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Root vegetables
Carrot
Needs loose, stone-free soil more than anything else, the single biggest factor in straight, well-formed roots.
Get your planting dates
This guide covers how to grow, harvest and keep carrot, deliberately without sowing dates,
because the right date depends entirely on your climate zone. GardenBuddy's planting calendar
covers all seven Australian climate zones and will tell you exactly when to sow where you live.
Growing
Full sun, deep, loose, well-drained soil free of fresh manure or heavy clay (both cause forking). Thin seedlings early, crowded carrots stay stunted.
Common problems
- Forked or stunted roots from compacted or stony soil, not a disease
- Carrot fly in some regions, fine mesh over the bed helps
- Green shoulders from sun exposure, mound soil over exposed tops
Harvest
Check by gently brushing soil from the shoulder, harvest once the root reaches usable size. Carrots hold well in the ground for weeks in cool weather.
Preserving this crop
Best suited to:
Root Cellaring & Long StorageFreezingFermenting
Seed saving
Difficulty: Hard. Biennial (needs a cold winter before flowering) and wind/insect pollinated, crosses with wild carrot/Queen Anne's lace. A genuinely advanced seed-saving project, most home gardeners buy carrot seed.