Carrots: Spacing, Yield & Planting Dates

About carrots

Carrots reward patience with sweet, crunchy roots impossible to replicate from a grocery store, and they store in-ground through fall into early winter.

Spacing & yield

Carrots wants 2×12 inches and about 0.15 lb per plant at ~70 days to maturity.

Growing tips

• Sow shallowly (1/4 inch) and keep the surface moist until germination in 10-14 days.
• Thin ruthlessly to 2 inches apart once seedlings show true leaves — crowded carrots fork.
• Grow in deep, loose, stone-free soil; raised beds with sandy loam produce the straightest roots.
• Cover shoulders with mulch or soil if they push above ground to prevent greening.

Common mistakes

• Letting the soil crust before germination, blocking tiny seedlings from emerging.
• Growing in heavy clay without amending, causing stubby or forked roots.

Harvest & storage

Pull roots when shoulders are about 3/4 inch diameter, roughly 70 days from sowing.

Trim tops and store in damp sand or sawdust in a root cellar at 32-40 F for months.

Companion planting

Good neighbors for carrots: onions, leeks, lettuce, tomatoes, rosemary. Avoid planting beside: dill, parsnips.

Planting calendar

Direct sow about 3 weeks before your last spring frost — Yield often modeled per row-foot rather than per plant. Use the seed-starting calculator above with your real county frost date — the April 15 default is only a worked example (zone 6 style).

Estimates only — consult your local extension office for advice specific to your land and animals.