How to Grow Carrots Organically

Choose an area that gets lots of sun because carrots need a lot of light to grow. The area also needs to have rock-free soil because clay soil or rocky areas can create problems with the roots.

Prepare the soil by digging 8 to 10 inches below the surface with a spade. Remove all rocks during this process. Aerate the soil by turning it as you go. This will make for a more fertile growing area.

Add organic compost to your growing area, but do not add manure. Manure has extremely high levels of nitrogen, which negatively affect the growth of carrots.

Plant the seeds about three weeks before your area's last frost. Place about 30 seeds per foot. Carrot seeds are very small, and therefore very difficult to keep track of when planting. Try to count them by grabbing a handful and then distributing them one-by-one by feeling them out with your thumb and index finger. Space them about four to five inches apart from each other, and keep your rows about 18 to 24 inches apart.

Cover the seeds with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil.

Add 1-2-2 NPK (nitrogen-phosphate-potassium) organic fertilizer to your soil's surface after planting and add it again when the tops grow out to between 4 and 8 inches.

Water your seeds consistently, but moderately. Do not let the soil dry out, but be very careful not to overwater the area; the soil simply needs to be kept moist. If the soil has become arid, gradually add a little more water each day until you get back to your normal watering routine.

Harvest the carrots when you see that the tops of the carrots peaking out of the ground are dark orange. Carrots usually take between two and three months to fully mature. The longer you let them stay in the ground, however, the more flavorful they will be. Pull the carrots out of the ground when they're ripe.

Remove the tops of carrots before storing them in a cool area with high humidity. Ideal storage temperature is between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.