Growing Carrots in Your Denver Backyard Garden
Colorado Gardeners! Get ready to add a splash of color and nutrition to your backyard garden with carrots!
Loved by kids and adults alike, carrots are not only versatile but also super fun to harvest. Let’s dive into the secrets of growing robust and tasty carrots in your own backyard in Denver.
In this blog, you’ll learn:
The Ideal Soil for Carrots
Tips for Planting Your Carrots
Maintaining Your Supply with Planting
How to Harvest Your Carrots
Carrot Varieties We Love
The ideal Soil for Carrots
Carrots thrive in deep, rock-free soil enriched with organic matter. Ensure your carrot beds are well-situated in sunny spots for the best growth.
HOT TIP:
Be mindful when planting carrots in rocky, rooty, or compact soil. When the root hits something hard it will move into another direction. That’s how you get really funny shaped carrots. 😂
Tips for Planting Your Carrots
Sometimes, you can just toss some seeds in the dirt and call it a day. But carrots benefit from love and attention to germinate, so keep their soil moist once you plant them. You can either “lightly salt” the seeds over your planting area or, if you're feeling fancy, grab a seed ruler to plant them perfectly spaced apart - every 2 inches.
Fun fact:
Did you know carrots and radishes are garden best friends? Plant them together in the same row. The radishes grow quickly, loosening the soil for carrot roots to spread out. Plus, they’ll be ready to harvest well before your carrots.
Continuous Planting for a Steady Supply
Don't stop planting carrots just because you've already got some growing! Keep planting every few weeks until August to enjoy fresh carrots all winter long.
Carrots can last all winter and can be harvested until the soil freezes. Cover them with a thick layer of leaves to insulate the soil and harvest longer into the winter.
Harvesting your carrots
To harvest your carrots, loosen the soil and then pull them out. It's really satisfying. If the greens come off, loosen the soil more and try again.
HOT TIP:
If you're feeling adventurous, try making pesto out of the greens or dehydrating and adding them to your favorite soup recipes!
Carrot Varieties We Love
Rouge Sang Violette:
(Imperator) A true rainbow resides in the carrot. Purple skins turning from orange to yellow in the core. Great for summer planting. A favorite for kids.Purple Dragon:
(Imperator) Another awesome purple on the outside orange on the inside carrot.They type of carrot you find most often in stores. Comes to a point at the end and is delicious.
Scarlet Nantes:
More of a blunt shape, deep orange and super smooth. It’s much softer in texture so doesn’t have quite as much of a crunch.Tonda di Parigi:
(Paris Market) A short, round carrot that is great for containers or shallower growing spaces.Red Cored Chantenay:
Great for shallow gardens, storage and for fall season sowing.
(This one was hard for me to narrow down. I love carrots!!)
Photo credit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/small_scale_organic_carrot_production
Remember, growing carrots is not just about planting seeds; it's an adventure in your garden. So grab your seeds, and let's start planting!
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Meet the Gardener
I’m Elisa Mack - a mom and Denverite who went from being a green-ish thumb to a kitchen garden fanatic simply by dedicating myself to the study of all things Colorado gardening.
Landscapers don’t design. And nurseries don’t make house calls.
We take a more full-service approach, from designing your dream garden to keeping it beautiful year-round.
And as your coach, I’ll help eliminate the guesswork through every season, no matter your level of knowledge.
