Saving carrot seeds is actually quite easy, and only requires a few steps. That said, it does take 2 years overall to collect new seeds.
To save carrot seeds, start by leaving your carrot plants in the ground in the fall or digging them up and storing in a root cellar until spring. The following summer, collect the first flower umbels that dry on the plants. Set them out to dry for 2-3 weeks. Then place the dried seed heads into a paper or cloth bag and tap the seed capsules against the inside of the bag to loosen the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the seeds from the bits of capsule and chaff. Label and store in a cool dry location for 2-3 years.
Read on to learn all about how to save carrot seeds!
Introduction to saving carrot seeds
Carrot seeds are easy to collect. It just takes a little more time for the seeds to grow than most other garden vegetables! Like all seed saving, it starts with growing healthy plants. Here is a guide all about how to grow carrots.
Carrot plants are in the Apiaceae family. Carrot plants grow their seeds in their second year of life. Carrot seeds grow in seed pods that develop on tall flower stalks in the summertime.
Carrot plants (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) are biennial, meaning the plant has a two-year life cycle. The planted seeds sprout in the soil and grow roots during the first growing season. Then the roots overwinter in the soil (or indoors if you prefer to replant them in the spring) before flowering during the second summer.
If you do choose to dig up your carrots in the fall and store your carrots indoors for the winter, keep them in a cool dry root cellar in a bed of wood shavings or another dry, fluffy material. Brush excess dirt off the carrot root before storage but don’t wash or scrub it. You’ll also want to cut back the carrot foliage to about 1/2 inch prior to storage.
Carrot plants are outcrossing plants that insects pollinate. Different plants easily cross-pollinate each other, so care must be taken if you’d like to isolate a single variety. Garden carrots can also cross-pollinate with wild plants of the same species, such as Queen Anne’s lace flowers (both wild and cultivated by flower farmers).
Planting carrots for seed saving
Carrots are generally harvested for eating in late autumn. Save the healthiest carrots with the best root shape, tops, and foliage for seed saving. You can either snip the foliage off and replant these selected seed-saving carrots in the fall or store them indoors in cold storage for early spring planting.
Carrot plants for seed saving are usually grown about a foot apart. You can stake the carrot flower stalks to hold them upright or stretch wide mesh across the carrot patch for the umbels to grow up through.
Plant a minimum of 4 dozen carrot plants for seed saving. Either plant only one variety for seed saving or use a physical barrier to isolate different varieties.
In areas where wild carrots (Queen Anne’s lace) grow wild, you’ll have to isolate the carrots with a barrier even if growing only one variety to prevent cross-pollination. You can isolate carrots by distance, but the different varieties must be spaced at least 500 feet (150m) apart. This makes physical separation with a barrier more reasonable. If wild carrots nearby are a problem, you can also try replanting the carrot roots early indoors to give them a head start so they flower before the wild carrots.
To physically isolate varieties with a barrier, you can either plant them inside a netted raised bed or hoop house/polytunnel or use a bag over the flower stalk to keep out insects. To bag the flower heads to prevent cross-pollination from other varieties, cover the whole flower head with a lightweight fabric bag.
Common fabric materials for covering carrot flowers include silk, muslin, or even old pantyhose. Small organza bags (“blossom bags”) are also popular. The fabric should be thin enough to let in some light and be breathable for humidity but woven tightly enough to keep out insects and pollen. Tie the bag carefully around the stem using some floral wire or twine. If there is still room for a crawling insect to enter, wrap the stem with pieces of a cotton ball to block the entrance.
Choose an open-pollinated variety
Open-pollinated carrots are best for seed saving. If you save seeds from hybrids (F1 crosses), they will not be true to type. The carrots that grow from the saved seeds will differ from the parent seeds (and possibly quite different).
Here are some great open-pollinated carrot varieties:
- Scarlet Nantes carrot
- Black Nebula carrot
- Kuroda carrot
- Pusa Asita black carrot
- Cosmic purple carrot
- Danvers 126 half-long carrot
- Red-Cored Chantenay carrot
- Atomic red carrot
Some of these are classic heirloom seeds, while others have been more recently developed (but they are still open-pollinated, not hybrid seeds).
There are lots of different types of carrots, from skinny long ones to plump triangular ones. Read more about the different types of carrots here.
“Wild carrots are found throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.”
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, by Suzanne Ashworth
Companion planting for seed saving
Carrot plants make excellent companions for many garden vegetables. Good companions for carrots include lettuce, sunflowers, cilantro, and nasturtium. Having flowering plants in the area can help attract pollinators to your garden.
Growing carrot plants for seed saving
To grow carrot plants for seed saving, start with high-quality seed stock or buy seeds from a reputable dealer. Leave only the most vigorous plants in the ground in the fall, or dig them up in autumn to inspect the roots.
Digging up and storing carrots is recommended for colder areas, and should be done before a hard freeze. This also gives you a chance to inspect the whole carrot root instead of just the top.
Store the carrots in a cool, dark, moist place. Temperatures just above freezing are ideal, with 32°-40°F as a reliable range. Replant only the healthiest seed carrots in the spring so you can be sure you’re saving seeds from the strongest plants.
How to save seeds from carrot plants
Choose the first umbels that appear on the plants to save seeds. These are the flower clusters that appear right on the main flower stem. Seeds saved from the first or second flower clusters tend to be the most vigorous, while seeds from later umbels may not be as strong.
Clip the seed heads off with scissors. Hang them in paper bags to dry or place them on a dry flat surface. Alternatively, you can pull up the whole plant, wash the roots off, and hang the entire plant upside down. Definitely put a brown paper bag over the flower end of the plant if hanging the whole plant.
Let the umbels dry for 2-3 weeks. The seed heads will turn brown and papery when they are ready to harvest.
Place the dried seed heads in a paper or cloth bag and tap the seed capsules against the inside of the bag to loosen the seeds. You can also rub the dried seed heads over a mesh seed cleaning screen.
Use a sieve to separate the seeds from the chaff (dried plant matter). Store the carrot seeds in a cool, dry place.
Carrot seeds have a short life expectancy and usually remain viable (at good germination rates) for about three years when stored properly.
Storing carrot seeds
For the longest viable seed life, keep the seeds away from moisture, warm temperatures, and direct sunlight. Look instead for dry, cool, dark storage locations.
Packaging carrot seeds
Start by packaging the clean, dry seeds in a small package. Here are some good options for storage containers:
- Small paper coin envelopes
- Small plastic baggies
- Glass wide-mouth mason jars
Press very lightly when closing the package to avoid crushing the seeds. Try not to leave too much air in the package, but don’t press out all of the air either (and don’t vacuum seal seeds).
Lastly – be sure to label your carrot seeds! Include the variety name, the date the seeds were saved, and any interesting notes or tips for cultivation.
Seed storage containers
Once the seeds are packaged for storage, all the packages can be placed into a container. This can be anything from a repurposed plastic bin or wooden box to one of these fancier options:
- Library card drawers
- Photo storage cases
Airtight containers like large Ziplocs, plastic tubs, or mason jars work well for small seeds like carrots. If you can find an airtight tub that is a solid color, that will help keep light away from the seeds. Wooden library drawers – while not airtight – do an excellent job of keeping light out while maintaining organization.
To reduce humidity, you can tuck a silica gel pack rescued from some other packaging or include a tablespoon of dry rice. These drying agents are a good hedge as they can absorb any excess moisture.
Here’s a complete guide on how to store seeds, as well as a guide all about how long vegetable seeds last.
Seed storage conditions
Carrot seeds last the longest when stored in ideal conditions. This generally means a location with low humidity (but not zero humidity), no light, and a cool temperature just above freezing.
Here are the ideal conditions for home storage of carrot seeds:
- An air temperature of 32°-41°F (0°- 5°C)
- An air humidity of less than 50%
- Near-total darkness
- Free from pests like mice that like to feast on seeds
Common places to store seeds include unheated closets, dry and cool basements, and the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. If storing in a place with variable humidity (like the fridge), be sure to use an airtight container and consider popping a humidity meter in with your seeds.
Carrot seed lifespan
Carrot seeds usually last for 2-3 years when properly stored in a cool, dry place. In excellent storage conditions, they can last 4-5 years. Read more about veggie seed lifespan.
Planting carrot seeds
Carrot seeds germinate in soil temperatures between 40ºF and 95ºF (source: University of California). Germination is quite slow at the cooler end of this range, so carrot seeds are usually planted at an optimum soil temperature of 75ºF to 85ºF. Viable carrot seeds usually take about a week to germinate in ideal 80ºF soil but take more like 12-15 days to germinate in the fluctuating soil temperatures and moisture levels of springtime.
Saved carrot seeds are most commonly planted via direct seeding in an outdoor garden bed. The seeds are planted 1/4 inch deep. The seeds can initially be sown in about 1/2 inch apart. Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, thin the carrot row so the planter is 1-2 inches apart.
Plant carrots in loose, friable soil enriched with organic matter like compost for the longest, most uniform roots. Keep the soil around the seeds moist for about a month after planting to ensure the carrot seedlings get off to a good start.
