Select your climate zone New Zealand - cool/mountain New Zealand - sub-tropical New Zealand - temperate What is my climate zone?

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(Best months for planting Carrot in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

January: water well

September: broadcast sow

• Easy to grow.
• Harvest in 65-90 days
• Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
• Best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 30°C.
• Space plants: 25-30cm

A root vegetable which grows well in deep cool soil. Hardy. Carrots take about 3 weeks to show themselves and the first leaves look like grass . If broadcast sowing, mix with radish seeds which will germinate quickly and indicate the sown area. In hot dry areas, water well before seeding then cover with boards to maintain the moisture and cool soil for more successful germination. Check every week or so.

Over fertilised ground will produce split roots. Protect against carrot fly. It is best to put carrots in a different area of the garden each year for four or five years.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Carrot

Steamed or raw carrots are tasty. Cook them in a small amount of water until nearly dry then add a pat of butter and teasp of brown sugar to glaze.
They can be added to most casserole-type dishes.
Grate raw carrots and add to salads

Your comments and tips

06 Apr 10 David (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Jo, you can improve your clay soil by adding gypsum. It can be bought from farm supply shops. But it would be quicker to use raised beds. Carrots do not need a lot of fertiliser, as they will split into small rootlets if overfed.

03 May 10 Laura (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Does anyone have a planting schedule that will allow me to harvest carrots year-round in an area that gets winter frosts? Is this possible?

28 Oct 10 Tarran (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Can anyone suggest a good branded soil to grow carrots in and from where I can get it?? Last year I got what I thought was fine soil however I still ended up with kinky carrots and I would like straight ones this year if possible.

29 Oct 10 Ingrid (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Tarran I wonder if your carrots split or forked because of too many nutrients rather than the soil characteristics? Garden soil that is sold often has fertiliser in it. If the soil feels fine and soft to you then it will be fine for the carrots to grow in and won't make them split. Maybe if you tried again this year in the same spot? If you've only grown carrots for one season there it should be fine to grow them again for one more season, and a lot of the nitrogen will have washed out over the winter so the nutrient level will be lower. Good luck!.

19 Jan 11 philippa (New Zealand - temperate climate)

my carrots have very large cores and aren't as orange as shop bought carrots

14 Feb 11 Aine (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Is is ok to plant carrots after potatoes?

15 Feb 11 (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Aine, As they are both root vegetables, the carrots might not do so well. Have you got a bed where you have just grown beans? that would suit the carrots better.

20 Mar 11 moses (New Zealand - temperate climate)

I want to learn how to grow vege plants, in a pot. Where can i get info of what, and how to mix the soil type, feed, and what ever in the pot before putting the plant in. I want to learn how to grow Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Carrots.in a 9 litre bucket. I know as much about gardening, as i do about flying the space shuttle. Any help would be very much appreciated Thankyou

30 Jan 12 John (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)

Hi our carrots are growing tops but there are no roots to them. Why?

02 Feb 12 Nathan (New Zealand - temperate climate)

In the past I have had great luck by burring a soak hose about 50 cm below my carrots before planting along with a bit of fertilizer. The carrot roots want to grow toward more nutrients and therefore grow straight down and get nice and big.