How to Plant and Grow Carrots

How to Grow Carrots in a Small Garden

My first crop of carrots grown in my small garden

Growing carrots is easy if you know how. Most people who have trouble growing this vegetable make a fundamental mistake. 

Carrots should always be grown in a raised bed or in pots and containers. 

Why? The green fly can only hop onto the leaves up to a certain height.

So to avoid your carrots getting destroyed by carrot fly do not plant them into a flat bed of soil.

Soil preparation

The better the soil you use the better the carrots will be grown. Also make sure it is loose enough for the carrots to grow without hindrance or you will get stunted growth.

Use containers or pots that are large enough for growth and leave at least six inches free of soil at the top.

The carrot seeds will germinate in about 3 weeks.  You will see small shoots appear at first but they soon grow into large plants

When to plant carrot seeds

I planted my carrot seeds into three containers.

I made sure there was plenty of room left in the containers once I put in the soil so that the carrot fly would be unable to attack the leaves.

Sow the seeds in loose deep soil a few weeks before the last frost is expected to come. In Europe that will be either March or April.

The seeds will take around three weeks to germinate and then you can see shoots.

These are my carrot plants nearly fully grown and ready to pick in one of the containers in my very small garden

When you see the growth at about one inch high then you should thin out the carrot plants to approximately 2 inches apart. I had quite a few over so transplanted them into a fourth container.

Keep the carrots watered well.

If you see some of the tops of the carrots coming up through the soil make sure to cover them over. Otherwise they will become green and taste horrible.

My carrots are growing very nicely in these three containers

These are the carrots I got from one container


When to Harvest the Carrots

This will be from June to July depending on weather conditions and your crop.  Test one or two by gently pulling them up from the soil. If they are big enough then only pull what you intend to use for that days dinner.

If the carrots are too small then you can successfully push them back down into the soil for another week or two.

Always pick carrots in the evening, this will discourage green fly from attacking your plants.

Once you have pulled your carrots there are many ways to prepare and eat them.

Carrots boiled in hot water for 20 minutes, strained and covered in butter tastes delicious

How to Cook Carrots

Cut off the green leaves and wash the carrots.
Cut up in dices or strips and boil in water for about 15 to 20 mins.
Strain the water from them and add a little butter and salt

Boiled carrots, peas and potatoes from my garden on this dinner

There are many other ways you can enjoy the taste of carrots too.  Below are photos and explanations of how you can eat carrots in different ways.

Carrots diced ready for a salad

Carrot juice tastes great on its own or mixed with apple juice. Very healthy drink for all the family

Place the raw carrots into the juicer machine

Let the carrot juice fall into a container

Boiled carrots on this roast beef dinner

Grate the carrots to eat raw with a dip or add to cabbage and onions for a salad

Everything on this plate was grown in my small garden

Grate the carrots and use to make your own coleslaw for salads

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