Growing Carrot seeds
Suttons offer a myriad of Carrot varieties for all types of settings. No garden? no problem as container varieties such as ‘Nantes’ a fast-growing variety. Many types of Carrots will also grow in raised beds, try the tasty carrot ‘Rainbow Mix’ or for something a little bit different go for the original colour of the humble Carrot ‘Purple Sun’ a purple carrot seed.
Can I plant carrot seeds in a pot?
Carrots are easy to grow and Suttons offer several carrot varieties which will happily grow in pots or containers with the early ‘Nantes’ being among the easiest to grow.
When to sow carrot seeds
- March to July is the best time to sow carrot seeds
- Multiple sowings from March until late summer will give a steady supply throughout the summer.
HowHow long do carrots take to germinate?
Carrots usually germinate in one to three weeks. It’s important to keep them well-watered (but not over-watered) during this time, and to never let them completely dry out.
How to grow carrot plants from seed
- Before sowing carrots, make sure you have nice light soil. They dislike heavy clay or stony ground. If growing in containers, mix plenty of organic matter and horticultural sand into the soil prior to sowing.
- Fork your ground until nice and crumbly, firm it and rake level. Sow in a drill marked with a garden line. Sow carrot seeds a couple of inches apart, and carefully thin out excess seedlings when they come up.
- Keep the soil moist around the carrots and hoe between your rows to remove weeds.
- Protect carrots from carrot fly, a small pest that will damage your carrots. They are attracted by damaged foliage, so it’s important to remove any discarded seedlings or damaged leaves. carrot flies ironically do not like heights, so planting in raised beds will also solve this problem
Top carrot tips
- To get carrots started early, warm the soil up and sow underneath fleece in early March.
- Leave one of your carrots to flower. Carrot flowers are quite beautiful, and the bees and butterflies will love it.
