Ariel301
Attractive To Bees
How warm does the soil need to be for carrots to sprout?
How warm for carrots to sprout?
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vfem
Garden Addicted
Good question 
lesa
Garden Master
I really enjoy growing carrots- but they seem to take just a little bit longer than forever, to break through the soil... Not sure if it is a warmth issue, as much as a long germination period. Eventually, you will see those ferny little tops and know that your patience has paid off!!!
digitS'
Garden Master
Days to Germination, University of Minnesota
I gotta say tho' -- carrots are sown very close to the soil surface so, it would be kind of hard to know the temperature of the soil since it wouldn't be very consistent. The air temperature and sunshine would make a big difference for something only 1/4" down.
That shallow sowing is why it is so important to keep the soil evenly moist for the carrot seed. I bet carrots most often fail because of the moisture problems. And in the spring, it does take those seeds forever!!!
I always figger it is going to take 3 weeks before the carrot seedlings show up. . .
Steve
I gotta say tho' -- carrots are sown very close to the soil surface so, it would be kind of hard to know the temperature of the soil since it wouldn't be very consistent. The air temperature and sunshine would make a big difference for something only 1/4" down.
That shallow sowing is why it is so important to keep the soil evenly moist for the carrot seed. I bet carrots most often fail because of the moisture problems. And in the spring, it does take those seeds forever!!!
I always figger it is going to take 3 weeks before the carrot seedlings show up. . .
Steve
hoodat
Garden Addicted
I agree with that. It's very difficult to plant carrot seeds as shallow as they should be and not wash them out when you water. Many people cover the seed with several thicnesses of newspaper to solve it but you have to be sure to check the seeds daily for the first sprouts and get that newspaper off before they get smothered.
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Ariel301
Attractive To Bees
They do take forever to sprout, I've noticed that!
I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth planting them yet or I should wait...it isn't getting any colder than 48 degrees at night anymore, and it's in the upper 60s in the day. I always end up waiting too long thinking it's not warm enough yet, and then by the time I feel like it is warm enough, three days later it's TOO warm for anything to grow. :/
I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth planting them yet or I should wait...it isn't getting any colder than 48 degrees at night anymore, and it's in the upper 60s in the day. I always end up waiting too long thinking it's not warm enough yet, and then by the time I feel like it is warm enough, three days later it's TOO warm for anything to grow. :/
i_am2bz
Chillin' In The Garden
That's interesting, hoodat. This will be my first attempt at carrots in many, many years. So - stupid question - do you water through the paper? Or lift the paper, water carefully every few days, & keep the paper (like a mulch) on until sprouting?hoodat said:
I've never grown carrots... but if we waited till it was 48F at night and upper 60's in the day, nothing would get planted till the middle of summer.Ariel301 said:
I've always thought of carrots as a spring sown crop, so I tend to put those things out when it is in the upper 30's at night... at your temps, my tomato's would have already been planted outside.
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Ariel301
Attractive To Bees
Really, your tomatoes do fine with temperatures in the upper 30s? That usually killed them when I lived in Colorado.
We have a real problem here with the weather changing dramatically and suddenly. Two weeks ago it was 15 degrees, and then literally overnight it became springtime weather. It does the same with summer, it will be 60 degrees day/50 night and then the next day it will be 90/80, and then suddenly somewhere in December it freezes out of nowhere. Makes it really hard to predict when to plant things!
We have a real problem here with the weather changing dramatically and suddenly. Two weeks ago it was 15 degrees, and then literally overnight it became springtime weather. It does the same with summer, it will be 60 degrees day/50 night and then the next day it will be 90/80, and then suddenly somewhere in December it freezes out of nowhere. Makes it really hard to predict when to plant things!
