Carrots are a staple of the allotment — sweet, crisp, and colourful when home-grown. They prefer light, stone-free soil, steady moisture, and minimal disturbance. With staggered sowings, you can enjoy them from early summer right through to winter.
🗓️ Month-by-Month Growing Guide (UK)
January
🧤 Plan & Prepare
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Choose varieties:
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‘Nantes 2’ or ‘Early Nantes’ for early crops
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‘Autumn King’ for maincrop and storage
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‘Paris Market’ for small or container gardens
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Choose a sunny, well-drained bed.
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Avoid freshly manured soil (causes forking).
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Begin digging and removing stones from soil to make it fine and crumbly.
February
🌱 Soil Prep
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Rake soil into a fine tilth.
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Cover beds with fleece or cloches to warm the soil before sowing.
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Prepare raised beds or deep containers if your soil is heavy.
March
🌾 First Sowing (Early Varieties)
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Sow early varieties under cloches or fleece.
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Draw shallow drills 1 cm deep, spaced 15–20 cm apart.
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Sow seeds thinly (too close = overcrowded roots).
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Cover lightly with soil and water gently.
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Protect with fleece against carrot fly.
April
🌿 Main Sowing Time Begins
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Continue sowing every 3–4 weeks for a steady crop.
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Thin seedlings to 2–3 cm apart once they’re about 2 cm tall.
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Water well after thinning to settle the soil.
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Mulch lightly if the soil dries out.
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Keep fleece on for pest protection.
May
☀️ Strong Growth
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Sow maincrop varieties now for late-summer harvests.
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Keep rows weed-free — hand weed carefully to avoid disturbing roots.
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Water during dry spells to prevent splitting.
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Continue thinning gradually for evenly spaced roots.
June
🥕 Care & Watering
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Keep soil moist but not waterlogged.
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Avoid pulling up carrots unnecessarily — scent attracts carrot fly.
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Feed with a low-nitrogen fertiliser if needed.
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Sow final batches of early or baby carrots for autumn harvests.
July
🌾 Growing Steadily
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Maincrops filling out now.
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Keep fleece on or use carrot fly barriers (about 60 cm high).
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Remove weeds carefully by hand.
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Water deeply in hot weather.
August
🥕 Harvest Time for Early Varieties
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Lift early crops when roots are firm and full-sized.
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Leave maincrop carrots to swell for autumn.
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Sow late, short-rooted varieties for overwintering under cloches.
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Keep fleece on if carrot fly is still active.
September
🍂 Main Harvests Begin
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Pull maincrops as needed.
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Harvest before heavy frost to prevent cracking.
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Store clean, dry roots in boxes of sand or sawdust in a cool, dark shed.
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Remove all debris from beds to avoid attracting pests.
October
🌱 Storage & Soil Care
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Finish harvesting and store remaining carrots.
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Mulch soil beds with compost for winter protection.
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Start digging and preparing new carrot beds for next spring.
November
🌾 Maintenance Month
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Check stored carrots regularly — remove any that are soft or rotting.
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Continue clearing weeds and old foliage.
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Spread compost over next year’s carrot bed (not fresh manure).
December
🧤 Rest & Plan
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Enjoy stored carrots in stews and roasts.
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Review what worked well this season.
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Order fresh seed for next year — carrots lose viability quickly.
🌼 Key Growing Tips
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Soil: Light, sandy, stone-free, and well-drained.
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Sun: Full sun.
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Sowing Depth: 1 cm deep, 15–20 cm between rows.
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Watering: Deep and even — irregular watering causes splitting.
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Pests: Protect from carrot fly with fleece or mesh.
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Harvest: 10–16 weeks after sowing.
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Storage: Keep cool, dark, and dry in sand or sawdust.
🌤 Tip of the Season
“Carrots grow best when left undisturbed — sow thinly, keep them covered, and let nature do the shaping.”
