Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
A winter crop in Northwest Florida, direct sown into loose soil from autumn onwards.
When to plant in Bay
Carrot is planted more than once a year here. Both windows are shown below and labelled; they are two separate plantings, not one long one, and the months between them are not part of either.
- Direct sow · SeptemberOpen now
September 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026
UF/IFAS North Florida planting dates: September to March. First half, split at 31 December because a window cannot wrap the year.
- Direct sow · JanuaryOpens in 12 weeks
January 1, 2027 – March 31, 2027
UF/IFAS North Florida planting dates: September to March. Second half of the same window, carried over from the previous autumn.
- Harvest · NovemberOpens in 5 weeks
November 10, 2026 – December 31, 2026
Derived, not published as a window by the guide: the September to March planting plus the guide's 70–120 days to harvest from sowing. First half, split at 31 December.
- Harvest · JanuaryOpens in 12 weeks
January 1, 2027 – July 29, 2027
Derived, not published as a window by the guide: the September to March planting plus the guide's 70–120 days to harvest from sowing. Second half of the same period.
Growing it
- Days to maturity
- 70–120
- Sun
- Full Sun
Carrots are direct sown and never transplanted. The seed is slow and shallow and the bed has to stay damp through germination, which is the part most often lost. Soil that is heavy or stony gives forked roots whatever the calendar says.
From the guide: UF/IFAS gives the North Florida planting dates for this crop as September to March. It gives 70–120 days from seed to harvest, 1–3 inches apart in rows 10 inches apart, sown ¼ in. deep. On the crop itself it says: Grow carrots on a raised bed for best results. Sow seeds shallowly. They are slow to germinate. Keep soil consistently moist throughout the germination and growing periods. Thin seedlings to recommended spacing when they are an inch tall.
Where these dates come from: the North Florida column of the UF/IFAS Extension Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103/VH021), which defines North Florida as everything above State Road 40. Walton County is well inside it, and the Central and South Florida columns of the same table give different months. The guide is written for home and market gardens, so its spacing and days-to-harvest figures are a starting point for a field planting rather than a commercial schedule, and days to harvest varies by variety.
Common problems
- Root-knot nematode
- Alternaria leaf blight
- Aphids
- Cavity spot