Advantages & Disadvantages of Growing Carrots
You think about growing carrots in your garden or on your balcony but want to get additional information regarding whether it is really worth it or not?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of growing carrots at home in the following article.
Advantages of Growing Carrots
- You can grow carrots relatively fast
- Carrots are not demanding regarding soil conditions
- You don’t have to prune carrots
- You can grow carrots multiple times per year
- Carrots grow well in rather cool climatic zones
- Growing carrots is not hard
- Carrots are great beginner plants
- Carrots are not as vulnerable to pests as many other veggies
- Carrots don’t need lots of space to grow well
- Carrots can be good companion plants
- Carrots are interesting veggies to grow with kids
- Carrots are healthy
You can grow carrots relatively fast
One advantage of growing carrots is that you can grow those veggies relatively fast.
In fact, within two months, you will be able to grow carrots from seed to harvest while growing cabbage and many other people would take you much longer.
Carrots are not demanding regarding soil conditions
You should also know that carrots are not very demanding when it comes to soil conditions and this is great news since you can just use the soil from past years for growing carrots in future years and will still get decent yields.
You don’t have to prune carrots
Since you don’t have to prune your carrots, you also don’t have to spend lots of time worrying about your plants in general and can just let them grow and let nature do its work and still get decent yields during the harvesting period.
You can grow carrots multiple times per year
Another upside to growing carrots is that you can grow them multiple times per year since carrots grow rather quickly and you can therefore just harvest carrots when they are ripe and then replant seeds multiple times to get multiple harvests per season.
Carrots grow well in rather cool climatic zones
Carrots also grow well in cool climatic zones and this can be great for you in case you live in climatic zones where it is too cold to grow peppers or other plants that love the heat and still want to get decent veggie yields.
Growing carrots is not hard
Carrots are also relatively easy to grow and you don’t have to be a real expert to grow carrots in a decent manner and also don’t have to get lots of theoretical knowledge in this regard.
Carrots are great beginner plants
Since you don’t have to be a real gardening expert to grow carrots from seed to harvest in a decent manner, carrots can also be great plants to grow for beginners since there are not many things that could go wrong.
Carrots are not as vulnerable to pests as many other veggies
Another benefit of growing carrots is that they are also pretty resistant to pests and many other diseases and this can be great for you since you don’t have to worry much in this regard and can just let your plants grow without having to use pesticides of any sort.
Carrots don’t need lots of space to grow well
Carrot plants also stay relatively small and they just don’t need much space.
Consequently, you can grow carrots in a rather small garden or even on your balcony while you would have a much harder time growing melons or other plants that usually need much more space.
Carrots can be good companion plants
Carrots are also great companion plants since they grow well with other plants and don’t need lots of nutrients and may also deter certain pests that may try to feed on other plants.
Carrots are interesting veggies to grow with kids
Since carrots are relatively fast to grow, they can also be great plants to grow with kids since your little ones will see the results of their labor rather quickly and will stay motivated with your gardening project.
Carrots are healthy
Growing carrots at home also makes quite a lot of sense since carrots are pretty healthy and you can therefore provide you and your loved ones with precious nutrients so you can stay fit and vital in the long run.
As you can see, there are many reasons for growing carrots at home.
Yet, there are still some drawbacks of growing carrots that I want to address in the following so you can better decide whether you still want to grow carrots or rather want to grow other veggies instead.
Disadvantages of Growing Carrots
- Rather limited yield from carrot plants
- Wild animals may eat your carrots
- You have to protect carrot plants from your pets
- Carrot crops don’t grow above the ground
- Carrots don’t grow well in hot and humid climatic zones
- Carrots are not the most exciting plants
- You may have to water carrots quite a lot
- Many people don’t like the taste of carrots
Rather limited yield from carrot plants
One downside to growing carrots is that you will only get one carrot from each plant and yields are often rather limited in general while you would get a much bigger number of crops by growing tomatoes or many other plants.
Wild animals may eat your carrots
You should also be aware of the fact that wild animals may eat your carrots and you will therefore have to protect your carrot plants so you will not wake up one day and your carrot plants will be gone.
You have to protect carrot plants from your pets
Not only wild animals may try to feed on your carrot plants, but also your pets may try to do so and especially if you keep rabbits or other rodents, chances are that you will lose at least part of your carrot yield to your hungry friends if you don’t protect your plants properly.
Carrot crops don’t grow above the ground
Another disadvantage of growing carrots is that they just grow underground and you will not really see the progress your crops will make and may harvest them too early or too late.
Carrots don’t grow well in hot and humid climatic zones
Carrots are also not great plants to grow in humid and hot climatic zones and if you live in those tropical regions, you may be better off growing stevia or other plants that really like the heat.
Carrots are not the most exciting plants
You should also know that carrots are just not the most exciting plants and you may therefore get bored with your carrot growth project in the long run.
You may have to water carrots quite a lot
Carrots also need lots of water, especially during hot times of the year and if you forget to water them on a regular basis, your crop yields will be rather limited or your carrot plants may even decay.
Many people don’t like the taste of carrots
Growing carrots also doesn’t make sense in case you just don’t like the taste of carrots at all and in such a case, you may rather want to grow cucumbers or other veggies you like more instead.
Top 10 Growing Carrots Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Growing Carrots Pros | Growing Carrots Cons |
|---|---|
| You can grow carrots rather quickly | Carrots don’t grow well in the tropics |
| Carrots are relatively resistant to pests | Limited yields per carrot plant |
| Carrots are tolerant regarding soil conditions | Carrots are not the most exciting plants |
| Carrots are not very demanding | Carrot crops grow underground |
| Carrots are good beginner plants | You may not harvest carrots in time |
| Growing carrots can be great with your kids | Many people don’t like the taste of carrots |
| Carrots don’t need lots of space | Growing carrots may become boring |
| You can grow carrots on your balcony | Your pets may eat your carrot plants |
| Carrots are healthy | Carrots may attract wild animals |
| Many dishes you can make out of carrots | You can buy carrots rather cheaply |
Should You Grow Carrots At Home?
While growing carrots can make quite a lot of sense since they are easy to grow and also pretty resistant to pests, you should still note that carrots are hard to grow in pretty hot and humid climatic zones, crop yields are rather limited and carrots are also not the most exciting veggies to grow at home.
If you want to learn more about growing carrots in general, you should also have a look at my carrot grower’s guide and my growing carrot FAQ section.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot
Own experience.
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my own plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
