How to Plant Finger Carrots?

Finger carrots are a smaller version of traditional carrots and are a sweet and juicy addition to your backyard garden. Finger carrots don't take as much room in your vegetable garden and grow well alongside many other varieties of produce. From sowing to harvest, this popular variety of baby carrot grows quickly with a minimal amount of work on your part.

Delicious Finger Carrot

1. Choose an area in your backyard garden that receives at least six hours of full sun and has soil that drains well.

2. Turn the soil with a garden trowel. Finger carrots need loose soil to thrive. Apply a thin layer of compost or nitrogen-based fertilizer and turn the soil again to incorporate it into the area where you want to plant your carrots.

3. Plant finger carrot seeds 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep. Poke holes in the soil about 1 to 2 inches apart with your finger and place one or two carrot seeds into each hole. Carrot seeds can be planted as early as one month before the average date of the last frost. If you would rather plant carrot seedlings, wait until after the danger of the last frost. Dig holes that are slightly bigger than the root ball of each seedling. Space them between 12 and 18 inches apart. Place one seedling into each hole, fill in the hole with soil and press down firmly.

4. Water the seeds or seedlings with a garden hose to moisten the soil. Continue watering your carrots regularly so the soil remains moist. Carrots tend to grow best in warm, moist soil so watering is very important, particularly during the hot summer.

5. Pull weeds as soon as you notice them. Weeds can choke off young carrot plants by robbing them of moisture and nutrients.

6. Harvest your finger carrots between 50 and 65 days after planting. Carrots can be difficult to pull from the ground. Use a small trowel to dig around the carrots if they don't come out of the ground easily.

A beginner's guide to growing carrots

Carrots bring bountiful nutrients to the table, as well as a burst of color. Other than the typical orange, carrots can be found in red, white, rainbow and purple colors. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which helps prevent poor eyesight. In addition to being a tasty treat to humans, they also make a healthy treat for pets.

DaYu Super Three Red Carrot

To plant:

Plant carrot seeds 3-4 inches apart in rows set a foot apart, with the seeds 1/4 inch

deep. Carrots can be planted three to five weeks before the last frost date in the spring. Applying manure before planting seeds can cause carrots to shoot out roots from their bodies. To prevent this, do not apply manure prior to planting the seeds. Also, make sure the soil is loose and tilled deeply. If stones are in the way, they can stunt a carrot's growth or cause them to grow in a misshapen fashion.

To grow:

When plants reach 1 inch tall, thin the plants to be 3 inches apart. Instead of pulling out the plants, snip the tops with scissors to not damage nearby roots. Mulch can be spread lightly around the carrots. Keep up on weeding, and fertilizer can be used five weeks after planting. Carrots should continue growing through a few frosts, as it enhances the flavor. After the first fall frost, cover the carrots with shredded leaves but leave them in the ground.

To harvest:

Carrots are ready for harvest two-and-a-half months after planting, when their diameter reaches about a half-inch. However, after they mature, carrots can be stored where they grow in the ground for an additional four weeks before they must be harvested. Grabbing the leaves and pulling the carrot can rip the foliage off the vegetable, so loosen the soil around the carrot with a fork first. For storage, leave about 1/2 inch of green leaf at the top of the carrot, then rinse and dry the carrot before storing in the refrigerator.

What carrots crave:

Carrots prefer full sunlight, but they can grow in partial shade. They require at least 1 inch of water per week, and they do best in sandier soils with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.

Where to buy carrot seeds:

Dayu offers many varietals of carrots. Check out our website at dayuseeds.com!