When to Plant Carrots
Carrots are a half-hardy cool-season vegetable. They take light frosts but not a hard freeze.
Sow them outdoors from 3 weeks before the last spring frost to 1 week after it. For a fall crop, sow 11 to 14 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 60 to 80 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Feb 22 – Mar 22 | Mar 25 – Apr 22 | Apr 24 – May 22 |
| Harvest | Apr 23 – May 21 | May 24 – Jun 21 | Jun 23 – Jul 21 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Aug 9 – 30 | Jul 19 – Aug 9 | Jun 24 – Jul 15 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 8 – Nov 5 | Sep 17 – Oct 15 | Aug 23 – Sep 20 |
Growing carrots
Keep the seedbed moist until the slow seedlings emerge, then thin so roots have room to size up.
- Spacing: 2 in apart, in rows 12 in apart. In a raised bed, 16 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 60 to 80 from sowing, then about 4 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 21 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Rotation: carrots are in the carrot family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: bush bean, calendula, cherry tomato, chives, garlic, green onion, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, leek, onion (bulb), pea (shelling/snap/snow), pole bean, radish, romaine lettuce, rosemary, sage, shallot, tomato. See companion plants for carrots.
- Usually kept apart from: dill.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant carrots and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can carrots go in before the last frost?
Yes. Carrots are half-hardy: sow them from 3 weeks before the last spring frost to 1 week after it.
How long do carrots take to grow?
About 60 to 80 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 4 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow carrots in fall?
Yes. Sow 11 to 14 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow carrots?
Every 21 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Vegetable Planting and Harvesting Times (chart, central Iowa)
- Iowa State: Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Carrots and Parsnips
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- Montana State University Extension: Can I Grow That Here? Vegetable Seed and Transplant Schedules (MontGuide MT199308AG, rev. 2018)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Plant Partners: 5 Benefits of Companion Planting (2025)
- University of Vermont Extension: Creating a Biodiverse Vegetable Garden (2023)
- UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program: Companion Planting (FFL in a Minute, 2020)