Dreaming of a raised bed full of tasty vegetables? Then carrots are a really good place to start! This is a vegetable that doesn't demand much. In other words, it is hard to go wrong once you have started growing your carrots. They have no great requirements when it comes to soil conditions, the weather rarely affects them significantly, and there are countless ways to use them – both in dishes and simply as they are.
When should you plant carrots?
Carrots are one of the vegetables that can be sown and harvested several times a year. There must be no night frost when you sow, but carrot seeds can actually germinate at temperatures as low as 4°C, and there is no need to worry about the temperature getting too high here in Denmark.
We recommend sowing your carrots when the soil is around 8°C – that will be during the spring. Otherwise, it is recommended to sow when the temperature is between 10°C and 30°C, and you can then expect the seeds to germinate within about a week.
You can sow carrots several times during the spring and summer. That way you always have fresh carrots close at hand.
Prepare the soil before you plant
As mentioned, carrots have no great requirements when it comes to the soil, but there are still recommendations for how the soil should be to get the best possible conditions. The most important thing is that the soil is loose to a good depth, so that all of the roots also lie in porous soil.
When you plant in a raised bed, you fortunately have the best circumstances for creating the perfect soil. If you already have soil in your raised bed, this is also one of the reasons why it is best to wait to sow until the temperatures are slightly higher – to avoid the soil being too damp.
How do you plant carrots?
Once you have the timing sorted and the soil is light and porous, it is time to sow! Carrot seeds should be sown in drills, and it is a good idea to water the drill lightly before you place the seeds about 1-2 cm down in the soil.
TIP: It is best not to fertilise the soil before you sow.
Your carrots have the best conditions without too many nutrients in the soil.
Once the carrots have started to grow well, you need to be aware of thinning them out if they grow too close together. When you thin them out, the ideal spacing is 2-5 cm. It can also be a good idea to add some compost between the rows over time, which helps retain moisture.
With this simple method, you should be able to harvest the first carrots after about 2 months, depending on which carrot variety you have chosen.
Growing guide – when the carrot fly comes along
The carrot fly – yes, it really is an actual insect! Carrot flies specifically seek out carrots to lay their eggs in, which over time become larvae that gnaw at the carrots. Sometimes the attacks are small and the damage can simply be cut away, but they can also ruin the harvest completely. But what can you do, you may wonder? Carrot flies lay their eggs where the carrots poke up. Therefore, the only and best solution is to place a fine mesh net over the carrots, where the carrot flies cannot get in.