University of Illinois Extension
Illinois Vegetable Garden Guide
Carrots
For good root development carrots should be grown in deep, loose soil. In heavy, compact soil the roots are likely to be poorly shaped and forked. Because carrot seed is slow to germinate, give special care to the seedbed to speed up germination and to improve the stand. Work the seedbed finely before seeding, and in dry weather before the plants are up, sprinkle the seedbed with water each evening.
When the carrot tops are 2 to 3 inches high, thin out the plants so that they stand 2 inches apart.
Carrots can be used before they attain full size. For fresh use harvest them before they exceed 1 inch in diameter.
| Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
| Carrots (seed) | ¼ ounce | Danvers Half-Long | 75 | |
| Danvers | 65 | |||
| Bolero | 70 | |||
| Nantes Coreless | 72 | |||
| Scarlet Nantes | 70 |
| Vegetable | Hardiness | Recommended planting period for central Illinois (b) | Time to grow from seed to field (c) | |
| For overall Use |
For storage |
|||
| Carrot | Half-hardy | April 10-July 15 | May 15 | ... |
| Vegetable | Spacing in row | |||
| Seed to sow per foot | Distance between plants when thinned or transplanted | Distance between rows | Planting depth | |
| inches | inches | inches | ||
| Carrot | 15-20 | 1-3 | 12-18 | ½ |