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Spell finicky5/3/2023 ![]() Compare to these carrots, which were properly thinned to approximately 2″ between roots. When harvested, their roots were only a few inches long. Two tiny 4″ carrots don’t compare to a meaty 8″ root. If we don’t, the carrots will compete with one another and they will be drastically smaller. Yep, this means removing extra sprouts to ensure each remaining carrot seedling has 1-2″ of space in which to grow. When this happens, we must embrace the most tedious part of growing carrots, but it absolutely has to be done. Even long-time gardeners can get a little heavy-handed with the sowing. It’s difficult to achieve proper plant spacing upon sowing seeds because they are so small. What if all my seeds sprout?Īnother common problem with growing carrots is that too many seeds sprout, too close together and they fight for nutrients to grow. It helps keep the moisture in, allows the sun to hit those baby sprouts, and I can water directly on top of the cover without disturbing the delicate sprouts. You can use different things to cover them (some people use cardboard boxes or pieces of wood), but my preferred method is a flat, floating row cover. How do you keep the surface of the soil moist for up to 3 solid weeks? My preferred method for early spring planting is to water well (perhaps even moistening the soil before planting if necessary), and cover them. This is enough to cover the seeds “just enough” for ideal sprouting.Ī second critical step is that once you sow your seeds, that soil must remain moist until germination. When I plant my carrots, I sprinkle the seeds on the surface and lightly scratch the soil up with my fingers. Even a shallow furrow is likely too deep. Many gardeners unknowingly plant their carrot seeds too deep. You barely want them under the surface of your soil. Don’t plant too deep and water, water, waterĬarrots seeds are tiny. The key, instead, to carrot germination is all about the seed depth and consistent moisture. The good news is, unlike other crops, carrot seeds germinate in a wide range of soil temperatures (40F-85F). That can be a very long wait for most of us who start scratching our heads, wondering if they will sprout or if something went wrong. I tried sowing seeds in micro soil blocks one year, and while it worked, for a large planting it was more trouble that it was worth.Ĭarrots can take up to three weeks to germinate. They don’t like to be transplanted and even though I’ve attempted that in soil blocks, in my experience it’s not worth the effort involved. ![]() Why aren’t my carrots sprouting?įirst, it’s important to know that carrot seeds like to be planted directly in the garden. *links below contain affiliate links if you click through and make a purchase, this site will earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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