GardenBiennial Root Vegetable · zones 2–11 · 50 varieties
Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
Apiaceae — the same plant family as celery, parsley, parsnip, dill and 5 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a biennial root vegetable for USDA zones 2–11. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. It matures in about 65–120 days from sowing. Watch for cutworms and aster yellows. Below: its full sourced profile from 7 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is direct sown. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Hardiness zones
- 2–11
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–7
- Soil texture
- Sandy loam, Sandy, Loam, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Half hardy
- Suffers in days above
- 85 °F
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it and the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 0.3–3 ft
- Mature spread
- 2–3 in
- Growth rate
- Moderateest
- Spacing in row
- 2–3 in
- Between rows
- 12–18 in
- Planting depth
- 0.25–0.5 in
- Container size
- 0.5 gal
- Depth matters more than width for a carrot. NC State allows a pot as small as half a gallon if it is 10 inches deep; Maryland's table asks for 2 gallons. Either works — a shallow wide tray does not, whatever it holds.
- Container depth
- 10 in
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Direct sow
- Sow again for a fall crop
- 70–84 days before your first frost
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1 in/wk
- Critical water
- Germinationest
- Feeding
- Moderate
Timing & fruiting
- Days to maturity
- 65–120 days from seed
- Harvest cues
- Root shoulder visible
Planted again for autumn
- South Carolina — Piedmont
- Aug 1 – Sep 15
- South Carolina — Coastal Plain
- Sep 1 – Sep 15
Published by the extension service for its own regions, and quoted here for those regions only — converting them would mean assuming a frost date somewhere else. The chart says when, not whether to sow seed or set out plants, so we do not either. Only South Carolina so far.
- Sow by
- mid Aug typical · zone 6b
65 days to maturity from sowing, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.
Edible parts per source: root, leaf, flower, seed.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Interplanted onions confused carrot rust fly in some trials and did nothing in others. Worth a try, not a bet.
Quick lettuce fills the row while slow carrots take their time.
Radishes sprout in days, mark your carrot row, and are gone before carrots need the space.
The classic cool-season pair.
'Carrots Love Tomatoes' is a book title, not a trial. They coexist fine — just expect the tomato to shade them by August.
Same family, same pests, and mature dill is said to stunt carrots. 'Said' is doing some work there — but why risk it.
Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the root and leaf and flower and seed; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PetsNon toxic to dogs, Non toxic to cats, Non toxic to horses
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 50 are in the full list below.
| Variety | Type | Days | Color | Size | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide F1 | Baby | 50 | Orange | Small | |
| Amarillo Heirloom | Imperator | 75 | Yellow | Medium | |
| Aranka | Nantes | 56 | Orange | Medium | |
| Atomic Red | Imperator | 75 | Red, Orange | Large | |
| Autumn King Heirloom | Imperator | 70 | Orange | Large | SeedsNow describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Baltimore F1 | Nantes | 65 | Orange | Large | |
| Bangor F1 | Nantes | 75 | Orange | Medium | Fedco Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Berlicum Heirloom | Nantes | 68–70 | Orange | Large | Premier Seeds Direct describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Black Nebula | Nantes | 75 | Purple | Medium | |
| Bolero F1 | Nantes | 75 | Orange | Medium | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Coral | Nantes | 55 | Orange | Small | |
| Cosmic Purple | Imperator | 70 | Purple, Orange | Medium | |
| Danvers 126 Heirloom | Danvers | 65–70 | Orange | Medium | |
| Danvers Half Long Heirloom | Danvers | 75 | Orange | Medium | Pinetree Garden Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Deep Purple F1 | Imperator | 73 | Purple | Large | |
| Hercules F1 | Chantenay | 65 | Orange | Medium | |
| Imperator 58 Heirloom | Imperator | 65–80 | Orange | Large | |
| Istanbul F1 | Nantes | 65 | Orange | Large | |
| Kuroda Heirloom | Kuroda | 70–80 | Orange | Medium | |
| Kyoto Red Heirloom | Kuroda | 70–90 | Red | Large | |
| Little Finger Heirloom | Baby | 57 | Orange | Small | |
| Lunar White | Imperator | 75 | White | Medium | |
| Mokum F1 | Nantes | 48 | Orange | Medium | |
| Nantes Coreless Heirloom | Nantes | 75 | Orange | Medium | |
| Nantes Fancy | Nantes | 68 | Orange | Medium | Fedco Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Napoli F1 | Nantes | 58 | Orange | Medium | |
| Narvik F1 | Nantes | 70 | Orange | Medium | Fedco Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Naval F1 | Nantes | 72 | Orange | Medium | |
| Newhall F1 | Nantes | 74 | Orange | Large | Fedco Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Paris Market Carrot (Tonda di Parigi) Heirloom | Ball | 65 | Orange | Small | |
| Purple Dragon Heirloom | 60–70 | Purple, Orange | Medium | ||
| Purple Haze F1 | Imperator | 73 | Purple, Orange | Large | |
| Purple Sun F1 | 90 | Purple | Medium | ||
| Rainbow F1 | Imperator | 67 | Orange, Yellow, White, Red | Large | |
| Red Cored Chantenay Heirloom | Chantenay | 70 | Orange | Medium | |
| Redsun F1 | Nantes | 70 | Red | Medium | |
| Romeo Round | Ball | 60 | Orange | Small | |
| Samurai Red Heirloom | Kuroda | 70–90 | Red | Large | |
| Scarlet Keeper | Nantes | 85 | Orange | Medium | |
| Scarlet Nantes Heirloom | Nantes | 68 | Orange | Medium | |
| Scarlet Red Heirloom | 65 | Red | Medium | ||
| Shin Kuroda Heirloom | Kuroda | 75 | Orange | Medium | |
| Snow White Heirloom | 70–75 | White | Medium | ||
| Solar Yellow | Danvers | 73 | Yellow | Medium | |
| Sugarsnax 54 F1 | Imperator | 68 | Orange | Large | |
| Tendersweet Heirloom | Imperator | 70–75 | Orange | Large | |
| Thumbelina | Ball | 70 | Orange | Small | |
| White Satin F1 | Imperator | 68 | White | Large | |
| Yaya F1 | Nantes | 58 | Orange | Medium | |
| Yellowstone | Imperator | 73 | Yellow | Medium |
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- NC State Extension
- University of Maryland Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension
- Utah State University Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 20 of the 23 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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