When to Harvest Carrots

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My favorite Seattle gardener wondered when she will know when her carrots are ready.   When do you know that root veggies are ready?
1.  You really won’t know until you pull out a trial carrot.  BUT, there are some signs that are indicative of grown carrots.  More on that in a minute.
2.  Carrots will not go bad underground if you don’t harvest them right away.  Some say that a light frost will make carrots even sweeter.  So, if your carrots were ready last week, or a month ago, they are still good to eat (maybe even better). 

Go find your seed packet.  -- What, you threw it out? No, you bought the starts from a nursery and can't remember the name? You need to find out the average length and diameter of the carrot varietal you planted.  When the carrots are ready or near ready to harvest, you will see a bit of the carrot poking up from the ground. You can then measure the diameter of the carrot top.  Compare that measurement to what the seed packet says the diameter should be.
It is likely that the carrot length will be appropriate if the diameter is appropriate.  But, when in doubt, just pull one of them up and see.

In May, I wrote a post about carrots and focused a bit on the lore and scientific evidence about using carrot seeds as a birth control.  Whether you believe it or not, if you are trying to get preggers, I would be careful to not eat a bunch of carrot seeds—just in case!

August is the time to start planting your fall garden.  Carrots are perfect cool weather plants.  Several varietals are great for all areas of the west: Purple Haze, Yellowstone, and White Satin.  Sunset Magazine has a great article about what to plant in your garden in August. Check it out here.