Planting Carrot Seed

Of all the vegetable seeds I’ve had the most trouble with in the past, carrots are right up close to the top of the list. They are very tiny, need to be planted close to the surface where they can dry out and are difficult to space evenly. But, once they get to growing up in size they are a little worry crop that can be left in the ground all winter and still be harvestable in the spring. It’s the getting them to germinate thing that can be a challenge.

What has worked well for my raised bed garden is the proper selection of variety (I have a heavy soil garden and soil will choose a short variety like Short n Sweet from Burpee Seed). After making a trench in the bed, I fill this with a good potting mix like Miracle Gro Potting Mix available at stores like the Home Depot. I then spread the seeds by hand as evenly as possible along the trench. I usually try for one seed every two inches or so. After that trying task is done I will add a little more potting soil over the top and will then pat it down. Finally I will take whatever paper I can find (newspaper works great) and will cut it into strips that are then laid length wise along the trench. The paper will act to help keep the seeds moist while still allowing some sunlight in. Next, I water the whole affair and then make sure to check the area daily to insure it stays damp. I also make it a point to plant some radish seeds as marker plants. That’s it! In about a week or so if you peak under the paper, you will hopefully see some tiny carrot seedlings poking up among the much larger radishes that germinated rather quickly. (The radish seedlings work great at holding the paper up off the ground so the tiny carrot seeds can have space to grow). Once I know I have achieved good germination, I go ahead and remove the paper. (If the sky is clear, I will sometimes wait for a cloudy or rainy day to do this).

The Short n Sweet carrots are not that big, but they do grow well in tough soil and taste just marvelous.