Although carrots require considerable depth in the soil to grow, it is possible to grow carrots in a vertical vegetable garden. So not every vertical vegetable garden is suitable for carrots.
What is a vertical vegetable garden?
If you have limited space in your garden or on your balcony, a vertical vegetable garden is really the way to go. A vertical garden takes up a little ground surface but is stacked more in height. In this way, you can still grow a lot of vegetables.
One of the tastiest vegetables to grow is carrots. You can harvest them whenever you need them and they fit into many dishes.
To grow carrots in a vertical vegetable garden you need to pay attention to a few things:
Carrots need enough depth in the soil, starting from around 30 centimeters (12 inches) deep soil you can start growing carrots. Because carrots need quite a bit of depth to continue growing, it is nice that the soil is a bit deeper. If the soil is not deep enough, carrots cannot grow optimally and your harvest will not be what you want.
Carrots also need sunlight to grow, often people with a vertical vegetable garden make the mistake of putting them in a shady spot. Carrots need about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day but can grow with less, just make sure your vertical garden gets some sunlight to encourage growth.
Use good soil in the vertical vegetable garden, normal garden soil does not work optimally because it absorbs very little water. In addition, garden soil is very dense. Using potting soil helps the roots because this soil gives space to the roots and absorbs water very well.
Use seeds to plant the carrots, make sure (especially in the early phase of + / – 2 weeks of the growing process) that you give the carrots enough water. Keep the soil moist so the seeds can germinate properly
Which Vertical Garden ideas are best suited for growing carrots?
Because carrots can grow long and therefore grow deeper into the ground, you can’t just grow them in any vertical garden. If you set up a vertical garden with pots, then you will have to take into account that they are deep enough so that the carrots can also grow well. A better option would be to make a tower-like for example the brand “Greenstalk”. These containers have more depth so your carrots will grow better.
If you want to create your own vertical vegetable garden, choose the right size for growing your carrots.
How much water does a carrot plant need?
Especially at the beginning of the growing process, it is very important to give the seeds enough water and make sure the soil stays moist so the seeds can germinate properly.
When the plants start to grow you can keep track of how much water you give the plant, keep the soil moist to allow the carrots to grow healthily and make sure you will have a good harvest.
How much spacing between carrots?
When sowing carrots in the garden try to make rows of seeds every 12 to 15 centimeters (5 to 6 inches). And about 50 centimeters (20 inches) between rows.
With a vertical vegetable garden, this is often not possible and you will want to grow 2 to 3 plants per 30 x 30 centimeter (12 x 12 inches) container.
When the seeds grow into plantlets you can start thinning the plants. Be sure to leave the “strong” plants and make a good division of the different root plants in a row. If some plants are too close together, you will want to “thin out” them to prevent them from growing together.
However, there are carrots that you can grow very close together, this is of course ideal for the vertical garden or containers.
Different types of carrots
There are many different types of carrots, take a good look at which ones you want to grow and choose the seeds.
Some examples of carrots you can grow in a vertical garden are:
Nantes
Nantes carrots are very nice to start within a vertical vegetable garden. This carrot has little core and is very sweet, therefore very nice to use in a juice or for direct eating.
To get the best results from growing Nantes carrots, make sure there is loose soil in the vertical garden. In addition, it is important that the soil drains well, so the carrot can grow optimally.
A great version of the Nantes carrot is the “Little finger”. This carrot is very nice to grow in a vertical garden or container because this Little finger carrot grows up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) long, you will most likely have enough depth in the soil of a vertical container.
An added benefit of this carrot is that it can be grown very densely, so you can fill the vertical vegetable garden well with this carrot.
Chantenay
The Chantenay carrot is a very strong root species that is easy to grow in hard (clay-like) soil. It finds its way without difficulty into this hard soil.
This type of carrot is a firm, thick carrot that should be harvested in time. Otherwise, it will become hard and fibrous. But when harvested in time, this is a delicious carrot to use in various dishes.
The Chantenay is not necessarily a carrot that grows well in a vertical garden, although it is possible because the carrot will find its way around.
Imperator
The imperator carrots can grow very long, to grow long carrots the soil has to be loose and deep. If this is not the case and the soil is very hard, the carrots will not be straight, but more twisted. They will not taste less good but do not look straight. If the soil is not deep enough or if the soil gets hard quickly, the imperator carrots will become small and blunt.
The imperator carrots are also the carrots from which usually come the deliciously sweet “baby carrots” for children.
The imperator carrots can grow up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) long and are therefore not ideal for growing in a vertical vegetable garden.
Danvers
Danvers carrots are one of the best-known carrots you can buy in stores. They are carrots with a nice round top and pointed ends. They have a little tough core and wonderfully rich flavor that allows them to be prepared deliciously soft for eating.
With an average length of about 15 centimeters (6 inches), these carrots are already a bit easier to grow in a vertical vegetable garden.
In short
There are many different types of carrots, and it is very personal which one you want to grow. Depending on the different dishes you want to prepare with your homegrown carrots, you can choose which one to sow.
But if you are starting your vertical garden for the first time, then it is probably wise to sow the Nantes carrot.
