Grow your own fresh carrots at home.
2 How Long Does it Take for Carrots to Mature?
Carrots (Daucus carota) are one of the easiest vegetables to grow for backyard gardeners. Originally from the Mediterranean, carrots can be grown throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 10. When you're ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor, knowing how to tell if the carrots are ripe and mature enough to harvest is key to enjoying this vegetable when it looks and tastes its best. If your carrots show all the signs of ripeness, pull them in the cool of the morning for the best quality.
In general, most carrots are ripe and ready for harvesting after approximately 90 days have passed from the date that the carrot seeds were first sown. When planting your carrots, mark the specific date on your gardening calendar. Once 90 days have passed, you can then check the carrots for other signs of ripeness and maturity. Timeline is crucial not just for knowing when to start checking for signs of ripeness but also to prevent you from forgetting to harvest your carrots. Carrots left in the ground for several months often develop a poor texture and a woodlike flavor.
Carrots are mature and ripe enough to be pulled from the ground once the top of the carrot root measures approximately 1/2 inches wide. Brush the dirt away from the top of the plant and measure the exposed root top with a ruler to quickly check for size. Never allow your carrots to grow and mature past 1 1/2 inches wide at the top, as taste quality often falls when the carrots get that old.
The average ripe, ready-to-harvest carrot measures approximately 7 to 9 inches in length. Pull one or two carrots to check for length. The size of these test carrots can signify whether the rest of your backyard crop is mature. If the carrots are significantly shorter than the average size, wait a week before performing another test harvest.
Ripe carrots should possess a tender texture that is firm and tender, not soft, limp or chewy. Standard varieties should also have an even, bright orange color, although some carrot varieties and hybrids come in additional colors like a pale orange-white. Additionally, color can be influenced by growing conditions and should therefore not be used as the sole barometer of carrot ripeness.
Duvauchelle, Joshua. "When Are Carrots Ripe?" Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/carrots-ripe-70423.html. Accessed 20 April 2019.