×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Buyers Guides
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Gardening LIfe
      • Animals in the Garden
      • Funny Business
      • Gardening History
      • Gardening Humor
      • Gardening Mishaps
      • Gardening Poems
      • Gardening Romance
      • Gardening Science
      • Gardening with Kids
      • Healing Gardens
      • Joy of Gardening
      • Mystical Gardens
      • Ornamental Gardening
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • GreenPrints Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Books
    • GuideBooks
    • Cookbooks
      • Beverages
      • Bakery
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Salads & Dressings
      • Soups
      • Entrées
      • Side Dishes & Sauces
      • Desserts
    • Story Collections
    • StoryBooks
    • Recipe Collections
  • Kits
    • Garden Calendars
    • Garden Plans
    • Recipe Cards
    • Greeting Cards
    • ArtPrints
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Authors
  • GreenPrints Writer’s Guidelines
  • Keyword Index
  • Join
Celebrating 5 Years of Food Gardening

Food Gardening Network

Growing food, fun & more

Give a GiftJoin
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Buyers Guides
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Gardening Life
      • Animals in the Garden
      • Funny Business
      • Gardening History
      • Gardening Humor
      • Gardening Mishaps
      • Gardening Poems
      • Gardening Romance
      • Gardening Science
      • Gardening with Kids
      • Healing Gardens
      • Joy of Gardening
      • Mystical Gardens
      • Ornamental Gardening
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • GreenPrints Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Books
    • GuideBooks
    • Cookbooks
      • Beverages
      • Bakery
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Salads & Dressings
      • Soups
      • Entrées
      • Side Dishes & Sauces
      • Desserts
    • Story Collections
    • StoryBooks
    • Recipe Collections
  • Kits
    • Garden Calendars
    • Garden Plans
    • Recipe Cards
    • Greeting Cards
    • ArtPrints
  • Sign In
  • Search

Harvesting your Carrots

Gardening Guide: Crunchy Carrots Guide

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Harvesting your Carrots

By Norann Oleson

Gardener harvesting carrots from the ground

Gardener harvesting carrots from the ground

Harvesting carrots is easy: just pull them out of the ground when you want them. In truth, you don’t have to wait the full growing period before you start harvesting them. If you have a hankering for some baby carrots but all you planted were Imperators, there’s nothing to stop you from harvesting a few.

If you live in a temperate zone, you can leave carrots in the ground after the first frost and right up until the ground freezes for the winter. If you live in a milder region, you can leave your carrots in the garden all winter long and harvest them whenever you like.

In some cases, the longer the carrots keep growing in the ground, the sweeter they’ll be. In general, once you see the top of the root poking through the soil, you’re getting close to harvest time. If you see any plants shoot up a flower stalk, that’s the day you harvest that carrot. If you miss the harvest window, you’ll have a lovely flower for the dinner table. Leave the carrot for the wildlife.

Some carrots that grow deeply can resist harvesting. There are a couple ways to persuade them to come to harvest. Push the carrot down toward the ground and then pull. That will loosen the very ends of the root from the soil, and it should come right up. You can also use a garden fork to loosen the soil and then gently pull the carrots out of the ground.

Another harvest technique is to water your carrots the day before you plan to harvest them. This has two advantages: the water loosens the soil, and the carrot roots have their maximum moisture level before the leaves get back to work producing energy for the plant.

If you have a really long row of carrots and you don’t want to harvest them all at once, pull every other carrot out and leave the rest. That will give you some for now, and some bigger ones for later.

When you remove the carrot tops, do it away from your garden. The smell of fresh carrot leaves in the morning will send the carrot rust flies rushing to your carrot patch.

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Tags

carrot leaves, carrots, carrots in the garden, carrots in the ground, garden fork

Comments
  • Mark K. November 30, 2022

    My carrots grow tops but very tiny carrots underground….any ideas why? Thank you

    Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ways to use extra carrots

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Growing Zones for Carrots
  • Types of Carrots
  • Growing Carrots from Seeds or Seedlings
  • Where to Grow Carrots
  • Planting Carrots in the Ground
  • Growing Carrots in Containers
  • Nurturing your Carrots
  • Harvesting your Carrots
  • Preserving Your Carrots
  • Dealing with Carrot Diseases
  • Dealing with Carrot Pests
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing and Enjoying Carrots
  • Ways to Use Extra Carrots
  • How to Know When Carrots are Ready to Harvest: 5 Signs to Look For
  • Plant Profiles

  • Thumbelina Carrots
  • Atomic Red Carrots
  • Lunar White Carrots
  • Touchon Carrots
  • Little Finger Carrots
  • Red Cored Chantenay Carrots
  • Purple Dragon Carrots
  • Danvers 126 Carrots
  • Recipes

  • Chillin’ Carrot Smoothie
  • Ginger Carrot Soup
  • Classic Carrot Cake
  • Colorful Carrot Slaw
  • Roasted Carrots Your Way
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Carrots
  • Home Remedies and Health Benefits of Carrots
  • Resources about Carrots
  • Carrot Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • Why Are My Carrots Bitter?

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • GardenComm Laurel Media Award
  • MCMA logo
  • Join Now
  • Learn More
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

To learn more about our Email Marketing and Broadcasting Services, Exchange Program, or to become a marketing partner with any of our publications, click here to contact us at Mequoda Publishing Network.

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2025 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network®, Food Gardening Magazine® and GreenPrints® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.