How to grow Carrot Nantes Seeds
Carrots are an easy and rewarding crop to grow and are great for encouraging children to eat their vegetables. Carrot Nantes can be re-sown regularly for a long harvest season.
When to Sow Carrot Seeds
Carrots can be grown all year round. Simply re-sow carrot seed regularly. Every 3 or 4 weeks is ideal for a year-round crop.
Sowing Carrot Seeds
Make drills in the soil about 1 cm deep, leaving about 30 cm between each drill. Sow carrot seed thinly along the drill and gently cover with soil.
Main Sowing Season
Carrots are normally sown outdoors between March and July and harvested throughout the summer and autumn. Early varieties can be sown as early as February under cloches.
Where to Plant
Carrots are best grown in the open ground, but can be grown in containers or even grow-bags. Cut a grow-bag in half to make two square bags out of one oblong bag, then stand each half up on its closed end.
Loosen the compost until the bag forms a free-standing round pot shape. Otherwise, choose deep pots.
Preparing the Soil
Before sowing carrots, remove any weeds and dig your soil to a fine tilth, breaking up any large lumps.
Soil that has been manured within the last year, or manured and rested without growing a previous crop, is not suitable for growing carrots in. Carrots grow best in light, sandy soil and don’t do well in heavy, clay, stony, or chalky conditions.
Watering & Germination
Water with a fine rose to minimise seed disturbance and keep moist until germination, which should take about 10–20 days.
Seedling Care
When the carrot seedlings are large enough to handle, they will need thinning out. This is best done in stages.
For the first thinning, aim to leave one seedling every 2–4 cm, pulling out any in-between. About four weeks later, thin again to a final spacing of 10 cm. For finger or baby carrots, a final spacing of 5 cm will be adequate.
Maturity
Plants should reach maturity in approximately 70–80 days. Don’t leave the carrot thinnings lying around, as it’s the scent that attracts carrot fly.