🥕 When to Plant Carrots
Direct sow only; keep soil moist for germination
📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone
Carrots is a cool-season crop — plant it around your last spring frost, and you can often start it earlier indoors or sow again for a fall harvest. Find the exact start-indoors, transplant, and direct-sow dates for your USDA zone in the table below.
Select your zone to highlight your dates. All dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates — see how we calculate them.
| Zone | Last Frost | Start Indoors | Transplant | Direct Sow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2A | May 30 | — | — | May 2 |
| Zone 3B | May 15 | — | — | Apr 17 |
| Zone 4A | May 8 | — | — | Apr 10 |
| Zone 4B | May 1 | — | — | Apr 3 |
| Zone 5A | Apr 25 | — | — | Mar 28 |
| Zone 5B | Apr 18 | — | — | Mar 21 |
| Zone 6A | Apr 21 | — | — | Mar 24 |
| Zone 6B | Apr 10 | — | — | Mar 13 |
| Zone 7A | Apr 5 | — | — | Mar 8 |
| Zone 7B | Mar 28 | — | — | Feb 28 |
| Zone 8A | Mar 20 | — | — | Feb 20 |
| Zone 8B | Mar 12 | — | — | Feb 12 |
| Zone 9A | Feb 28 | — | — | Jan 31 |
| Zone 9B | Feb 15 | — | — | Jan 18 |
| Zone 10A | Feb 1 | — | — | Jan 4 |
| Zone 10B | Jan 15 | — | — | Dec 18 |
| Zone 11A | Jan 1 | — | — | Dec 4 |
Carrots are a rewarding root crop that thrives in loose, deep soil with consistent moisture.
Recommended Varieties
Carrot varieties differ mainly by root shape — and shape decides which soils and seasons they suit, so match the type to your bed and your window.
- Nantes types — cylindrical and sweet, the easiest to grow. Nelson is fast for early spring and germinates in cool soil down to 50°F (~58 days); Yaya is the fastest reliable Nantes, ideal for tight-window zones (~56 days).
- Danvers — Danvers 126 is a heat-tolerant root well-suited to fall planting (~75 days).
- Imperator — Imperator 58 grows long, slender roots but needs loose, deep soil (10+ inches) to size up (~75 days).
- Chantenay — Chantenay Red Core has short, broad roots that tolerate heavier or shallow soil (~70 days).
- Heirloom — Cosmic Purple has purple skin over an orange core and performs well in fall plantings (~70 days).
Short-season or heavy-soil gardeners should lean on the fast Nantes (Nelson, Yaya) and the forgiving Chantenay; deep, loose beds unlock the long Imperator types; and Danvers 126 and Cosmic Purple are the picks for heat and fall sowing.
Top Growing Tips
- Loose, rock-free soil is essential for straight roots
- Seeds are tiny — mix with sand for even spacing
- Keep soil moist until germination (can take 2-3 weeks)
- Thin seedlings to 2-3 inches apart for good root development
- Shorter varieties work best in heavy or shallow soil
Companion Planting
Good companions: lettuce, tomatoes, chives, onions, rosemary
Avoid planting near: dill (cross-pollinates with Queen Anne’s lace family)
Harvest Timeline
60-80 days from seed
Growing carrots in your region?
These dates come from your zone's frost windows. For the full month-by-month plan — succession sowing, variety picks, and timing tuned to your climate, not just your zone — our regional vegetable-gardening guides cover your area start to finish.
Find your regional growing guide