Carrots Ready?

[Scott M]

Total newbie question for your master gardener, horticulturist types...when are carrots ready to be picked? Mine were supposed to be ready at 75 days, I pulled one up and it was about 2 inches long. Did I do something wrong, should I give them more time? Never grew carrots before so its all new to me...

Thanks in advance.

[Powerstroke]

Were they 2in long and thick or just like a regular carrot only miniature?

Most of my carrots are 5-8" long and are putting on some bulk. Some are getting close to picking.

[Steve Foss]

I just dig my finger down into the soil around the top of the carrot and see how big the top is. If the top is wide, then I pick it. Really depends on the variety, though. Some carrot varieties are wide on top and taper steadily down to the tip. Others are narrower on top and have bodies that are the same diameter all the way down, ending suddenly in a quick tip.

I generally grow the latter (Danvers half long), since I plant in raised beds that have about a foot of soil in them and the larger varieties sometimes need more soil than that. I harvested all three rows of carrots last week, and they were almost all full-sized, with only one or two dinks. Since the bed I grow carrots in is a bit sandier than the other beds (carrots and radishes appreciate lighter soil), I wanted to get them out of there to plant a late radish crop. Otherwise, there's no hurry harvesting carrots regarding ripeness. Lots of folks just leave them in until fall, and some leave them to freeze over winter and harvest them in spring. They claim they are sweeter that way. I don't know about that. I like carrots so much I never wait until spring.

Do you know which variety you are growing?

[fishermatt]

Carrots are ready to harvest when you can't wait any longer to start eating them! Carrots are my favorite thing to grow in the garden. I love to come home from work and take my daughter out to the garden for a fresh carrot, and have a bowl of them in water in the fridge for anytime snacking.

I had lots of problems getting carrots to grow, from not firming the soil enough when planting (no germination) to having soil that would get so hard the carrots could only get down a couple inches then they would split or become stunted. Now I always walk on my seeded row to pack the soild down good, and I add sand to the soil in my carrot patch so the soil is more loose and they can grow as deep as they like. I just started eating mine this last weekend, and I'll keep picking a few at a time til they're gone in September or October.

[Steve Foss]

This year I bought the carrot seed tapes from Burpee or N/K (can't remember which). They worked really, really well. I'll be doing that from now on. A bit pricey compared with the loose seed, but carrot seed is so small I have trouble planting it. I've never firmed down the soil over carrot seed and it's always seemed to germinate just fine. Hmmmmm. World's full of mysteries!

[KEN W]

This year I bought the carrot seed tapes from Burpee or N/K (can't remember which). They worked really, really well. I'll be doing that from now on. A bit pricey compared with the loose seed, but carrot seed is so small I have trouble planting it. I've never firmed down the soil over carrot seed and it's always seemed to germinate just fine. Hmmmmm. World's full of mysteries!

This year I made my own seed tapes for carrots,radises,romaine and beets.Unroll out some toilet paper for as long as you need.Take some Elmers school glue,water soluble,and place a dot of glue every 2-3 inches.Put a single seed on each dot.Let the glue dry and roll it up.Dig a shallow trench and unroll the seed tape.Plants come up evenly space....no thinning needed.

[BobT]

Carrots like most any vegetable are sweetest when young. Since it is this late in the year I doubt yours are young but smaller is not a bad thing unless your after bulk. The bigger they get the less flavor they will have.

The size of your carrots could be related to the variety you chose too.

Since carrots are a root then I would suspect you're better off planting them in soil with better drainage. If you have pretty heavy clay, try adding some sand to your garden soil for next year to loosen it up and help it drain a little better. It might help them get more length to them.

[Steve Foss]

This year I made my own seed tapes for carrots,radises,romaine and beets.Unroll out some toilet paper for as long as you need.Take some Elmers school glue,water soluble,and place a dot of glue every 2-3 inches.Put a single seed on each dot.Let the glue dry and roll it up.Dig a shallow trench and unroll the seed tape.Plants come up evenly space....no thinning needed.

[Rip_Some_Lip]

It seems like mine get rubbery in the fridge. Does putting them in water help?

[BobT]

It seems like mine get rubbery in the fridge. Does putting them in water help?

It will for a while. They get rubbery as they dehydrate and begin to die. For long-term storage I've heard of putting them in sand. Anybody try this and does it work?

[Rip_Some_Lip]

I stored mine in sand last year and we ate crisp carrots into January. I put them in a tub with sand and kept it in the basement.

It seems when I pick a few too many out and they sit in the fridge, they get rubbery.

[KEN W]

A lot of veggies get rubbery in the fridge unless they are bagged.Just put them in a plastic zip lock bag and the humidity in there will keep them crisp.

I've used the sand method also.Worked fine.But w/o a cold room,a plastic bag works just fine.Actually the best are those Debbie green bags you can buy in the store.

[Steve Foss]

We use those newer style green bags for a lot of fridge storage of veggies. Apparently they aren't as permeable as standard ziplock bags, because they really DO preserve freshness much longer.

[BobT]

Yeah, I've never quite understood what the color green has to do with anything but those bags do work better. Like Steve says, it might be something to do with osmosis. Maintaining adequate humidity level does seem to be important.

[Big-Al]

I've kept carrots in the fridge in plastic bags until January or February for quite a few years now, but the bags must have vent wholes cut in them or they won't keep well for me.

[KEN W]

The green bags absorb ethlyene gas which is given off by fruit and veggies,allowing them to ripen faster.Which is why if you want to ripen something fast,put a banana in the bag.The green color doesn't really have anything to do with them.Could be pink.

[Scott M]

My carrots are in really compacted loam soil. They are variable in length and width. I just ate a couple that were only 3-4 eatable inches and an inch thick tops...big green carrot tops, but not much for a root. Maybe put in some sand next year? I don't think its a nutrients or water deficiency.