Carrot.

At a glance

Care level

Moderate

Plant type

Biennial vegetable

Light

Full sun

Indoor light

Direct sun

Water

Every 3 to 7 days

Mature size

12 to 48 inches tall

Growth rate

Medium

Hardiness

USDA 3 to 10

Bloom time

Late spring to early autumn

Care

Keep the soil consistently moist to prevent the roots from splitting or becoming woody. Watch for carrot rust flies and ensure you thin seedlings early so they have enough room to grow. Mulching helps keep the soil cool and prevents the top of the root from turning green.

Watering

Keep the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged to ensure the roots develop properly.

Feeding

Use a low nitrogen fertilizer to encourage root growth rather than excessive leafy tops.

Pruning

Thin out seedlings as they emerge to give each plant enough space to mature.

Repotting

Carrots do not like being moved and should be sown directly into their final growing spot.

Soil

Loose, sandy, well draining soil

Soil pH

6.0 to 6.8

Temperature

-20 to 30°C

Humidity

40 to 70%

Safety

People

The plant is generally considered safe to handle, but the sap can cause phytophotodermatitis in sensitive individuals.

Children

The plant is not inherently dangerous to children, but they should be discouraged from handling it due to potential skin irritation.

Contact allergens

Contact with the foliage can cause skin rashes in some people due to furanocoumarins.

Airborne allergens

The pollen can trigger hay fever symptoms in sensitive individuals during the flowering season.

Edibility

Wild carrot foliage can cause severe skin irritation and is easily confused with the deadly poison hemlock.

How to identify it

• Feathery green foliage
• Long edible taproot
• Deeply divided leaves
• White umbel flowers

Height

0.3 to 1.2m

Spread

0.2 to 0.45m

Leaves

green, deciduous

Flowers

white, 5 to 15cm

Fruit

brown, Autumn

Problems to watch for

• BoltingCommon
• Carrot Rust FlyCommon
• Slugs and SnailsCommon
• AphidsUncommon
• Aster YellowsUncommon
• Damping OffUncommon
• Leaf SpotUncommon
• Root MaggotsUncommon

Growing it

Propagation

seed

When to plant

spring, autumn

Planting aromatic herbs nearby is a great way to protect your carrots from common garden pests.

Grows well with

• Leek · Leeks can help deter carrot rust flies when planted nearby.
• Onion · Onions provide a strong scent that masks the smell of carrots from pests.
• Rosemary · The aromatic oils in rosemary help confuse carrot-seeking insects.

Keep away from

• Dill · Mature dill can stunt carrot growth and attracts some of the same pests, so keep the two apart.

Similar species

• Poison Hemlock · This highly toxic plant looks very similar to wild carrot.
• Cow Parsley · It shares a similar appearance but flowers much earlier in the season.

Science

Family

Apiaceae

Genus

Daucus

Order

Apiales

Class

Magnoliopsida

Native range

Europe and southwestern Asia.

Conservation

This species is considered a common weed in many regions and is not of conservation concern.

It thrives in open, disturbed sites where it can quickly establish itself as a pioneer species.

Value to wildlife

nectar source, larval host plant

Pollinators

bees, butterflies, beetles

Uses

pollinator garden, cut flower, wildlife habitat

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Is wild carrot edible?

The roots are edible when young, but it is extremely dangerous to forage due to its resemblance to poison hemlock.

How do I tell it apart from poison hemlock?

Wild carrot has a hairy stem and a single dark central floret, while poison hemlock has smooth, purple-spotted stems and no central floret.

Where the name comes from

The name Daucus comes from the Greek word for carrot, while carota is the Latin name for the plant.

Good to know

• It is the wild ancestor of the common garden carrot.
• The flower heads curl up like a bird's nest when they go to seed.
• It is a biennial, meaning it completes its life cycle in two years.