Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
Apiaceae · carrot family
- Matures
- 120–150 days
- Harvest
- Once · Annual
- Sun
- 4–8+ hrs
- Spacing
- 2 in
Planting window
When to sow, by microclimate — foggier blocks run a different calendar than sunnier ones.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Sunny | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foggy | ● | ● | ◐ | |||
| Sunny | ● | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
<2 hrsNot suited
2–4 hrsMarginal
4–6 hrsWell-suited
6–8 hrsWell-suited
8+ hrsWell-suited
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
6–10"Not suited
10–15"Marginal
15–18"Well-suited
18–24"Well-suited
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Spacing
Room each plant needs — along the row and between rows — for sizing beds.
- In-row
- 2 in
- Between rows
- 6–12 in
Growth habit
The shape it makes in the bed and how tall it gets — what tells you whether to give it a trellis, a stake, or just room.
- Habit
- Low mound
- Mature height
- 6–18 in
Low and self-supporting — no staking needed.
How to start it
Sow it where it grows, or raise it under cover and set it out — and how far ahead to start the seedlings if it's the latter.
- Usually
- Direct-sow
Direct-sowWell-suited
TransplantNot suited
Sown straight into the bed it will grow in.
Well-suitedMarginalNot suited
Getting started
How it goes in the ground — how deep to sow or set it, and the soil temperature it needs to wake up. The cold-soil floor is the real limiter for direct-sowing in a foggy SF spring.
- Started from
- From seed
- Ideal soil temp
- 65–85°F
- Sow depth
- 0.25 in
- Time to emerge
- 6–10 days
Germinates between 40–95°F; happiest around 65–85°F.
30°F110°F
IdealWorkable
Pests & diseases
What tends to trouble this crop — what it is, what you'll see, and what to do about it, least-toxic first.
Pests5
Aphids
- What it is
- Aphids have soft pear-shaped bodies with long legs and antennae and may be green, yellow, brown, red, or black depending on the species and the plants they feed on. A few species appear waxy or woolly due to the secretion of a waxy white or gray substance over their body surface.
- What you'll see
- Low to moderate numbers of leaf-feeding aphids aren't usually damaging in gardens or on trees. However, large populations can turn leaves yellow and stunt shoots; aphids can also produce large quantities of a sticky exudate known as honeydew, which often turns black with the growth of a sooty mold fungus.
- What to do
- Before planting vegetables, check surrounding areas for sources of aphids and remove these sources. On the other hand, these aphid-infested weeds can sometimes provide an early source of aphid natural enemies.
Carrot Rust Fly
- What it is
- The larval forms of the rust fly are stiff white maggots about 0.33 inch long. Adults are small flies.
- What you'll see
- Carrot rust fly larvae cause surface tunnels in roots. Tunnels are filled with a rusty mush and the stiff white maggots.
- What to do
- Plant carrots to avoid the egg-laying periods of the fly. Covering seedbeds with row cover or individual plants with protective cones may help prevent infestations.
Cutworms
- What it is
- Cutworms are dull brown caterpillars ranging in length from 1 to 2 inches when fully grown. They curl into a C-shape when disturbed.
- What you'll see
- Cutworms feed on blossoms and leaves of many ornamental plants and attack most garden crops. They clip off seedling stems near or just below the soil level.
- What to do
- Cutworms are pests mainly in the spring. Destroy crop residues; keep garden weed-free in winter.
Flea Beetles
- What it is
- Their small size, enlarged back legs, characteristic shot-hole damage, and habit of jumping when disturbed make flea beetles easy to identify. There are numerous flea beetle species.
- What you'll see
- Adults feed mostly on leaves, leaving tiny pits or small holes at their feeding sites. Flea beetles feeding together can cover leaves with bleached, pitted areas or ragged holes.
- What to do
- Remove debris in the fall to remove any overwintering beetles. Reflective mulches applied very soon after planting and before plants become infected can be helpful.
Whiteflies
- What you'll see
- Whiteflies use their piercing, needlelike mouthparts to suck sap from phloem, the food-conducting tissues in plant stems and leaves. Large populations can cause leaves to turn yellow, appear dry, or fall off plants.
- What to do
- Whiteflies have many natural enemies, and outbreaks frequently occur when these natural enemies have been disturbed or destroyed by pesticides, dust buildup, or other factors. General predators include lacewings, bigeyed bugs, and minute pirate bugs.
Diseases4
Bacterial Soft Rot of Carrots
- What you'll see
- Bacterial soft rot appears as a soft, watery, and slimy decay of the taproot. The decay rapidly consumes the core of the carrot, often leaving the epidermis intact.
- What to do
- Soft rot is most often associated with warm weather and standing water caused by poor drainage or low areas. Plant on raised beds, maintain good drainage, and avoid practices that could wound roots.
Beet Leafhopper Transmitted Virescence Agent (BLTVA) on Carrots
- What you'll see
- Symptoms of beet leafhopper transmitted virescence agent include reddish purple leaves. Infected plants often bolt prematurely.
- What to do
- BLTVA is a phytoplasmalike organism transmitted by the beet leafhopper, Circulifer tenellus. Destroy infected plants.
Damping Off and Root Dieback of Carrots
- What you'll see
- Carrots infected with the Pythium fungus fail to emerge, or they fall over and die soon after emerging. Stems usually have a dark, shriveled portion at the soil line.
- What to do
- Pythium is spread in water and soil. Avoid planting during high temperatures and keep soil as cool as possible when the weather is warm.
Leaf Spots on Carrots
- What you'll see
- Leaf spots can occur on any carrot tissue above ground. However, symptoms are usually most severe and obvious along leaflet margins.
- What to do
- Cercospora and Alternaria leaf spots are favored by moist conditions. Keep foliage dry and avoid overhead sprinklers.
Sources
Every figure above is backed by these.
- UC Master Gardeners, San Mateo–SF Countiesbacks plantingWindow, startMethod · Foggy & Sunny calendars, Carrot row: seed Feb-Aug (foggy), Jan-Jun & Aug-Sep (sunny). Start method: Foggy & Sunny calendars, Carrot row: (S) sow seed only.
- Golden Gate Gardening (Pam Peirce)backs plantingWindow, sunlight, lifecycle, harvestStyle · Foggier/Sunnier planting-times charts, Carrot row (shoulder-month maybes: Jan/Sep foggy, Oct/Nov sunny); tolerates part shade. Sunny July is held at 'no' per the uc-mg-sanmateo-sf calendar's deliberate midsummer gap, not the chart's July shade — the chart parse is corroboration-only for timing. Habit and harvest: annual, once — from this source's entry for this crop.
- UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara County (Containers)backs soilDepth · Soil-depth-by-crop, moderate-depth (12-18 in): carrots (short varieties).
- UC Master Gardeners, Sonoma County (Planting Summary)backs daysToMaturity, inRowSpacing, rowSpacing, startMethod · Vegetable Planting Summary, Carrots row: 120-150 days, 2 in in-row spacing. Between-row spacing 6-12 in (Carrots row). Start method: Vegetable Planting Summary, Carrots row: method D (usually direct-sown).
- UC Master Gardeners, Sacramento County (Germination)backs germination · GN 154 soil-temp table, carrots row: 40/65–85/95°F; germinationDays 6–10 derived from Table 2 across the optimum band.
- USDA GRIN Taxonomybacks botany
- Colorado State University Extension (Master Gardener)backs plantingDepth · Table 1 Cool Season, Carrots row: 1/4 in.
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finderbacks growthHabit · Daucus carota var. sativus: MBG Height 0.25-3.00 ft; 'Carrots typically grow from 3" to 36" tall depending on variety', finely divided foliage in a basal rosette (no support). Stored 6-18 in as the typical mature foliage-top height within that range; low-mound.
- UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara Countybacks startMethod · Start method: Planting chart: Carrots carry a Direct seed row only, and the From seed to transplant column reads Not applicable — the taproot forks if disturbed.