5 Signs It’s Time To Harvest Your Carrots

Carrots, packed with vitamin A and beta carotene, are easy to grow, take up little space, and have the capacity to aerate soils with their long taproots. And that’s in addition to their sweet crunch, versatile across cuisines, from tender types for fresh eating to sturdy roots for storing and cooking. 

The root vegetables grow and sweeten in the cool seasons of spring and fall and are somewhat heat-tolerant as they weather cool-to-warm transitions. From tip to toe, they’re tasty and nutritious – the leafy greens are edible in addition to the dense roots (they make a delicious fresh pesto).

Carrots come in a variety of colors, lengths, and thicknesses for diversity on the plate, whether harvested young or at a mature size. Compact, they tuck in easily in raised beds, pots, or in a patch with companion plantings. Planted in the cool weather of spring and fall and with successional summer rounds, we look forward to extended harvests.

Here’s how to know when it’s time to harvest your carrots!

Little Finger Carrot

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Little Finger Carrot Seeds

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Tendersweet Carrot

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Tendersweet Carrot Seeds

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Carnival Blend Carrot

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Carnival Blend Carrot Seeds

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Carrot Basics

Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) are compact root vegetables that do well with direct sowing in spring, summer, and fall, depending on your climate. Skip early summer sowing in warm growing areas, keeping them to late summer or fall for overwintering and late winter for spring harvests.

Carrots have a long history in cultivation, beginning with wild purple and yellow species some 3,000 years ago in Asia. They belong to the Apiaceae family with parsley, fennel, and parsnips. As root vegetables, their long tap roots become the starchy, flavorful, edible component we want to foster.

Because the taproot is sensitive to transplant disturbance, seeding them directly in their growing location is ideal. Sow seeds in place, where they develop undisturbed, to avoid misshapen carrots. They grow well in prepped soils, pots and containers, and raised beds.

Carrots are a crop that matures all at once, but you can leave them in the ground as “storage” until ready to use. Harvest the whole yield, or pick them in usable portions over about a month (longer in winter storage). They keep well in the ground as a way to preserve the flavor and texture. Successional seeding staggers the harvest and keeps the yields coming. Sow seeds every three weeks up until 10 to 12 weeks before fall’s first frost.

From seed, carrots can take up to three weeks to germinate and fully develop a few weeks later. Optimal growing conditions for the easy crops include:

Sizeable Shoulders

Carrots are delicious as baby vegetables and full-sized, starchy roots. They taste best when sizable but still tender; pull them as soon as usable for small roots or let them fully develop for peak readiness. Size varies by variety, as does the length of time it takes for them to mature.

The shoulders are a key sign of when to harvest carrots. The size of the shoulders (the top portion of the root) will push up out of the soil as they develop, swell, and reach readiness. Sometimes, they pop up too early and benefit from soil cover to protect them from sunburn. Exposed green tops hold a bitter flavor.

To check the shoulder size, lightly dig the soil from around the top. A good rule of thumb is that when the root is at least ½ an inch thick, the carrot is ready to harvest. ¾ inch is optimal, with one to one and a half inches for larger storage types. If they’re too small for your picking, return the soil cover and continue to check over the coming days.

Carrots that are too big take a downward turn in flavor and texture. They become dense, woody, and tough. They may split and crack as they fill with moisture and then dry. Pull them as young vegetables or mature size, less than one and a half inches at the shoulder.

Days to Maturity

Many carrots are ready to harvest in about 60 to 80 days after seeding, with fast-growing varieties ready in as little as 50 days and slow, bulkier types taking over 100 days. It’s usually around six to eight weeks after sowing that they reach the desirable ¾-inch shoulder size.

Measure the “days to maturity” listed on the seed packet. From sowing, this is the length of time the variety takes to mature in optimal conditions. Count out to the date they’ll likely mature (or ask Google for “X days from today”) and make a note of it or add it to the calendar.

The days to maturity timeframe is a good guide to use in combination with other physical signs. Weather, seasonal variations, and localized situations may affect growth rates and alter the specific days to readiness.

Full, Leafy Tops

The leafy tops are one of the best visual signs that carrots are ready to harvest. The frilly, feathery greens should be lush and full at peak growth. This is variety dependent, but usually about 10 to 12 inches tall. Short, small leaves are likely a sign that the underground development is still unfolding.

The older leaves die down in late summer and early fall as the season progresses and with frosts. Dieback is a natural signal of harvest readiness, too. For overwintered carrots, the leaves disappear with heavy freezes, but you can continue to harvest the roots. Mark the patch to know where to pull as late-season foliage dies back.

Wet Winter Conditions

The root vegetables are cold-hardy, even sweetening in flavor after freezing conditions. Chilly temperatures convert the starches to sugars, and carrots have a high sugar content.

To overwinter carrots, do a late spring/early summer sowing. This timing gives the developing roots time to settle in before facing winter conditions. Add several inches of mulch (straw, leaf mulch, grass clippings) to insulate the roots.

Harvest the carrots throughout the winter, or leave them until spring. It’s easiest to remove the roots before the ground freezes, though mulch or frost cloth before a deep freeze helps with continued lifting. Carrots store well in the ground in cold conditions, with harvesting in early spring before new growth appears.

While carrots rely on consistent moisture during the growing season for even development, they don’t withstand overly saturated or waterlogged conditions. If your soils tend to stay wet in the winter from rain or fluctuating snowmelt, plan to lift the crop after fall’s initial frosts before wet weather sets in.

Warming Spring Temperatures

Whether sowing in late winter/early spring or in fall, carrots are ready to harvest before temperatures get too hot. In overwintering the crop, harvest the remainder in late winter and early spring before new growth emerges. As new growth begins, the remaining roots become woody, dense, and fibrous.

Harvesting too late also exposes the roots to potential pest activity. And while roots left too long aren’t suitable for eating, let them grow if you intend to collect seeds.

Carrots are biennial crops, developing their taproots in the first growing season to flower, set seed, and die back in the second year. They produce umbel flower clusters that develop tiny seeds post-bloom. Collect the seeds for the next round of sowing.

The cool-weather favorites decline as temperatures climb toward 75°F (24°C) and higher. While seeds need warm soils to germinate, growth is best in mild conditions. Ideal germination temperatures are between 50-70°F (10-21°C). Opt for heat-resistant varieties like ‘Mokum’ and ‘Shin Kuroda’ to bridge seasonal transitions.

How to Harvest Carrots

When all the signs point to readiness, give the patch a deep watering for harvesting the next day. This softens the soil for digging and makes for easy pulling. Pick them early in the day for the most plump, water-filled roots and stems that resist breaking.

To harvest, dig a few or the entire crop, depending on your uses (fresh eating, storing, canning, freezing). Dig the surrounding soil with a spade, fork, or hand trowel, taking care not to damage roots. With soils loosened, gently lift the tops by hand, keeping the greens attached. Wash the carrots and greens with cold water for fresh storage, or leave them unwashed for a root cellar situation. Clip the greens from the tops, leaving ½ to one inch of the stems attached.

Storage

Fresh carrots last for several weeks in the refrigerator. Store them in the crisper drawer near 33°F (1°C) with tops and roots detached. The greens don’t last as long as the roots and, when attached, continue to draw moisture and nutrients.

The vegetables store well over the winter in a cool, dry space. Separate roots in a tray of moist sand in a cool environment like a root cellar or basement for long-lasting fresh storage. You can also flash-freeze them for over a year. 

Freezing

A quick blanch helps preserve the integrity of the tapers for freezing. Wash them before cutting them into half-inch pieces (or go whole carrot). Blanch them for two to three minutes in boiling water, followed by an ice bath for the same length of time. Drain, dry, and transfer them to an airtight container or baggie for freezing, leaving half an inch of headspace.

To keep the pieces from freezing into a block and to allow using smaller amounts at a time, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet after blanching and cooling. Freeze the sheet until the pieces are firm, and then transfer them to the container for long-term freezing.