How to grow carrot microgreens is straightforward and thankfully a generally low maintenance affair. One ingredient required in addition to the regular ones is a good dose of patience. In this guide I am happy to share with you step-by-step how you can go about growing your own carrot microgreens at home.
Carrots are a root vegetable which when grown to full maturity is typically yellow in color. The scientific name for carrot is Daucus carota subsp. sativus. Like many edible plants, there are a number of carrot varieties which include Danvers, Nantes and Imperator among others.
For the purpose of growing microgreens, on the whole, it will no matter which variety you go for. We are not interested in the root but the tender flavorful leaves that we get from carrots as microgreens.
What you will need to grow your carrot microgreens
You will need a few items to start growing your carrot micros. Here is a complete list in which I also recommend my favorite supplier online. If you are already into microgreens you likely have already what is needed to get started with your microgreens. This guide will however assume that the reader is getting into microgreens for the very first time.
This you will need…
- Microgreens trays (supplier)
- Grow lights (supplier)
- Soil sifter (supplier)
- Soil
- Carrot seeds
- Watering spray (supplier)
- Water for watering
Practical steps of growing your carrot microgreens
The following are the steps I recommend you take to grow your carrot microgreens. You may also have a look at my other guide on how to grow microgreens indoors here. That particular guide applies to general microgreens growing indoors.
Let’s get started…
1. Prepare your growing soil
The first step to getting started is to prepare your growing medium which is some soil. The carrot microgreens shown in images in this guide were grown using native soil from my garden. Some growers recommend special type of soil but I find this is not necessary when growing microgreens.
While some microgreens such as sunflower microgreens can be grown without any soil at all as I show here, this is not the case when growing carrot microgreens. Carrot microgreens must be grown in a growing medium of some kind such as soil.
Your soil must be sifted removing any debris and particles that may interfere with your carrot microgreens. For this I recommend using a soil sifter such that you remain with fine soil after the sifting. Once your soil is sifted, you are ready for the next step.
2. Put your sifted soil in the microgreens growing tray
Pour your prepared soil into the growing tray. The tray should have holes under it to allow excess water to drain. The holes in the tray will also be handy when it’s time to water the carrot microgreens once they have germinated.
Spread the soil evenly across the tray. Although many growers are using commercial trays such as these to grow their microgreens, you may successfully grow your carrot microgreens in any suitable container. This includes repurposed grocery punnets.
3. Water the tray with soil
We haven’t planted our carrot microgreens yet. However, we are going to water the tray filled with soil thoroughly. This will be our only watering intention until the carrot seeds germinate so we must do it well.
In order not to disturb the soil, I recommend the use of a garden spray tuned to fine settings. Water the tray until the soil is well soaked. One way to tell if this is the case is to check if water is draining through the bottom holes of the tray after thoroughly watering.
4. Now plant your carrot microgreens
Next take your carrot microgreens seeds. As we will discover, these are very tiny indeed and may even be a bit delicate to handle. Fill your hand with the seed and carefully sprinkle them around the tray on top of the thoroughly wet soil. The seeds must be spread evenly yet densely across the tray. In the end they will resemble a fine layer on top of the soil.
5. Gently press the carrot microgreens seeds into the soil
If you are asking your self about soil to cover the seeds, well the answer is there will be no soil to cover the seeds. We will not bury the seeds under any soil!
Instead, with an open palm proceed to gently press the seeds into the very wet soil. The seeds will push into the soil and make contact with the wet soil. Once we put the planted tray away, the seeds will continue absorbing the moisture from the soil which will trigger the germination.
That said, as a concession if you feel unconvinced, you are welcome to put a very thing layer of fine soil on top of the seeds to cover them ever so lightly. You will then proceed to spray the seeds with a fine spray of water making sure not to disturb the soil and the seeds.
6. Cover the planted tray and store away
Next, go ahead and cover the plated tray. You can use another tray by placing it on top or you may use a board for the same purpose. We need a bit of weight on top of the seeds. After you put a board or tray place something of weight on top such as a stone as shown in the image above.
After successfully doing this, go ahead and place the tray in a cool dry and dark place.
7. After germination, move tray to a light source
In the next 3 to 4 days, the carrot microgreens will start to germinate. Maintain the tray in a dark place until the seeds have germinated some 85% to 95%.
You may then take the tray, remove the covering and place it under an artificial light source. For this I recommend these florescent lights which many microgreens growers nowadays use on microgreens.
Microgreens, no matter which type they may be, will not do well in terms of flavor and aesthetics when put under natural light. For one, natural light is too strong for microgreens and second, it also tends to comprise the taste and flavor.
One more thing to add is that from this point on grow your microgreens in a well aerated place to avoid the development of mold which is any microgreens grower’s dread.
8. Water the growing carrot microgreens
Now that our carrot microgreens have germinated and are growing, it is time to water them. On the day that that you take out the microgreens from the dark place onto open light, you should also water them.
How to water microgreens is a frequently asked question. Well, you will need to sit the tray in a bigger container filled with water to allow water to percolate the tray from beneath through the holes. You may have a look at the full method I use to water my microgreens here.
How frequently you water your microgreens will depend on your climate. All you need to avoid is having your tray run dry or having your carrot microgreens soil becoming soggy.
Your soil should be moist at all times, not dry not soggy. You will however notice that as your carrot microgreens continue to grow, they will increasingly demand more water. You will need to respond accordingly.
9. Harvesting your carrot microgreens
Compared to other microgreens such as lettuce, onion, spinach and cabbage, carrot microgreens take longer to grow. This can be up to 20 days vs 7 to 10 days for these other ones. It is for this reason that in the opening paragraph of this guide I appealed for patience. With carrots microgreens, your patience will certainly be called upon.
It will take a while for your microgreens to to appear as shown in this image above. When your carrot microgreens look like this, they are ready for harvest.
Use a kitchen scissors to nip the stems just below the leaves. The harvested microgreens can be stored in the fridge for a few more days. The closer to harvest day you eat your microgreens in your salad or mixed with other microgreens the better in flavor and taste.
So this is it. This is how to grow carrot microgreens. Enjoy your journey and the outcome, of course.
