Carrot Seeds

Growing suggestions for carrot seeds

Direct sow carrot seeds 1cm deep into weed-free soil with a fine tilth in drills 30cm apart, aiming for a seed spacing of 1cm. When the plants are 3cm tall, thin to final spacing. Cover early sowings with cloches to warm the soil.

Top tips: mix with some beetroot seed (which will germinate faster) to spot the rows for early weeding; cover with fleece or mesh to prevent carrot fly.

Growing calendar

Crop facts

Carrots are of the species Daucus carota, which includes its wild relative, ‘wild carrot’ or Queen Anne’s Lace. Carrot plants were originally grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds – carrot seed has been found in Southern Germany and dated to 2-3000 BC. The root vegetable that we now know as carrot was not bred until around the first century in Afghanistan. The original colour of carrots was purple and yellow, with the bright orange cultivars not becoming common until the seventeenth century.