Last Updated on January 8, 2022 by Guillermina
So, can you grow carrots indoors in winter? The quick is the answer is yes. Growing carrots in containers is a lot easier than growing them outdoors. Quite surprisingly, carrots can thrive more with a steady supply of moisture – something that is hard to fulfill in the outdoor setting.
Carrots are among the easiest vegetables to grow in the comfort of your own home. If you have an indoor garden, you can include carrots in your collection. Potted carrots can fill their containers with dark green, lacy foliage. You will be proud to display the result in your kitchen pantry or tabletop.
If you want to grow carrots indoor in winter, the best way to grow them is to use a glass container. Longer carrot varieties may require deeper containers. Hence, choose something that is at least 8 inches. For bigger and longer carrot varieties, settle around 10 to 12 inches. Below are some tips on how to grow carrots indoors in winter.
How To Grow Carrots Indoors In Winter
- The primary test to developing carrots inside is getting those small seeds into the soil. To save yourself some dissatisfaction, don’t stress over attempting to space them equitably around the pot. Simply saturate the soil and sprinkle the seeds over the surface. If you want to ask how often to water carrot seeds, just water them as often as the soil needs water. Do not oversoak them with water as they can drown or rot.
- When they develop, cut out the additional seedlings with some scissors so the excess carrots are around one-half inch (1 cm.) separated. Wait until they have grown around 3 inches and you should be able to see which seedlings are the sturdiest. Now you need to cut back on weak seedlings so you can only focus on the strong ones.
- Strong seedlings have better chances of living than weak ones. This will also help save you time in caring and weeding out withered seedlings.
- Place your pruned carrots in a bright window and keep the dirt clammy at the surface until the seeds grow. Water the pot when the dirt is dry at a profundity of 1 inch (2.5 cm.) when the seedlings start to develop. At the point when the seedlings arrive at tallness of 3 inches (8 cm.), it’s an ideal opportunity to begin customary taking care of the timetable.
- We recommend using liquid houseplant fertilizer to feed your carrot plant with some nutrients. You can mix it at full strength and feed your plant every two weeks. Carrots may take around 60 to 75 days to grow. The wait is a little bit but once you see some carrots growing underneath the leaves, the waiting game is all worth it.
- Gather carrots any time later they foster their developed shading. Younger or underdeveloped carrots are a delectable treat. But you don’t get a lot of carrots for your work, so you most likely need to let at minimum some of them develop to standard size.
- Gather the carrots by pulling them straight out of the dirt. Delving around in the soil upsets the foundations of different carrots and may cause distortions. If you feel that the harvest is insufficient, you can prolong the harvest by planting additional pots of carrots at two-week intervals. That’s how you grow carrots indoors in winter.
Why Grow Carrots Indoors In Winter?
Although winter is not the most favorable weather for growing carrots, having your carrot garden indoors will give you a free and unlimited supply of carrots for the cold season. Who doesn’t love that? Below are the most popular reasons why you should grow carrots indoors.
More Control
Starting carrots indoors gives you more control of the condition. Even when it is cold outside, you can give them a warm temperature inside. You don’t have to fret about sudden changes in weather conditions such as rainfall and snowstorm, which can deplete and even kill your carrots.
Pest Management
Bringing your carrot plant inside your home allows you to check on your carrot anytime you need to. That means you can see whether pests and diseases have invaded your lovely little plant at the earliest opportunity. When you spot pests earlier, you can give the best remedy for your carrots before they die.
Organic Carrots
Growing carrots indoors in winter gives you an organic supply of carrots. While the carrots sold in the grocery stores are bigger, you are not sure what fertilizer and pesticides they have used to achieve such an appearance. With your product, you are quite confident that you are growing natural vegetables. Consuming organic food is also healthier than always buying from the market.
Grow Carrots Indoors In Winter Using Grow Light
Carrots need some sunlight to grow indoors. While it is advantageous for you to have carrots plants grown inside your home during the winter season, you also need to make sure that they get enough sunlight to flourish. Otherwise, your efforts may be gone to waste.
A great key to growing healthy carrots during the winter is to keep your carrots out of the dark. The size of your growing space determines the wattage you need to give your plant adequate light. You should figure on about 20 to 40 watts per squire foot of your indoor garden. If you have only one container, you may not need to invest in a grow light but simply place your plant near a windowsill.
On the other hand, bigger indoor gardens may need High-intensity discharge (HID) lights to provide artificial sunlight. These lights are undeniably expensive. If you are an expert gardener and want to try producing carrots indoors for market supply, this is the best option you have.
More economic options are available for those in the trial-and-error phase such as the traditional fluorescent tubes. If you want to know some tips for using grow lights, you can check them out here.