Growing carrots, mine never looked like this picture in the garden. How about you? You can grow carrots in a container. I will see if I can try that.

image from cherryblossomlife.com 

       It is cool out this morning.  The temperature is 22 degrees at 8:30 AM and the wind is blowing.  So, if feels can you believe this 10 degrees.  High today is 37 and it looks like Friday through Sunday it will be cooler out.  Above the average but only in the 30’s. Stay warm, stay safe. 
​
How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Carrots  by Catherine Boeckmann
Everyone enjoys a sweet, crunchy carrot, but many gardeners find them a bit tricky to grow. It’s all in the soil! Take a moment to find out what you need to grow carrots in your garden successfully! Learn how to plant, grow, and harvest home-grown carrots.
About Carrots
Carrots are a cool-season crop grown in spring. They are an excellent source of vitamin A and add color to a meal. They can be served cooked or raw.
This popular vegetable has a natural sweetness—especially the homegrown carrot because the sugar that makes a carrot sweet begins to be replaced by fiber as it ages in the grocery stores.
Plus, the home gardener has so many more varieties to grow, from Belgian whites to Purple Dragon to Parisian heirlooms that are round! (Not all carrots are the grocery store shape.) In fact, don’t expect to get perfectly straight ”grocery store” carrots. Your carrots will still taste better, whatever their shape!
Carrots are known to be difficult to grow, especially in heavy, compacted soil. However, with a little effort, you can indeed grow carrots! You can learn more in our planting guide below.
PLANTING
Carrots prefer sunny locations (6 to 10 hours of sun). The soil itself should be free-draining; this is one of the few crops benefiting from sandier soils. You don’t want your soil to be too rich either, or the carrots can’t reach down!
If your garden is made of rugged, clay soil, grow carrots in containers or raised beds at least 8 inches to 12 inches high. See our tips on container gardening below!
When to Plant Carrots
Carrot seeds can be sown about 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost date.. Ideally, you want the soil to have dried out and warmed up a little after the winter.
Seeds germinate after the soil temperature is at least 40° and germinate best at 55-65°, not exceeding 75°F. High summer temperatures reduce growth, decrease quality, and cause bitter or off-flavors to develop.
For a fall harvest, sow seeds in mid-to-late summer—starting about ten weeks before your first fall frost.
How to Plant Carrots
Prepare the site by tilling to a depth of 10 inches. Make sure there are no rocks, stones, or even soil clumps. Amend soil with compost and 6 inches of sandy topsoil if your soil isn’t loose and airy. We recommend double-digging to be certain.
We recommend sowing seeds directly in the garden (or wherever you plan to grow them) rather than transplanting. Carrots do not like to have their roots disturbed.
Sow 1/4 inch deep, 2 to 3 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart.
Tip: Try to distribute seeds in an even fashion so that seeds don’t grow together. The seeds are pretty tiny, and it’s very easy to sow them too thickly. If you’ve not got the steadiest hand, then a simple tip is to mix the seeds with fine sand to spread the seeds out. You can then sow pinches of your sand-seed mix instead. Then, just cover the seeds over.
Keep the soil moist with frequent, shallow watering. For small carrot seeds to germinate, the soil mustn’t form a hard crust on top; covered with a layer of fine sand, vermiculite, or compost to prevent a crust from forming. (If you put your finger in the ground, it should be moist, but not wet, to the middle knuckle.)
 Carrots are sometimes slow to germinate. They require 14-21 days to emerge, so don’t panic if your carrots don’t appear immediately!
Planting radishes with carrots helps minimize the crusting problem and helps you keep track of where the carrot seeds were planted. Sow quick-germinating radish seeds between carrot rows. The radishes will grow quickly, and by the time the carrots really start to grow, they can be harvested.
For a continued harvest, plant carrots every four weeks through mid-summer.
Carrots in Containers
Growing carrots in pots is a great way to customize the perfect growing medium and avoid pests like carrot flies. Pots must be at least 10 to 12 inches deep and wide.
A great low-fertility mix is one part sand and one part potting mix.
Sow seeds very thinly over the top of a filled pot and then cover them with just a touch more of the mix.
Water well, label, and set into a sunny position.
Keep everything moist because, unlike those that are in the ground, carrots in containers will be entirely dependent on you for all their needs.
Thin the seedlings to a couple of inches apart once they’re up. Then harvest once they’ve reached finger size.
GROWING
Gently mulch carrots to retain moisture, speed germination, and block the sun from hitting the roots directly.
When seedlings are an inch tall with 3 to 4 true leaves, thin so that they stand 3 to 4 inches apart. Snip tops with scissors instead of pulling them out to prevent damage to the fragile roots of the remaining plants.
Ensure carrots receive 1 inch of water per week, either through rain or watering; do not overwater carrots.
Weed diligently as carrots do not like struggling against weeks, but be careful not to disturb the young carrots’ roots while doing so.
Fertilize 5 to 6 weeks after sowing (We recommend a low-nitrogen fertilizer as excess nitrogen in the soil promotes top, or foliage, growth—not roots.)
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/plant/carrots
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365