How and When to Harvest Carrots

Orange, golden or purple, there’s an incredible variety of carrots that you can grow in your vegetable garden. But after you’ve planted your seeds and tended your root crop as it grows, how do you know when to pick your carrots? No one wants to pull up the green tops only to discover that the roots haven’t fully developed yet. These simple tips will help you figure out when to harvest homegrown carrots for optimal flavor and the biggest, plumpest roots.

When to Harvest Carrots

Carrots are cool weather vegetables that are typically planted in spring or autumn gardens and they can be harvested throughout spring, summer, and fall. The best time to harvest carrots will depend largely on when you planted yo ur seeds and the type of carrot you’re growing.

Most carrots will be ready to harvest about 60 to 80 days after planting, although fast-growing carrot varieties, such as ‘Nantes,’ may be ready to pick in as little as 50 days. Slower-growing storage type carrots may take up to 110 days to mature. Because there is so much variability in carrot types, it’s always a good idea to check your seed packet to determine when you should start harvesting your carrots.

How to Tell When Carrots are Ready to Harvest

So much goes on underground with carrots that it can be difficult to know exactly when to harvest them. But there are two easy ways to decide if it’s time to pick your root crop.

1. Once your carrots have been growing for the minimum recommended time listed on the seed packets, take a look at the carrot greens. Often, what goes on above ground with carrots can suggest what’s happening beneath the soil’s surface. So, if your carrots have lush tops that measure around 10 to 12 inches tall, there’s a good chance that the root is mature too. On the other hand, if your carrot leaves look small and underdeveloped, the root has probably not finished growing.
2. Beyond the tops, another key indicator that carrots are ready to harvest is the size of their "shoulders." Carrot shoulders are the top section of the carrot root, which sometimes pops up above the soil line when carrots are ready to pick. If the shoulders aren’t exposed, you can gently sweep your finger around the base of carrot greens to inspect the developing roots. If the carrot shoulders measure about ¾ to 1 inch diameter and the root has a nice, deep coloration, that’s a good sign that it’s time to harvest your carrots. On the other hand, if the shoulders look underdeveloped, just firm the soil around the carrot greens again and wait a bit longer to harvest.

How to Harvest Carrots

Carrot crops often mature all at once, but you don’t need to harvest all of your carrots at one time. Unlike radishes, carrots stay fresh in the soil for a while and they won’t turn woody or starchy. In fact, keeping carrots in your garden is one of the best ways to maintain their flavor and texture and it also allows you to gather carrots just as you need them. However, if you plan on canning or freezing carrots, or otherwise using a lot of carrots at once, you may want to harvest your entire crop in one go.

The day before you plan on harvesting carrots, water your plants well to soften the soil and make it easier to pull out the long tap roots. Although you can harvest carrots at any time of the day, you’ll get the best results if you pick carrots early in the morning. At this time of the day, carrot roots will have more water and the plants will be less likely to be stressed, which can help your crop last longer in storage.

When you’re ready to harvest carrots, gently loosen the soil around the base of your plants with a hand trowel or hori-hori. Then tug firmly on the base of the carrot greens, twisting lightly if needed. This should loosen the carrots from the soil and make it easier to pull them up without breaking off their greens. After pulling up your carrots, brush off as much soil as you can and bring your carrots inside for snacking or preserving.

Storing Fresh Carrots

Before storing homegrown carrots, give them a good rinse to remove any remaining soil and cut off the carrot greens, leaving about 1 inch of stems at the top of your roots. Then, store carrots in the crisper drawer of your fridge, where they will stay fresh for several weeks. For longer term storage, you can also can or freeze carrots, or you can pack them in moist sand in a root cellar.

When processing carrots, don’t throw out the greens. Carrot tops are entirely edible and they can be used as a substitute for parsley in a wide variety of dishes. Carrot tops also make a delicious pesto and you can even dry and blend them into seasoning mixes too like you would do with parsley leaves.