Carrots

Plant Variety: Nantes Carrot

Days to harvest: 65-75 days

Season: Spring and fall

Sun Requirements: 6-8 hours of sunlight

Water Requirements: Around 1 inch of water per week

Planting notes: Carrots should be direct sown

Preservation: Fresh eating, freezing, canning, dry storage

Day 1: Planting seeds

We planted our nantes carrot seeds in early April, a few weeks before the average last frost date for our area. We planted in two different patterns, rows and a grid, to see what worked better. The carrots are in a raised garden bed and the goal was to grow as many carrots as possible. On the bottom half of the bed, we sprinkled seeds in rows about 6 inches apart. It is recommended to grow in rows 12-18 inches apart if you have the space and want larger carrots. On the top half of the bed, we planted single seeds in a grid pattern, 6 inches apart from each other.

Day 12: Seedlings emerge

Seedlings emerged around day 12. All of the seedlings emerged, but the seeds planted in rows look larger and stronger.

Thin the seedlings when they are about an inch tall. Ideally, you will have one carrot growing every 6 inches. We grew ours a bit closer together because we’re using a smaller carrot variety. Thinning plants can be a bit tedious when you have a lot of seeds that sprouted. While thinning them, we realized that we prefer planting the single seeds in a grid pattern because it takes much less work later in the season.

We watered the carrots daily using drip irrigation to ensure consistent moisture until day 70.

Depending on how your carrots are planted, you may harvest them all at once or a few at a time as you need them. We were growing these to store for our dog, so we pulled all of the carrots out at once. This also allowed us to repurpose the bed for other crops since the season wasn’t over yet. To harvest, grab the carrot at the soil level, gently shake or move it in a circular motion and then pull out. Depending on the variety, they may have a lot of little roots growing out of it, so shaking the carrot around helps loosen the soil before you harvest.

We grow a lot of carrots to preserve for dog food throughout the year, but we also love to eat these carrots fresh from the garden. If you want to preserve the carrots to use later in soups, stews, or anything else, you can blanch and freeze them. Slice your carrots into the desired shape (we like thin circles), then add them to boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Put them into an ice bath and let them cool in the ice bath for a few minutes. Drain the carrots and dry them. Then freeze them in a single layer for a few hours before adding them to a bag to store in the freezer up to a year.

You can also store carrots in the refrigerator for 2-3 months if you store them in a plastic bag to ensure humidity.