Divisi
How to grow Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus · Apiaceae
Photo: BazzaDaRambler · CC BY 2.0
The carrot is a cool-season root crop grown for its sweet, crunchy taproot — the long root you pull from the ground. You sow the tiny seed straight where it will grow: a carrot cannot be moved, because disturbing the young root makes it fork and twist. Almost everything a carrot becomes is decided underground, and three things decide it — a deep, loose, stone-free bed (hit a stone or a hard layer and the root forks), steady, even watering (let it go dry then flood it and the root splits), and a light hand with feeding (no fresh manure, and only a little nitrogen, or you get hairy, forked, leafy plants instead of clean roots). Get those three right and the rest is patience: carrots are slow to sprout and slow to fill, but a careful hand is rewarded with roots that store for months.
Harald Ulver · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Dwight Sipler · CC BY 2.0
- Days to maturity
- 90–130 days
- Row spacing
- 20 cm
- Plant spacing in the row
- 4 cm
- Sowing depth
- 1–2 cm
These are general figures for the crop, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. The right choice for your field depends on your soil, rainfall and the yield you are aiming for.
Will carrot actually do well on your land? Check your field against every crop in the catalogue — free, no signup. Run the free crop check →
Other names for Carrot
wortel · ካሮት (karot) · carrot · carotte · karas · cenoura · karoti
Working in buckets, bags or paces? The farming glossary turns the measures growers actually use into kilograms and hectares — what a 20 litre bucket of each crop really weighs, and how to size a field by walking it — alongside the Shona, Swahili, Ndebele and Yoruba words used in the field. Open the glossary →
Growing carrot, stage by stage
Your carrot season, step by step — from working the soil deep, loose and stone-free, through slow-to-sprout shallow sowing, early thinning and steady, even watering, to a gentle lift and a same-day cool that keeps the roots for months.
- Get the bed deep, loose and stone-free
- Sow tiny seed and wait out the slow sprout
- Thin early and keep it clean
- Swell the root — steady water, potassium, no splits
- Check the roots are ready
- Lift the roots gently
- Top, wash and cool the same day
19 step-by-step tasks in the app
Every task for carrot — what to do, when to do it and why it matters — with the amounts worked out for your own field, reminders as each one falls due, and warnings before extreme weather.
Pests and diseases that attack carrot
4 more threats tracked in the app
Divisi tells you which of these is a risk on your carrot right now, when to walk the field looking for it, and what to do the moment you find it.
Frequently asked questions
How long does carrot take to grow?
Carrot takes about 90–130 days from sowing to maturity, though the exact length varies with variety, temperature and how the season runs.
What spacing should I use for carrot?
Space carrot rows about 20 cm apart, with roughly 4 cm between plants within the row.
How deep should carrot be planted?
Sow carrot at about 1–2 cm deep. Shallower risks drying out; deeper wastes seed energy before the shoot reaches light.
What pests and diseases attack carrot?
The ones covered in this guide are Alternaria leaf blight, Bacterial soft rot, Carrot fly. Each has its own page explaining how to identify, scout for and control it.
Grow carrot with a plan, not a guess
Divisi turns this guide into a dated plan for your own field — what to do each week, reminders as tasks fall due, and warnings before extreme weather. Free for farmers, works offline.
Or check your field first