Best Soil For Carrots [Buy This, Not That]
For the past 3 years, I’ve been growing carrots and testing out different soils in my experimental garden. Here are the best soils I’ve found when it comes to carrots and a few that I wouldn’t use again.
Which Soil is Best for Growing Carrots
The best soil for growing carrots is loamy, sandy, or sandy loam soil.
Carrots do not do well with heavy soils or rocky soils. Most varieties have a tapered taproot that grows straight into the ground and when they encounter heavy, rocky soils, they can twist and turn.
There’s nothing wrong with twisted carrots. They taste the same, but they do look funny. You can minimize this happening by removing rocks and breaking up thick clumps of soil before planting carrot seeds.
More importantly; however, heavy soils can retain water and create environments where carrot diseases can take hold. If you’re not careful, all your hard work will be flushed down the composter this year.
If you are growing carrots in heavy clay-based soil and you don’t want to replace a foot of soil in your yard to do so (I get it, I’ve been there), choose a carrot variety that performs better in these soils, such as a Chantenay or Nantes type.
Soil pH for Carrots
Carrots will grow in soil that has a pH between 5.5 and 7.5; however, I’ve found that they do much better in soil that is between 6 and 6.8.
If you’re unsure of your soil pH, I like to use the Luster Leaf Rapitest and test it at home. You can also send a soil sample to your local extension and have it tested for a fee.
Soils that are too alkaline can put your carrots at a greater risk of disease, so it’s worth a quick test.
If you do amend your soil at home, I prefer to use sulfur because it’s a naturally occurring mineral. Whatever you do, do not use lime. Lime can create a favorable environment for carrot scab which is a fungus.
Best Soil For Carrots
Happy Frog
Fox Farms Happy Frog is the best soil I’ve found for growing carrots. It’s from California and has all the main nutrients your carrot seedlings need to germinate and begin growing.
What I appreciate most about it is that it isn’t overloaded with nitrogen content like others. It also is overfilled with a ton of other nutrients.
I prefer this soil because depending on what I am growing, it allows me the room to add fertilizers and soil amendments to my carrots and other vegetables on a case-to-case basis. In doing so, I’ve also never had it burn my plants either which is a huge win in my book.
Ocean Forest
This is another potting soil from Fox Farms, but it’s a little different than the Happy Frog. While I do prefer the Happy Frog blend, this is a close runner-up.
Ocean Forest has fish emulsion, crab meal, shrimp meal, and some other organic materials decomposed into the soil. What I liked about this soil was that it had a high phosphorus content, which is essential to carrot root development. Similar to the Happy Frog, it also had a lower pH than many other soils I’ve tried with a pH between 6.3 and 6.7 every time I tested it.
Espoma Organic Vegetable Soil
For years I used Espoma products in my garden. I still use it for many vegetables, but I don’t use it for carrots. I find that the quality can be hit or miss these days. Some bags have a lot of mulch and wood pieces in them, others don’t. Also, it can be really dark which can be a problem for the soil heating up in my location.
Carrot Soils I Don’t Recommend
While I haven’t tried every soil available for purchase, I’ve tried many. Two that I’ve used and wouldn’t use again include:
Miracle Grow (too much nitrogen content)
Gardenera’s Potting Soil For Carrots (really expensive and didn’t notice a difference)
Soil For Carrots FAQ
Which soil is best for growing carrots?
A sandy loam soil is best for growing carrots. Where I live they grow best in a raised bed or container as our soil is very heavy clay and rocky.
How do you prepare soil for carrots?
If you are not growing in a raised bed or container with potting soil or garden bed soil, it’s best to loosen any hard, dry soil before planting. Remove any rocks and break up thick clumps of soil.
Add a healthy amount of compost or dry carrot fertilizer to the top 2 inches of your soil before planting to ensure good germination of seeds.
What is the best soil mix for carrots in raised beds?
I’ve found that Happy Frog from Fox Farms is the best soil mix for growing carrots in raised beds.
What is the best compost mix for carrots?
I prefer to add a 50/50 blend of compost to my soil before planting. If you buy organic potting soil (new bag), you do not need to add any compost.
Do carrots like acidic soil?
Carrots do best in soil that is neutral or slightly acidic, ideally between 6 and 6.8. They do not do well in very acidic soils or alkaline soils. If your soil is too alkaline, it can also lead to carrot diseases.
Can carrots grow in clay soil?
Yes, they can. Certain types of carrots perform better in heavier clay soils. Preparing the soil by removing rocks and debris as well as being careful not to overwater carrots (clay retains water well) is key.
How deep does soil need to be for carrots?
It depends on your variety of carrots. Shorter carrots like Little Finger, Tonda di Parigi, or Shin Kuroda only grow 3 to 5 inches long. Other varieties like Tendersweets will need 12 to 16 inches of soil to grow into.
Can carrots grow in sand?
Carrots don’t grow in playground sand.
How to make sandy soil for carrots?
If you mix organic sand, soil, and compost together, you can make your own sandy loam soil. Mix it with 6 parts sand, 3 parts soil, and 1 part compost.
I would be cautious about the sand you use, most builder sands are loaded with nasty stuff. Here is the sand that I used when making sandy soil. It’s also the sand I use for my kid’s playground as it has no silica and quartz in it.
