Everyone’s familiar with an orange carrot, but did you know carrots can also be grown that are white, red, yellow, or even purple? Carrots are a great addition to a home garden, as they take up minimal space and are very cool weather-resistant. However, they are a difficult vegetable to monitor for growth or disease because all of the growth takes place underground. To produce the best carrot harvest from your home garden, focus on the soil composition and temperature during the planting and growth cycle.

So you’ve decided to plant carrots in your fantasitc garden, nice! According to our research on carrots, we don’t recommend planting parsnip, coriander, and dill nearby.

As a root vegetable, the soil that carrots grow in is a vital factor in the success of your harvest. Carrots require loose, rock-free soil that allows the carrot to grow downwards easily. Before sowing carrot seeds into the garden, double-dig the area you’ll be planting your carrots, and amend the soil with fresh compost to “lighten up” the bed. Most cultivars of carrots take 70 to 80 days to grow to full size, and can be planted as soon as the soil has thawed enough to be worked. Plant carrot seeds in rows by taking a pinch of 5-6 seeds and generously spreading through every 6-8 inches.

As the carrots grow, the crown may emerge from the soil. Be sure to cover any growth with soil or much, to ensure the carrot doesn’t become bitter. To check how large your carrots have grown to, check each carrot’s diameter by grabbing just below the soil line. If it’s reached a point where you’re ready to harvest, simple twist and pull each carrot gently from the ground. Be sure to immediately remove the leaves from each carrot to ensure the sweetness stays in the roots.