Tricks for Sowing Carrots- Improve Germination & Spacing

This video presents 8 tricks and tips for sowing carrots in ways that improve germination and reduce the need for thinning.

Related Videos:

Some of the links included here are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. I will only recommend items I love and should you choose to make a purchase, it helps support the channel! Thank you! 💚



00:00 Intro
00:48 Cornstarch Gel Method
03:06 Seed Tape Method
05:20 Pre-germ Method
07:14 Seed & Sand Method
08:12 My Normal Sowing Method
08:53 Covering Seeds Method
10:00 Mini Greenhouse Method
11:30 Pelleted Seed
12:06 #1 Trick for Carrot Germination

[juliaderi]

After prepping my bed I draw a grid all over the bed with 2" squares by indenting with the edge of my yardstick. Then I plant 2 carrot seeds 🥕🥕 at each intersecting line and lightly cover with soil. Water it in, and cover the whole bed with wood boards until they start germinating. This method is easier to thin because they are perfectly spaced out from the start and I get HUNDREDS of carrots from a 4 by 11 foot bed!

[michaelgoff]

I like the greenhouse option, it let's you leave it on just a little longer so more seedlings pop up. Most impressive part of the video was how clean your stove is!

[tbluemel]

I sow carrots differently and have had excellent germination and no thinning. To start, I made what I call a "multi-dibbler." This consists of a piece of plywood in which I inserted & glued 1/2" pegs every 3 inches. Mine has 7 rows pegs with about 12 pegs each. I painted the dibbler to prevent soil from sticking to it.
I lay down about 1 to 2 inches of a peat-based seed starting soil, wet it it thoroughly and then press the dibbler into the seed starting soil, creating perfectly spaced divets. I place 1 seed in each divet and then cover the seeds with finely sifted seed starter soil. I gently wet them well and cover with cardboard.
The peat-based (could be coconut coir, too) holds the water well, keeping the seeds moist, so I typically don't have to water more than once a day or every 2 days. When the seedings begin to appear, I remive the cardboard and voila - carrots begin. I estimate my success rate is about 95% and now, I never thin them.

[michaelwatkins]

Amazing how carrots have survived this long in nature because they are such a pain in the rear to grow. I’m subscribing so I can see how these test methods work. I use cardboard until they come up, and yeah, thinning is also a pain but better than nothing coming up.

Thank you for testing and sharing!

[terrykingsallotmentgardening]

I am due to start my main carrots and will be sharing my methods Jenna and maybe something that you and your viewers may try. I do the same for parsnips and carrots. First I space my carrots at 6 inches apart using a dibber to make a deep hole filling with coco coir and topping off with compost to ensure good germination and no tap root disturbance so the carrots and parsnips don't fork. 3 seeds per station and cut off two that are smaller when they show. Using the top off a large yogurt pot as the marker and then adding a juice bottle as a mini greenhouse which fits nicely into the yogurt pot top give the seedlings the best chance here in the UK. Enjoyed watching and listening Jenna.

🥕Happy gardening, Terry King.

[ellensedge]

The soil you are planting those carrots in must be pristine and deep, those 8 inch carrots came out easily with a little wiggle and tug...I'm so jelly!

[Naddrose]

Thank you for an informative video.
I have been making seed tape for several years and find it to be very relaxing . I usually put one seed and get good germination .

[samanthahoos]

Great timing! I just prepped beds for potatoes today and found over wintering carrots in my cold frame. There were good enough for a side dish, but we had plans to go out so I fed them to my pet rabbits. Hey, I have to thank my bunnies because they give me plenty of cold fertilizer to amend my beds every week. 😊

[laurielyon]

I can't wait to see the results from the germination. I'm in Illinois and it's getting close to when I will plant my carrots. I'm thinking of trying the cornstarch thing, but also using the cardboard on top since I don't have extra boards lying around.

[juliekraft]

Very interesting. I have only ever use the board method, so thank you for trying these other methods, it may broaden my horizons.🤗

[katiedecker]

Can’t wait to see your results I struggle with the same. I got pelleted carrots this year so will see.

[faithsrvtrip]

I have made the gel. It's easy and not hard. You really can see the seeds. I covered with damp cardboard and kept the soil moist. Oh and I grew in a resin barrel with holes drilled from HD with very fluffy dirt. Carrots don't like hard, compacted dirt! They were amazing!

[donnabereska]

Thanks so much Jenna. I have tried a few of these options with varying success. As we all know though, there are so many variables in a planting/growing season it is difficult to isolate the point, or cause, of disappointment or success. My now tried and trusted method is to make indents in the soil with my mini muffin tins and plant one seed per indent - that spacing seems perfect. Like you - I don’t ever want to have to thin carrots again in my life. Important to note: I plant in a raised bed. A question though: How do you prepare your garden soil? Additives and how you schedule (beginning of planting season, end on planting season, intermittent during planting season) would be most appreciated. Thank you! Happy gardening from northern Canada where our ground is still very frozen😏

[missthang]

Thank you, I'll give anything a shot at this point. Been gardening for decades and have all but given up on carrots. I can grow almost anything but roses and carrots. Tell NO ONE!🤫 I'm gonna try every suggestion and see what works.

Gratitude from,

Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 ✌️

[traceydysert]

Thank you for the video. Really liked the different ways of trying to start carrots. Last year was my first time growing carrots in a raised bed and several hundred of them! We bought a seeding square to help keep the carrots to the correct spacing. It worked very well! I got mine off of Amazon for around $20. I'm pretty sure we had about 70% germination and had a very good crop for my first time growing carrots.

[islandskysara]

I can't wait to see the results! This is my first time spring sowing carrots in KY and I used a paper bag but found it would dry out too quickly so I opted for the board method. Maybe there's an easier way. It's also getting hot so soon so I may be too late already.

[stevekelley]

You have a very inquisitive mind. Open to new ideas and wonderful sharing all the methods with us. Very grateful and admire you. Thanks

[healthcoachtoranchlife-mov]

Hello Jenna, (my daughters name)! I'm trying out the board and cardboard method. I'm in Florida, zone 8B and planting a Fall garden. Thanks for the information.

[makeyourlifeeasier]

So many Jenna facts my notebook ran out of space! Great job.

[lindag]

I planted my carrots yesterday...saw this video today...bummer. I had never heard of the cornstarch method of planting carrot seeds. Looks like fun! I would like to have tried it this year. c'est le vie...next year.