I'm in the Kansas City area, and I heard that carrots can be a great addition to a fall garden. However, with less than 55 days until the first frost, I'm concerned that I won't have enough time to grow them to maturity. The carrot varieties I have are supposed to take at least 75 days. I know carrots are cold hardy and biennial, so if I plant them now or in the next couple of weeks, should I expect them to continue growing and reach full maturity by spring, given that they may only get 35-50 days of growth before frost sets in? I'd like to know if I've missed the chance to plant them or if I should go for it and try anyway. Has anyone else managed to grow carrots like this?
2 Answers
You definitely want to check the 'days to maturity' on your seed packet to see how it aligns with your average first frost date. I found a carrot variety that only takes 45 days to mature, so I’m going for it; it might be a solid option if you're looking to plant more this season!
You could try using some good fertilizer to give them a boost, but keep in mind that carrots might take a bit longer than what the packet claims. Last year, mine took an extra 30 days to grow and they still turned out pretty small!
That's a much quicker option than my varieties. Which one did you find?