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How to Plant Carrot Seeds in a Pot?

The Carrot, a root vegetable, often grows in the ground from the Carrot tops, but the convention can be broken by growing the plant from seeds in a pot.

Generally, Carrots are a cool-season crop that produces seeds beneath the umbel of the flower. You can collect and plant the seeds in a 12-inch deep pot with at least a drainage hole. Poke the seed in a moist potting mix and wait a month to let it germinate.

While growing, you need to maintain a growing condition for the Carrot to sprout healthily.

Stay till the end to understand the time to collect and plant Carrot seeds in a pot.

What Is The Best Month To Plant Carrots?

Growing Carrots is as easy as savoring their sweet taste, either raw or cooked, making them the favorite of most gardeners and foodies.

The Carrot enjoy a cool season during their germination period. So the best month to plant Carrots is two months before the last frost in mildly warm zones and 2 to 3 months before the first frost in mildly cold zones.

Meanwhile, Carrots attain successful sprouting even with succession sowing while grown in a pot.

You can follow the first sowing before the last frost date with every three weeks sowing till mid-July.

Alternatively, you can look out for the soil temperature before sowing. Check if it is around 55 to 65ºF. Do not let the temperature range above 80ºF.

Where Are Carrot Seeds On The Plant?

Like any other biennial vegetable, Carrots flower to produce seeds in the next year of growth.

Usually, the flowering of Carrots occurs during the early summer month, when open pollination ensues. Bees and butterflies are responsible for it.

After completion of pollination, the tiny flowers on the flat-topped clusters undergo seed formation.

Pay close attention to the umbels as Carrot seeds with small, brown to straw color, one end flat and another curved, are present in the base of each tiny flower that gradually swells on the plant.
The flower of Carrot with seeds that is about to dry
Open-pollinated seeds give the same character as the parent Carrot plant rather than hybrid seeds.

You can get Carrot seeds from the plant when it dries and turns brown.

Separate the flower head and allow further drying away from the plant in a jar or plastic container.

Afterwards, rub each umbel head with your hand or walk on the flower head by placing it over a tarp or soft cotton cloth.

You can store Carrot seeds in a zipper bag, glass jar, or envelope, as they are viable for about three to four years.

How To Plant Carrot Seeds In A Pot?

Growing a ground crop in a pot needs specific consideration from your side.

First and foremost, containers holding the Carrot should be deep enough, at least 1 foot, and an equal width with at least 2-3 drainage holes.

Afterwards, you need to look out for the soil mix you will use to plant the Carrot seeds, as the soil should be rock and pebble free and well-draining.

Next, growing Carrots in containers indoors is all about the suitable variety.

Choose seeds of a smaller variety like Thumbelina, Little Finger, Oxheart, Short ‘n’ Sweet, or Romeo since it benefits more from the pot.

Now, you are all set to plant Carrot seeds in a pot whether terracotta or plastic does not matter. Even a carrot planter box deep enough can be used.

Grow Carrots From Seed

Follow the steps to grow Carrots from seeds successfully. 

  • Prepare a mix of sandy loam soil, organic compost, vermiculite, and coco peat in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. Else, use soil-less media made from coco peat and perlite.
  • Add low nitrogen, slow-releasing fertilizer (5-10-10) in the soil to promote Carrot growth.
  • Fill the container with the mixture, leaving an inch from the pot’s rim.
  • Now, take the Carrot seeds, which you can soak for 2 to 3 days before planting but not necessarily.
  • Dig holes at a spacing of 1 inch. You can plant at least 2 to 3 seeds in one hole as a single Carrots grow from one seed.
  • Alternatively, you can just scatter Carrot seeds and thin them out when the green tops reach 1-2 inches.
  • Afterward, lightly cover the seed with the prepared soil medium and pat it.
  • Then, water the seed thoroughly so they are wet enough to germinate.
  • At last, keep the pot under direct light, as Carrots are sun lovers. However, it can vary according to variety, so do a re-check for sun requirements.

After sowing, moisten the plant with an inch of water weekly on warm days. But do not overflow the pot to prevent root rotting.

Feed the Carrot seed with 5-10-10 fertilizers after six weeks of sowing to boost the growth.

Also, thin the seedlings into a larger container once it reaches an inch of height.

A 5-gallon bucket can grow about 1o-12 Carrots, so transplant it into the bucket or let it grow in the same container by keeping a 2-3 inches gap.

Nevertheless, Carrots take about two to three months to grow from seed and give out their edible part.

Look at the video if you have any confusion!

From Editorial Team

Extra Tips!

Carrots growing in pots saves you and your vegetable from pests and diseases problem, mainly the Carrot fly.

You can rest assured and enjoy the process of Carrot plantation as there is no perfect technique for growing until you try it yourself.

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