Growing guide

Best time to plant carrot in Australia

Daucus carota

Usually orange, with heirloom types in shades from white and yellow to purple and black, the carrot is a biennial root vegetable in the family Apiaceae. People now grow this domesticated form of wild carrot for its root, although the earliest crops, probably in Iran, were raised for leaves and seed.

On a shared plot: suits a plot

Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.

When to sow

ZoneJFMAMJJASOND
CoolMatches local guidesSowSowSowNoNoNoNoSowSowSowSowSow
TemperateMatches local guidesSowSowSowSowNoNoNoSowSowSowSowSow
SubtropicalMatches local guidesNoSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSowNoNo
TropicalBroadly matches local guides, with some differencesNoSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSowNoNoNo
AridMatches local guidesSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSowSow

Good months to sow

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly in the bed
Sowing depth
12mm
Plant spacing
5cm
Row spacing
20cm
Height
25cm
Germination
About 21 days
Time to harvest
75 days from sowing
Frost
Semi-hardy, protect from hard frost
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
biennial, usually grown as an annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Further reading on this plant