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Carrot Seeds
Carrot Seeds from Gurney's
Carrots are a garden favorite--and at Gurney's, we grow a lot of carrot varieties in our trial gardens to find the best-tasting and best-performing carrots for home gardeners. We've been supplying home gardeners with carrot seeds for more than 150 years, and gardeners have come to trust us for delivering top-quality seeds to their homes.
Choosing Carrot Seed Packets and Seed Tape
Carrots are one of the most popular vegetables to grow and to eat. Before selecting carrot seeds for your garden, determine where you want to grow them. Carrots require full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight daily) and well-drained, loamy or sandy soils. However, some varieties will grow in clay soils. If you have clay soils, make sure to select a carrot variety suitable for clay soils. Carrots can also be grown in containers or Grow Tubs.
When selecting carrot varieties, you have many choices. Some grow in a long, tapered shaped while others are short and blocky. While orange is the most common color, carrots are also available in shades of purple, red and white.
Because carrot seeds are so tiny, many gardeners prefer the convenience and ease of seed tapes. With seed tapes, there is no need for measuring the spacing between seeds. Just lay the tape down, cover lightly with soil, and water. If you plan to plant a lot of carrots, buying carrot seed packets is the economical way to go.
Carrot Seeds: Getting the Most Out of Your Purchase
When growing carrots, site preparation is important. Because the roots can grow 8 inches or longer, it's important to break up or loosen the soil 8-10 inches deep before planting. The ideal soil for growing carrots is well-drained sandy or loamy soil.
Getting Started with Growing Your Own Carrots
Once you've selected your site and your carrot seeds, here are some tips for growing and harvesting a great carrot crop.
How to Plant Carrot Seeds
Carrot seeds can be directly sown in the garden. Carrot seeds should be planted 1/4 to 1/2 in. deep with about 2-3 in. between plants. Rows should be 12-14 in. apart.
When to Plant Carrot Seeds
Carrots are a cool-season crop, and carrot seeds can be planted in the spring or summer. If growing carrots during the hot, dry summer months, make sure they receive adequate amounts of water.
Where to Plant Carrot Seeds
Carrot seeds can be grown in the garden. Because the soil must be loosened up to 10 inches deep, many gardeners like to grow them in raised beds or even containers. Wherever you plant carrot seeds, though, make sure they have lots of sun. They require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
How Long Does it Take for a Carrot to Grow
Carrot seeds take time to germinate--an average of 10-15 days. Because they take time to germinate, many gardeners sow radish seeds, which germinate and grow very quickly, with carrots. This practice marks the rows and conserves space. The time it takes between sowing carrot seeds and harvest varies greatly, depending on the variety. Some carrot varieties mature in just 65 days while others may take 90 days or longer.
How to Harvest Carrot Seeds
Carrots can either be pulled or dug up. Because carrot tops can break when being pulled, we recommend either digging or loosening the soil before pulling. If carrots were planted in the late summer or early fall, you can mulch the carrots and continue digging carrots until the ground freezes.
