Carrot planting dates by zone

Soil first

University of Minnesota Extension says a light sandy loam grows the best-shaped roots, and heavier clay is fine if it is well drained and not compacted. University of Illinois Extension works the soil 8 to 9 inches deep and breaks up clods. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says anything that interrupts the main root, rocks, stones or roots, makes it branch, and Clemson’s Home & Garden Information Center says roots in heavy clay grow poorly and may fork.

Minnesota keeps the soil pH between 6 and 7, and Clemson limes to 6.0 to 6.5.

Sowing and thinning

Always sow carrots directly in the garden, Minnesota says; never start them in pots, because transplanting damages and misdirects the taproot. The table gives our crop table’s spring date, 3 weeks before the median last freeze. Minnesota starts planting on April 15, and Illinois sows with the other frost-tolerant vegetables as soon as the soil can be worked.

Illinois sows 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in early spring, no more than two or three seeds per inch, and 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep later when the soil is drier; UF/IFAS sows about a quarter inch deep in rows 10 inches apart. Minnesota says the seed may take as long as three weeks to come up, and that a crusted surface after heavy rain can keep the seedlings from emerging; a light spray of water helps.

Thin early. Minnesota thins when the largest seedlings are three to four inches tall, to two to four inches apart; Illinois thins to one seedling every 1 to 2 inches for larger varieties such as Danvers. Minnesota, Illinois and UF/IFAS all mention sowing a few radishes in the row: they come up fast, mark the row and are pulled before the carrots need the room.

Water and weeds

Minnesota says carrots that go short of water can be bitter, tough, misshapen and small, and irrigates when rain falls short of an inch a week, deeply once a week on heavy soil and twice on sandy soil. UF/IFAS keeps the surface moist until the seed comes up, which may mean a light watering every day or two, and says uneven watering later cracks the roots.

Illinois says young carrot seedlings are weak and slow, so weed control in the first weeks is essential; cultivate shallowly. Minnesota mulches with three to four inches of herbicide-free grass clippings or weed-free straw.

Fall and Southern crops

For fall, the table’s last sowing is 46 days before the median first fall freeze, our crop table’s days to harvest less the light frost carrots take. Illinois says midsummer plantings that mature in cool fall weather give tender, sweet carrots, and that summer-sown carrots can stay in the ground until a killing frost; under a heavy straw mulch they can be dug through much of the winter. Minnesota makes two or three plantings three weeks apart for a steady supply.

Clemson’s planting table for carrots gives the South Carolina Piedmont March 1 to 15 in spring and July 1 to 30 in fall, the central region February 10 to 28 and August 1 to 15, and the coast December 15 to January 30 and August 1 to 20. UF/IFAS plants carrots August to March in North and Central Florida and September to March in South Florida. Texas A&M AgriLife’s home vegetable gardening guide sows 4 to 6 weeks before the frost-free date in spring and 12 to 14 weeks before the first freeze in fall.

Harvest

Minnesota harvests whenever the roots reach a usable size, watering the day before or digging after rain. Illinois says finger carrots are usually ready in 50 to 60 days and other varieties at least 3/4 inch across, about 60 to 70 days, and can then be harvested over 3 to 4 weeks. Clemson says 65 to 75 days and UF/IFAS 70 to 120, depending on variety, adding that carrots left past their prime turn tough and woody.

Illinois digs rather than pulls, since the tops may break, and says that when the roots are swelling, about 40 to 50 days after planting, drawing a little loose soil over the row keeps the shoulders from turning green.

Common problems

Forked roots, Illinois says, come most often from poorly prepared soil, and also from stones, root-knot nematodes or deep, close cultivation; twisted, intertwined roots come from sowing too thickly and not thinning. Illinois puts hairy, bitter, poorly colored roots down to aster yellows, a viral disease, and Clemson says six-spotted leafhoppers spread carrot yellows.

Clemson says insect and disease problems are usually minor in the home garden, and names Alternaria leaf blight and the parsley worm, the caterpillar of a swallowtail butterfly, whose damage is seldom severe. UF/IFAS says rotating carrots helps avoid wireworms and nematodes.

Common mistakes

• Starting carrots in pots. Minnesota says transplanting misdirects the taproot.
• Stony or compacted soil. UF/IFAS and Illinois say it forks the roots.
• Letting the surface crust or dry before the seed comes up. Minnesota and UF/IFAS say keep it moist.
• Skipping the thinning. Illinois says crowding twists the roots together.
• Leaving carrots too long in summer heat. Clemson says they turn strong-flavored, coarse and fibrous.

We found no carrot source for Texas beyond Texas A&M AgriLife’s planting table, or for Louisiana, Alabama or Mississippi, that we read for this page.

Questions

When should I plant carrots?

Directly in the garden, our crop table says 3 weeks before the median last spring freeze; the table on this page gives that date for each zone from NOAA records. University of Minnesota Extension starts on April 15, and Illinois as soon as the soil can be worked.

Why are my carrots forked?

University of Illinois Extension says forking comes most often from poorly prepared soil, and also from stones, root-knot nematodes or deep, close cultivation. UF/IFAS says anything that interrupts the main root makes it branch.

How long do carrots take to grow?

Illinois says finger carrots take 50 to 60 days and larger varieties about 60 to 70; Clemson says 65 to 75 days and UF/IFAS 70 to 120, depending on the variety.

Can I plant carrots in the fall?

Yes. The table’s last fall sowing is 46 days before each zone’s median first fall freeze. Illinois says carrots from midsummer sowings mature sweet and tender in cool fall weather, and Clemson and UF/IFAS give fall planting windows for South Carolina and Florida.

How far apart should carrots be thinned?

University of Minnesota Extension thins to two to four inches apart when the largest seedlings are three to four inches tall; Illinois thins larger varieties to one every 1 to 2 inches.

Sources

Freeze dates on this page are NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, for every station the ZIP codes in each zone cite. Zones are the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. The planting rules are named beside the table. Growing advice is quoted from the extension publications below, each written for its own area.

• University of Minnesota Extension, Growing carrots and parsnips in home gardens (Reviewed 2022). Written for: Minnesota (USDA zones 3a–5a).
• University of Illinois Extension, Carrots (Home Vegetable Gardening) . Written for: Illinois (USDA zones 5a–7a).
• Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Carrot, Beet, Radish & Parsnip (HGIC 1305) (Revised August 21, 2016). Written for: South Carolina (USDA zones 8a–9b).
• UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Carrots (Accessed October 2026). Written for: Florida (USDA zones 8b–11b).
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide (EHT-077) , by Joseph Masabni (June 2014). Written for: Texas (USDA zones 6b–10b).

How we write our guides

Published October 27, 2026