Last Updated on September 13, 2026
How Many Carrots per Square Foot?
16 carrots per square foot. Sow them in a 4 x 4 grid, 3 inches apart, and thin to one seedling per spot. That is a full bunch from every square.
The spacing pattern
| Square foot method | 16 per square: a 4 x 4 grid, about 3 inches apart |
|---|---|
| Per square foot | 16 |
| 4 x 4 bed (16 squares) | 256 carrots |
| 4 x 8 bed (32 squares) | 512 carrots |
A carrot only needs a 3-inch circle of loose soil to grow straight and full-size; what it needs more of is depth. Loosen the bed a foot down and keep the soil moist until they are up, which can take a while in cold spring soil.
Planting the square
- Loosen the square at least a foot deep and rake it fine.
- Sow 2 or 3 seeds at each point of a 4 x 4 grid about a quarter inch deep, 3 inches apart.
- Keep the surface moist until they are up (it can take two to three weeks in cold soil), then thin to one per point.
Tim’s growing notes
How I get long, straight, big carrots, including the varieties I grow, is in How to Grow Big Carrots.
Soil temperature for germination
From my Seed Germination Temperature Chart: carrots germinate from 40°F, do best at 65-85°F, and stop above 95°F.
Days for seedlings to emerge at different soil temperatures, from the same chart:
| Soil temperature | Days to emerge |
|---|---|
| 50°F | 17 days |
| 59°F | 10 days |
| 68°F | 7 days |
| 77°F | 6 days |
When to plant carrots
These are the windows the Plan My Garden planner uses, counted from your average last spring frost. Enter your frost date on the seed starting calendar to turn them into dates. Carrots are sown direct; they do not transplant.
| Direct sow | 3 weeks before to 2 weeks before your last frost |
|---|---|
| Days to maturity | about 70 days |
How I grow them, in brief
Big carrots start with a big variety and loose, deep soil. I sow thickly, because carrot seed is small and slow, and thin hard once the seedlings are up, to one every 3 inches: crowded carrots stay small. The surface has to stay moist for the two or three weeks germination can take in cool soil; I water lightly every day until they are through. Then they mostly look after themselves, and they get sweeter the longer they stay in the ground, especially after a frost. Varieties, sowing and thinning are in How to Grow Big Carrots.
Where I get seed
Wood Prairie’s organic carrots include Red Cored Chantenay, Little Finger and Dolciva. Code PMG5 takes 5 percent off.
Quick questions
How many carrots in a 4 x 8 bed?
512 at 16 per square. A few squares sown every three weeks gives you carrots from summer into fall.
Why did my carrots come up so slowly?
Cold soil. At 50°F they take about 17 days, at 68°F about a week. Keep the surface moist the whole time.
Let the planner place them
Plan My Garden is free to start: draw your beds, pick carrots and everything else you want to grow, and it places each plant at the right spacing and gives you a planting schedule for your zip code.
Related: Square Foot Gardening Chart · How to Grow Big Carrots · Seed Germination Temperature Chart
