Carrots
Daucus carota

days to maturity: 80 days
plant spacing: 16 per square foot
sunlight requirements: 10-14 hours
look out for: thinning is critical, and full sun
harvest notes: harvest at any age and size up to maturity date
seasons: fall, winter, spring
annual

Carrots are one of the harder veggies to grow in a raised bed in South Florida, so keep that in mind when dedicating lots of garden space to growing them, or when trying to pick “easy” varieties. Carrots don’t love raised beds for a number of reasons, the two main ones being the typical quality and fertility of the soil, and the other being the amount of light available. While you may think your bed gets “full sun” thats almost impossible in a backyard, and no crop shows that more than the carrot. Carrots need to be grown quickly in order to taste good and stay tender, so if they have to be left in the ground for longer than the “days to maturity” length then your carrots are going to be an unpleasant dining experience. Also, many people don’t thin them at the critical time in their lifecycle (around 10-14 days after germination) which will hinder their proper growth. All that being said, even if your carrots aren’t crazy tasty, or they don’t get big and juicy, your kids will F.R.E.A.K. out when they get to pull colorful carrots out of the ground in your very own backyard.

Direct seed carrots right into your garden and thin to about 1 inch apart 14-21 days after germination.