Grow Carrots in a Container

Credit: Terry Guscott

Anyone can grow and enjoy sweet summer carrots—just grow them in a container

Here is a wonderful opportunity for children, those with patio gardens, or those with unsuitable crop-growing soil to enjoy sweet summer carrots. This edible, decorative and portable veggie garden is as easy to grow as it is to plant. Any carrot can be grown in a container, as long as the depth of the container is large enough to accommodate the mature length of the carrot.

Thumbelina is recommended as a fantastic container carrot. It produces a bright-orange, sweet-flavoured, 5- to 7.5-cm (2- to 3-in.) round root. Seed is available at most garden centres or from West Coast Seeds. It matures extra early and is ready to enjoy within 60 days. Grow it solo or mix with Dragon and Atomic Red for a rainbow of roots.

To grow a carrot container garden, you’ll need seed, sterilized potting soil, organic fertilizer and a container. Any container will do as long as it is a minimum 30 cm (12 in.) deep and wide and has drainage. Give new life to an old terra-cotta container, wooden packing box or punctured metal bucket. To have carrots all summer, succession plant every two weeks. Enjoy!

How to grow carrots in a container

1. Assemble seeds, potting soil, 1⁄2 cup organic fertilizer and container.
2. Fill container with soil, leaving 7.5 cm (3 in.) of head space. Gently blend in organic fertilizer.
3. Sow carrot seed according to package directions.   4. Water seeds to settle in and place container in a warm and sunny spot.
5. Apply liquid organic fertilizer 4*2*3 every 10 days.