Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
Apiaceae · carrot family
Origin · Central Asia · Western Asia
- Matures
- 4–5 months
- 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 | ● | ● | ◐ | ◐ |
Sunlight
How well it does at each level of direct sun per day.
Soil depth
Root room it needs — useful for sizing raised beds and containers.
Soil pH
The soil acidity it grows best in — most crops sit just below neutral, so this mostly matters for heavily amended or long-reused beds.
- Preferred range
- pH 5.5–6.0
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.
Growing in containers
Whether it does well in a pot, planter, or window box — the SF balcony-and-deck question, weighing its footprint, form, and staying power, not just root depth.
Happy in a pot, planter, or window box — no garden bed required.
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
Sown straight into the bed it will grow in.
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.
Watering & feeding
How thirsty and how hungry it is — the water it wants and how much feeding the bed needs to keep it producing. In the fog belt even a thirsty crop drinks less than it would inland.
- Water need
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Wants steady, even moisture — roughly an inch a week, a little more in a heat spell.
A balanced feed worked into the bed at planting usually carries it through the season.
Water regularly and evenly — swings fork and crack the roots and turn them bitter; avoid overwatering, which grows hairy roots. A moderate feeder (go easy on nitrogen, which forks roots).
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.
Harvest & storage
How to tell it's ready to pick, and how to keep it once it's in.
- Keeps
- MonthsA long keeper — stores for months.
- Ready to harvest
- Pull once the shoulders are about 1 in across but still tender; flavour is best in cool weather.
- Storing
- Twist off the tops and store the roots cold and humid — they keep for months, or leave them in the ground and dig as needed.
Culinary use & nutrition
What it's for in the kitchen, and the nutrients a 100 g raw serving is a notable source of.
In the kitchen
- Raw
- Boiled / steamed
Nutrition highlights
- Excellent source
- Vitamin A
- Good source
- Vitamin K, Fiber
Share of the Daily Value in a 100 g raw serving (USDA FoodData Central).
Pollinators & wildlife
What this crop offers the garden's wildlife once it flowers — often the payoff for letting a bolting plant stand.
- Beneficial insects
- Hoverflies, lady beetles, and parasitoid wasps that keep aphids and caterpillars down.
A carrot only flowers if it bolts or is held over to a second year, and the white umbel it throws then is worked for weeks by hoverflies and small parasitic wasps whose larvae eat aphids.
Companion planting
What grows well nearby, and what to keep apart.
Plant nearby
Sow radishes down the carrot rows: they come up fast, mark the slow-germinating carrots, and pull long before the carrots crowd — and their taproots help break up the soil as they go.
Sources
Growing data on this page is drawn from UC Master Gardeners, San Mateo–SF Counties, Golden Gate Gardening (Pam Peirce), and the other references on our sources page.