Candy Pelleted (F1) Carrot Seed

Scientific name

Daucus carota var. sativus

Soil

Carrots need well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0–6.8. The straightest, smoothest roots come from deep, loose, fertile sandy loams or peat soils that still hold moisture well.

Watering pelleted seed

Pelleted seed needs steady, moderate moisture right through germination. The first watering splits or dissolves the coating, and if the soil then dries out before the seedlings are up, the seed may not get enough water to sprout well.

Days to maturity

Counted from direct sowing.

Direct seeding

Sow from early spring to midsummer, 1/4–1/2" deep, with pellets about 3/4" apart in a 2"-wide band (about 16 pellets per foot) or in single rows 16–24" apart. Raised beds 5–6' on center with 2–3 rows 16–24" apart keep soil compaction down. Keep the surface moist and never let a crust form before the seedlings emerge, which takes 1–3 weeks. Thin to 3/4–2" if needed. Weed early with a tine weeder and shallow hoeing, and cover exposed shoulders with soil to stop greening.

Seeding rate

At 16 pellets per foot in rows 24" apart: about 16,000 pellets per 1,000 ft. of row and roughly 348,000 per acre.

Insect pests

For carrot rust fly and wireworms, grow in fertile ground, avoid fields that were recently in sod where possible, and keep adult flies off with floating row cover.

Disease

Leaf blights cut both yield and quality. Alternaria blight starts on the oldest leaves as brown-black spots with yellow edges along the leaf margins, and leaflets can shrivel. Cercospora blight starts as small dark spots with yellow margins on younger leaves and stems. Rotate on a 3-year cycle; copper fungicides can be used to prevent or control blights.

Harvest

Dig whenever the roots reach the size you want. Quality usually holds for about 3 weeks (longer in cool fall weather); after that roots may crack or lose flavor and looks. Sowing every 3 weeks keeps a supply of tender carrots coming.

Storage

For winter storage, sow about 100 days before your expected fall frost. Store at 32°F (0°C) and about 95% relative humidity.

Carrot types

Amsterdam: small to medium, cylindrical, quick to mature. Nantes: medium length and cylindrical. Imperator (shipping) types: long and tough enough for packing, best in deeply worked soil. Chantenay: broad-shouldered and tapering, good for shallow or heavy soil. Kuroda: thick, tapered roots that can be deeper in color, suited to subtropical winter crops (California, Texas, Florida) or to temperate summer crops where winters drop below 45–50°F (7–13°C). Each variety's type is given in its description.

Keeping pelleted seed

Pelleting shortens seed life, so plan to sow within about a year. Until then, keep the seed somewhere cool, dark and dry; if you use the refrigerator, seal it in an airtight container so it is not exposed to changing humidity.

Packet

250 seeds.

Seeds per lb.

About 208,000 on average.