How To Grow Carrots in Your Own Backyard

• Plant carrots in loose, well-drained soil that has a good mixture of clay and sand.
• Improve soil nutrition and drainage by adding Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil (in-ground) or Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix (containers).
• Plant carrots in rows 2-4 weeks prior to your area's average final spring frost. Water in gently.
• Water daily to keep soil moist to encourage germination.
• Pull weeds by hand to protect young seedlings.
• Feed weekly with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition starting one month after planting.
• Harvest carrots once their shoulders are above ground and have achieved their ideal color.

People have enjoyed the crisp, sweet taste of carrots for thousands of years. Packed with beta-carotene and antioxidants, carrots really are good for your eyes, and much of the rest of your body. Stewed, glazed, steamed or raw, carrots contribute accents to main courses, stand alone as side dishes and serve as perfect healthy snacks. Best of all, carrots are easy to grow and produce abundant crops.

Prepare the Seed Bed

Clear the way for your carrots to reach their roots deep and grow to their full potential by planting them in loose, loamy soil. Be sure to clear the bed of rocks and other debris, then mix in a generous helping of organic matter. One easy way to do that is to mix 3 inches of Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil in with the top 6 inches of your existing soil, or fill containers with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix. Both are enriched with plenty of aged compost to deliver the ideal starter dose of nutrition to get carrots growing.

Plant the Seed

You plant carrots the old-fashioned way, truly sowing them by spreading them on the ground in rows. Drop carrot seeds directly on the soil 2-4 weeks before the last spring frost date. The seeds are tiny. Moistening the soil beforehand helps the seeds stick and not blow around. Or, you can mix them with sand before sowing. Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of fine soil or compost, then water gently.

Help Them Grow

Keep your planted seeds moist to help them germinate. This may mean watering once or twice a day for about 3 weeks. Once their true leaves form, thin the carrot seedlings to about 3 inches apart. It will help, too, if you carefully remove weeds from the area by pulling or hoeing. It's easy for carrots to dry out in the summer heat. You can help them by putting a 3-inch layer of mulch down around the plants. This will help keep moisture in while discouraging weed growth.

To help your carrots flourish, give them the 1-2 power punch of Miracle-Gro® soil and plant food, which work in harmony to encourage strong growth. A month after planting, begin feeding them weekly with water-soluble Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition to keep the nourishment coming. It supports both your carrot plants and the soil, leading to an impressive harvest. Be sure to follow the directions on the label.

Harvest Your Carrots

You can begin pulling your carrots when you see their shoulders poking out of the ground and their color looks ripe. This will also help thin out the crop and let the remaining carrots grow larger. Cold weather intensifies carrots' flavor, so in the North, wait until the ground begins to freeze before you dig the last of the crop.