Grow Carrots in Pots

Many gardeners may hesitate to grow carrots in pots, assuming that a pot will not offer the carrots adequate room to grow. While it is true that many standard length carrots are stunted when grown in containers, most smaller varieties thrive in containers just as well as they do when planted in the ground. Make sure you have a deep container that allows the edible root to grow deep into the planting medium, and keep the medium wet to ensure that your carrots receive enough water to maximize growth.

Steps

Preparation

  1. Select your carrot variety. Smaller varieties typically adapt to container growing better than standard-length varieties.
    • Look for "round" varieties that have a spherical shape. Options include Thumbelina, Parmex, and Parisienne.
    • Look for "Nantes" that have a tapered shape, but are shorter and wider than standard varieties. Options include Danvers Half Long, Chantenay Red Core, and Shin Kuroda.
  2. Choose a deep enough container. Find one that is at least one foot (30.48 cm) deep or more. Carrots develop underground and the root system needs a lot of space to grow. The container should also have adequate drainage holes to prevent excess water from causing the carrots to rot.
    • The type of container does not matter much as long as it has enough depth. You can go with clay, plastic, or stone, and you can opt for a circular pot or a large rectangular planter.
  3. Clean your container. If you have a previously used container, wash it out with warm water and soap before planting your carrots. Bacteria and microscopic insect eggs often hide inside used containers and may hinder your yield if they infect your carrot plants.
  4. Opt for a loose, well-draining potting media. Both soil and soilless mixtures can work.
    • Try a mixture of red soil, decomposed compost, and sand mixed in equal portions for a soil-based media.
    • Consider coco peat, mixed with a small amount of perlite, for a soilless media.

Planting

  1. Start sometime in March. Carrots do well in cooler weather. Some "early growing" varieties should be sown in early March, while many "main crop" types do best if planted in mid-March.
  2. Fill your container with the planting medium. Leave one inch (25 millimeters) of empty space between the top of the media and the rim of the container.
  3. Mix fertilizer into the soil, if desired. Fertilizer will encourage carrot growth, but it is not necessary.
  4. Dig small holes in the planting medium. The holes should be about half an inch (13 millimeters) deep and spaced approximately three inches (76 millimeters) apart.
  5. Drop two or three carrot seeds into each hole.
  6. Fill the holes in with your planting medium. Do not pack the medium into the holes, since doing so may crush the seeds. Instead, lightly drop the medium into each hole.
  7. Thoroughly water the seeds. Do not supersaturate the medium, but add enough water to make the medium feel very wet.
  8. Place your pot in a location that receives partial sun and partial shade. As a root vegetable, carrots tolerate shade well. A location that receives up to six hours of sunlight each day may encourage growth better than a spot that receives none, however.

Care and Harvest

  1. Keep the medium wet. You may even need to water it twice a day during hot, sunny weather. Do not let the soil stay dry for any extended amount of time.
  2. Feed your carrots with fertilizer once a week to encourage growth. This is only optional, however.
  3. Thin your carrots out once the germinated greens have reached a height of one inch (25 millimeters). Cut the greens off at the soil using scissors until only one seedling remains in each hole.
    • Pulling the seedling out is not recommended. Uprooting can disrupt the medium and damage the roots of the remaining plants.
  4. Add planting medium around any greens that seem bent. Roots will not form correctly if the stems are bent.
  5. Cover the roots with additional planting medium if they begin to peek through. When carrot roots are exposed to sunlight, they begin to green, making them inedible.
  6. Spray your plants with wettable sulfur or another anti-fungal spray if mildew or other fungi forms. Carrots are prone to develop mildew when kept too wet, and you may need to spray your crop if you receive heavy rains over an extensive period of time.
  7. Harvest your carrots after two to two and a half months pass, depending on the variety you chose to grow. Grasp the greens near the top of the root and gently wiggle them out of place. The earlier you harvest, the sweeter the carrots will be.

Tips

  • Do not allow the soil to dry out before the seeds germinate. If this happens, your carrots will probably not take root. Cover the soil with a damp towel, damp burlap, or damp moss if you need extra help in keeping the medium wet.

Warnings

  • If you are concerned about the potential effect that chemical fertilizers may have on you upon consumption, consider using an organic fertilizer. Many organic fertilizers consist of ground up aquatic matter, such as fish emulsion or liquid kelp.

Things You'll Need

  • Planter or pot, one foot (30.48 cm) deep
  • Carrot seeds
  • Fertilizer
  • Watering can

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Sources and Citations

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