When should I sow carrot?

In a typical UK garden, sow outside late March to late July, and harvest early June to mid-December. Later in Scotland, the north and frost pockets; earlier in the south-west and near the coast.

How far apart should I plant carrot?

5 cm apart in the row, with rows 20 cm apart. In a square foot garden, that's 16 per square.

What grows well with carrot?

Onion, Leek, Chives, Pea, Tomato. Keep it away from dill, parsnip.

Carrot

Daucus carota subsp. sativus

In a typical UK garden, sow outside late March to late July, and harvest early June to mid-December.

When to sow, plant and harvest

Frost dates

Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.

Sow outdoors: late March to late July
Harvest: early June to mid-December

Spacing: 5 cm apart, rows 20 cm apart
Square foot: 16 per square (30 cm squares)
Sowing depth: 1 cm
Ready in: 60 to 90 days from sowing
Grows to: 30 cm
Hardiness: Hardy to about -10 °C
Sun: Full sun
Crops for: About 8 weeks

Growing tip

Sow thinly and cover with fine mesh; the scent of thinned seedlings draws carrot fly.

Neighbours

Grows well with

Keep apart from

Roots are one crop rotation group. Try not to grow them where any of the family grew in the last two or three years. How crop rotation works

Guides

When to plant

A short row of carrots every three weeks, from March to July

Sow carrots straight into the ground from late March to late July. Sow a short row every three weeks or so for a steady supply, with early varieties in spring and maincrops from May. Carrots don't like being transplanted, so sow them where they'll grow.

More roots

Where these figures come from

Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For carrot, we used:

Grow carrot with VegLog

Add carrot to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.