planting them. I just chaos planted beans so I wait and see what happens 😅

[@brightantwerp]

Thanks for the great tips. Chaos gardening is my thing.

[@meggrowsplants]

Ditto!

[@aubreasuncion6270]

Hi Megg😊❤watching from the philippines🇵🇭❤️🥰😊

[@JK_341]

If you still end up with more than you know what to do with i'd suggest pickled carrots, i tried making some a couple of years ago and they were pretty darn tasty!

[@deshgouri]

I'm watching this from Seattle and giggled when you said that you get a lot of rain! 😅

[@simpleurbanliving]

I am from Seattle too. We get a very weird very dry summer here, no?

[@elainemiller9943]

Lol. I'm across the "pond" in Bremerton and also laughed at the so much rain comment. But I do need a method for growing root crops successfully. I'll give this a try.

[@meggrowsplants]

So someone told me the other day that Charlotte, NC gets more rain than Seattle and I didn't believe them! I googled it and it's true! We just get more rain in a short amount of time, and get a lot of flooding rains whereas in Seattle it seems like it's just raining constantly. When we get rain here, it doesn't just rain it POURS. We'll have like 2 weeks of sun, and then 2 weeks of storms. So it seems like we get more extremes here and that's why we get more inches of rain! But its just a wild fact!

[@deshgouri]

@@meggrowsplants Wow! That's crazy! I take my giggles back! 🙊🤣

[@annettebrechbill2054]

Another fabulous dose of inspiration to be an imperfect gardener 🥰🥰

[@meggrowsplants]

too hard to be perfect! im too lazy hahaha

[@annettebrechbill2054]

@@meggrowsplants 👯‍♂️🌟

[@Bigdeezly911]

Cosmic purple did the best for us in Baton Rouge, purple out performed our orange carrots. We are going to try Atomic Red this fall.

[@meggrowsplants]

It's so interesting how each environment and experience is so different! That's why I'm always saying "in my experience", because every garden is just so vastly different. Ive heard atomic red is really pretty! I grew Kyoto red once and they were so beautiful

[@markg454]

love yuor content Meg

[@meggrowsplants]

Thank you so much!

[@jenmv3483]

Meg, what was your experience with seed tape and carrots? I used seed tape with radish and they were tiny. 😆 zone 10a

[@meggrowsplants]

Me experience is that I tried it and I also got tiny carrots 😂 just didn’t work for me!

[@DottieLanger]

I’m going to try this method. I was hesitant about growing them because they can be finicky. Thanks for sharing this method. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I get a harvest this fall! 💗 your helpful videos!!

[@meggrowsplants]

Let me know how it works out for you! I love to hear success stories. sending you all the amazing carrot energy!

[@kaptynssirensong2357]

It’s funny because I chaos sewed from year one, but never did that with carrots. I saw you mention this style of gardening and realized that its a thing 😅 This is the very first time I’ve gotten carrots, and they are BEAUTIFUL. Never knew that they attracted swallowtails 😮

[@meggrowsplants]

I'm always so happy to hear a positive chaos gardening success story! and yes, carrots are one of the many host plants for the eastern black swallowtail. They're beautiful and so easy to raise!

[@lionness_simsima5941]

Hello there, hope all is well nice sharing

[@melodyh.781]

Carrots always know 🤣🤣🤪😩. I try so hard but lettuce and carrots hate me and it’s embarrassing at this point. I’ve hardened so long I just nod my head and talk about how great fresh lettuce is 😜

[@meggrowsplants]

Lettuce grows the best for me using this method too ❤

[@bowtielife]

I blame you for introducing me to the term chaos gardening, thank you! It is everything I've enjoyed doing on our property since moving in nearly 3 years ago. This really validates my desires for these gardens and I truly appreciate your content! Thank you for sharing your brief times in the garden.

[@meggrowsplants]

Something I will gladly be blamed for! lol sometimes you just have to lower your efforts and let nature do the rest. I'm so glad you enjoy it and thank you for watching :)

[@bowtielife]

@@meggrowsplants 🤣 I am finding renewed success in the garden and a stress free existence for myself this way. So happy to put a good name on the paradigm.

[@mrwormtester]

I've always been too scared to try growing carrots. I'm going to go for it this fall with this chaos method!

[@mkmwonderempire5377]

You are a charming lady. Your husband is blessed.

[@DebRoo11]

I have about 10 varieties of carrots in my fall garden 😅 sowed 2 weeks ago in Ontario Canada.

[@meggrowsplants]

Oooo what kind of varieties??

[@DebRoo11]

​@@meggrowsplantsoff the top of my head cosmic purple as well, Scarlet Nantes, New Kuroda (also a fan fave), Kyoto Red, Amarillo yellow (so yummy), St. Valery, Purple Dragon, white satin (also yummy), manpukuji (easily get 2' long) 🤔 that's most of them. My kids get a kick out of the different colors. The novelty ones always take longer to mature and taste best after a hard frost

[@wellersonoliveira5334]

Welcome back sistah 🧡

[@meggrowsplants]

thank you!

[@edwardsjarje]

New subscriber because of your latest appearance in Epic Gardening. I’m a couple growing zones south of you, but I think your recommendations will work for me. Can’t wait to try the carrot/radish method. - Ana, Florida super gardening noob, Zone 8b/9a depending on the map

[@susanrodman]

Great video! I haven’t been successful growing carrots but am going to try your chaos carroting!! Oh my gosh what type of chicken is your beautiful dark one with feathers on her feet?? Is she a Brahma?? She is gorgeous!!💕💜

[@beckymartinez9926]

I’m trying your method next time. 🥕The easiest way my carrots germinated was placing my husband’s old white Tshirt over them. The wet cotton kept them moist and they germinated much more quickly that previously.,

[@meggrowsplants]

that's a good idea! especially if you live in a drier climate!

[@tannerharmon7901]

What did you plant in place of the carrots?

[@meggrowsplants]

I’m going to add some compost afterwards and I’ll either try to get another round of determinate tomatoes in or just plant some fall brassicas!

[@tannerharmon7901]

@@meggrowsplants thank you!

[@sarajseiberthesavannahdarter]

Hey Meg thanks for all the great info. I have seen most people say not to use mulch on carrots. Should I pit mulch on after thinning though? Im in 9a South Georgia and we are hot and humid as well.

[@meggrowsplants]

I tend to not mulch my carrot patches just because they are super dense already when planted this way, so they kind of act as a living mulch as they get bigger and shade the soil. But, my beds are also irrigated so I don't have a water issue. If you feel your beds dry out extra fast, applying some wheat straw mulch after seeding can help keep them moist!

[@TheSaintNorbert]

Going to do this this weekend! My fall plot is clear and ready for some C H A O S 🎉🤪😁

[@meggrowsplants]

such a good feeling having a blank canvas to christen with some chaos hahahah

[@TheSaintNorbert]

​@@meggrowsplants happy to report the chaos carrots and radish have been chaos planted this weekend! Also got in some more fall crops for my Arctic garden like winter density lettuce, cauliflower, kale, spinach, beets and all the Swiss chard!

[@angelaschettino1327]

I struggle with carrots because of bunnies! Any suggestions to stop them from eating my carrot tops

[@DaisyONeill-q9d]

Heyy Meg I love the video it’s so helpful! But I have a question, do u ever struggle with slugs and snails in ur garden bc I do and I hate them! I went out to my garden yesterday to see one of my baby peppers with a huge bite taken out of it! So my question is do u know how to deal with slugs and snails?

[@meggrowsplants]

I do struggle with slugs during the wet season, but here that is usually after seedlings have grown quite a bit. But I’ve used beer traps before and they work quite well

[@DaisyONeill-q9d]

@@meggrowsplants thank you for the advice It will be very useful!

[@emkn1479]

Love this method, but you’ve gotta have enough rain. We are so dry anymore, if I throw seeds around nothing happens 😭 or I’ll sow before were supposed to get rain and then the rain never comes though. But when I covered them with a paper lawn and leaf bag they germinated in just a couple of days, even in really hot temperatures. Now keeping them alive in the dry heat? That’s another story 😅

[@meggrowsplants]

That’s a good point, I’m definitely spoiled here in NC with the rain. But we get a little *too* much for my liking! I think the covering methods for sure work in drier climates. Might help to set them up with some drip irrigation!

[@emkn1479]

@@meggrowsplants yeah it’s either too much or not enough. I’ve thought about irrigation but it’s too complicated for our setup and because we have hard water I’d have to be replacing blocked lines frequently and I just can’t knowingly buy in to throwing that much plastic away to grow vegetables.

[@Notable2Nikki]

I can't grow radishes or carrots for some reason. No idea why. They never size up.

[@meggrowsplants]

are you making sure to thin them out?

[@Notable2Nikki]

@@meggrowsplants yes. I think I underwater them or have them in too direct of sunlight.

[@bushman398]

It seems like everything I watch your videos you're in a different growing zone 😅

[@meggrowsplants]

We were zone 7b. It recently updated via the USDA zoning map to zone 8a!

[@larrya3989]

❤❤❤❤

[@CustomCroshae]

Yeah my carrots did for sure they hear me coming outside and was like here we go again yall she been out here twice already looking at us. 😂😅 imma try it this way next. Can I try now I’m in 8b I wanna grow them in a storage tote

[@ralphsenter6987]

Carrot nubbins!

[@meggrowsplants]

The nubbiest of carrots!

[@rachelblack379]

What is the first variety?

[@meggrowsplants]

the two varieties you see here are "Shin Kuroda", the orange one, and "cosmic purple", the purple one!