How to Grow Carrots in Florida, Seed to Harvest

Have you had a hard time growing carrots in Florida, (or the South)? Maybe you’ve grown beautiful tops but no roots. Or some roots, but they were too bitter to eat. We have all the details on how to grow carrots in Florida for a successful harvest here.

How to Grow Carrots in Florida

First, let’s quickly cover the characteristics of carrot plants so that you’ll have a better understanding of how to grow them. We’ll also cover the best varieties that you can grow in our climate.

Traits of Carrot Plants

Carrots are in the Apiaceae family with the obviously edible tap root. They are biennial plants, meaning they take two years to fully mature and produce new seed. Today’s carrot varieties are the domesticated cousins to the flowering Queen Anne’s Lace, which is an ancient, wild edible plant with less flavor than the carrots we grow today.

Best Varieties of Carrots for Florida

There are so many different cultivars of carrots today, but not all of them grow well in Florida. The best way to teach you how to grow carrots in Florida, is to give you the right kinds. According to the University of Florida, the best varieties of carrots are:

1. Imperator Carrots:

Size & Shape: Up to 8-10″ long, slender with a tapered end.
Flavor & Texture: Sweet and crisp.
Best Use: Ideal for fresh eating, raw in salads, or as a snack. Due to their size, they’re also suitable for processing or canning.

2. Nantes Carrots:

Size & Shape: Shorter than Imperator, cylindrical, and blunt-ended.
Flavor & Texture: Sweet, tender, and fine-grained.
Best Use: Great for fresh eating, cooking, and juicing. They’re versatile and often preferred for their sweet flavor.

3. Danvers Carrots:

Size & Shape: 6-7″ long, wider at the top and tapering with blunt the end.
Flavor & Texture: Sweet with a hint of earthiness, slightly more fibrous.
Best Use: Good for both fresh eating and cooking. Their size and sturdiness make them suitable for canning and storing.

4. Chantenay Carrots:

Size & Shape: Short, stout, and broader at the top, tapering to a point. Only 3-4″ long, but 2″ wide at the shoulder.
Flavor & Texture: Sweet and crunchy.
Best Use: Excellent for roasting, baking, and cooking in stews or soups. Their shape makes them particularly suitable for dishes where they can hold their form.

To clarify, there are several other carrot varieties that you can grow in Florida, but these are the easiest for a successful harvest. Purple Haze, Yellow Moon, or even a Rainbow Mix of carrot seed are a lot of fun, but I’ve found the yield to be far less.

My favorite has been the Danvers or the Danvers Half-Long, simply because they have had the best germination rate for me. Additionally, they’ve had little to no pest and disease pressure, and I’m pretty much guaranteed a harvest when I plant them.

Planting and Care

Carrots were one of the later things that I learned how to grow in my vegetable garden. They seemed elusive, like it was something to be left to the professional farmers. I tried a couple of times and failed repeatedly.

Alas, I finally figured it out, and perhaps I can save you the sadness that ensues with a failed carrot crop.

Prepare Your Garden Bed

Carrots like sandy, loose soil. Think about it. The part of the plant that we want to grow and harvest is the long tap root. Clay and rocky soils are going to greatly inhibit root crops from properly forming.

First, start with a fresh batch of compost. If your existing garden bed is already sandy, you’re golden, but the compost will help create a fertile soil. However, you can add some sand to the compost before spreading it out. Rake it evenly and water the soil surface well.

Secondly, dig shallow trenches, about 2 inches deep along the garden bed. Now, fill the trenches halfway with sand. If you don’t have access to sand at home, it’s a good idea to purchase play sand from your local garden center.

Proper Spacing

Make those sand trenches at least 12″ apart.

Next, drop a couple of carrot seeds together, every 3-4″ in the trench. Yes, you’re absolutely oversowing, but that’s ok because carrots can be difficult to germinate.

Now, cover those seeds with more sand, so that they’re planted 1/2″-1″ deep. Last, gently water them well after they’re covered, being careful not to wash them out.

Seed Germination and Thinning

Carrots can take up to three weeks to germinate, depending on the variety and environmental conditions. They like soil temperatures from about 50°F to 75°F.

Once your carrot seeds have sprouted, you should see a couple of tiny carrot plants clumped together every 3-4″ along the sand rows. You’re going to have to thin the weakest so that the strongest will thrive, but pulling them can disturb the plant that you want to leave.

Take a pair of precision pruners and cut the tops off at the soil level.

You can thin your carrots to two plants per clump in the beginning if you want. Then, come back a few weeks later and thin them down to one.

This has proven to be the best way to reduce risk of loss for me in my garden. It sounds tedious, but it really only takes a few extra minutes, and it works really well.

Boards and Burlap

A lot of gardeners find successful germination rates by simply scattering their tiny carrot seeds on the soil surface, watering gently, then placing a board or soaked cloth over them. The idea is that the board or burlap presses the seeds into the top of the soil and holds moisture against the seed until they germinate.

This definitely works, and I’ve employed these techniques several times with varying degrees of success.

The downside is that if you don’t remove the covering at the right time, your baby carrot plants will smother without sunlight. So, you have to check them daily, which can disturb and damage the seeds making them unviable.

Weed Pressure

Carrots hate weeds. Professionals will sow their carrot seeds, wait a few days for weeds to germinate, then flame weed their beds. As a result, the weeds are burned out before the carrots even pop up. Most backyard gardeners don’t have flame weeders, but you could do the same with a simple hand torch.

Personally, I like the stirrup hoe. It’s fast, I can use it while standing, and it doesn’t take much effort. Just keep your carrot beds properly weeded for best results.

Watering Your Carrots

Carrots need consistent moisture for optimal growth. Irregular watering can cause the roots to split or become misshapen. Aim to keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged.

Water deeply to encourage the carrot roots to grow downward. Shallow watering can lead to shallow root development. Try to avoid overhead watering as it can invite diseases that affect the carrot tops. Instead, water directly at the base of the plants.

It’s often best to water in the morning. This allows foliage to dry during the day, reducing the risk of fungal diseases that can occur when leaves remain wet for extended periods.

Check the moisture level in the soil regularly by sticking your finger into the soil near the plants. If the top inch of soil feels dry, it’s time to water. Give them about an inch of water at a time, and recheck the soil.

A raised bed with well-drained soil helps control moisture levels.

Container-Grown Carrots

You can grow carrots in containers too by following all of the same guidelines we’ve laid out for you here. Just be sure to plant them in a container that is deeper than the carrot length that you’re aiming to grow so that you get a full size carrot. An 8″ carrot won’t grow well in a 6″ container, for instance.

Also remember that containers tend to dry out faster than in-ground garden beds. Keep an eye on moisture levels in your container garden.

Last, make sure that your containers are in sunny locations throughout the day. A covered porch may not provide enough sunlight.

The Best Time to Grow Carrots in Florida

We grow our best carrots here in Florida in cool weather. The growing season tends to start with sowing seeds in October and harvesting in early spring. Since these are the shortest days, make sure to plant your carrots in full sun for maximum hours of sunlight.

Like other root vegetables, carrots will give you their best flavor during the cold spells. The plants will concentrate their sugars into the roots for sweet carrots.

You could plant carrots in the summertime, but they’ll have a bitter taste in our hot climate. If you’re a northern gardener, perhaps the warm season works better for you. In Florida, aka The Sunshine State, carrots are nearly impossible to grow outside of the cooler months.

Companion Planting

These plants near carrots in the vegetable garden will help your carrots for various reasons. I specifically chose these to share with you as they also grow best during the cool season in Florida.

Peas are good to bring nitrogen up to feed your carrots for good growth.
Onions, chives, and leeks, will help repel the carrot rust fly from damaging your crop.
Lettuce provides shade and retains soil moisture, working like a living mulch for your carrots.
Cilantro repels aphids and spider mites that like to infest carrot crops.

When to Harvest Carrots

Check the seed packet or label of the carrot variety you planted. It usually indicates the average number of days it takes for that particular variety to reach maturity. This is a good guideline, but it can vary due to growing conditions.

Most carrots can take anywhere from 60-90 days to grow from seed to harvest.

My favorite way to know is to gently brush away some soil from the top of a carrot. If the carrot seems to have reached the desired size and has a good shape, you can pull one up and check its length.

Did you know that baby carrots are simply younger carrots? If you pull them too soon, they’re still edible. Enjoy the few that you harvested early, and leave the rest to finish growing.

Problems

The most difficult part about growing carrots is getting the seed to germinate. I’ve personally had very little problems with pest or diseases in my carrot beds, but there are some you should be aware of.

Diseases

Alternaria Blight, Cercospora Blight, Damping-Off are the most common issues that plague carrot farmers in Florida. They are fungus and bacteria that live in the soil and thrive in high humidity. The best way to deter blight problems is through proper crop rotation.

Pests

These are the most common pests for carrots in Florida. All of them can be easily prevented through the companion planting methods already mentioned. If an infestation occurs, all of our organic pest control options will work.

Carrot Rust Fly
Wire Worms
Mole Crickets
Leaf Miners
Aphids
Root Knot Nematodes

Final Thoughts on How to Grow Carrots in Florida

All in all, carrots have become one of my favorite crops to grow in my own garden. We love to succession sow them so that we can enjoy them fresh throughout the cool season, but we also preserve them through canning for the shelf. I hope this planting guide encourages you to plan on some homegrown carrots too.