Carrots are an easy vegetable to eat. You can put them in soups, bake them into a cake, roast them in your oven, or even just eat them raw with a little dip if you’re feeling lazy.
Chances are, you’ve got carrots at home right now. But just how did they end up on the shelf in your grocery store? We’ll explore the answer to that question by talking about where carrots are grown and other related questions.
Where are Carrots Grown?
Top 5 Countries for Carrot Production | Carrots Produced Annually (Tons) |
|---|---|
China | 17.9 Million |
Uzbekistan | 2.2 Million |
United States | 1.5 Million |
Russia | 1.4 Million |
Ukraine | 0.8 Million |
If you’re hoping to grow some carrots in your garden, you’d better make sure you’ve picked a sunny spot for said garden. Although carrots are okay with a little bit of shade, they mostly like full sunlight.
Additionally, they like temperatures between 61 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. They also need a well-draining loamy or sandy soil.
The countries that grow the most carrots annually include China, Uzbekistan, and the United States. Carrot growth isn’t limited strictly to these countries, however; you can also find them growing on a commercial scale in the UK.
If you’re in the United States and wondering where you’ll find carrots growing, the answer is pretty much anywhere. The states that produce the most carrots, though, are California, Michigan, and Texas. On its own, California accounts for over 85% of carrots in the US.
Related Article: What are the Easiest Carrots to Grow?
Carrot FAQs
What season are carrots grown in?
Like we mentioned earlier, carrots love temperatures between 61 and 70 degrees. Their preferences mean they won’t like the full heat of summer, nor would they thrive in the cold of winter in many places.
Spring, on the other hand, is the best time for growing carrots. You can typically plant them in the early spring, then wait 50-100 days to harvest them.
Can I grow carrots from a carrot?
Do you have some carrots in your kitchen and you’re wondering how to get the most out of them? You may not have known this, but it is possible to basically plant a carrot to indirectly grow more carrots.
Now, sticking a carrot in the ground won’t end up in several more carrots, but it will produce a carrot plant eventually. That plant will have seeds which you can use to grow more carrot plants.
You can click here to learn more about producing carrot plants from a carrot. Just bear in mind that you won’t be able to guarantee what your carrot plant was able to crossbreed with while it was growing, so the results won’t always be predictable.
Read More: Why are Some Carrots so Big?
Do carrots count as a vegetable?
Yes, carrots are considered vegetables. To be more specific, it is a root vegetable, just like turnips or beets.
Have you ever wondered why there are some particularly sweet types of carrots? We’ve got a guide to why some carrots are sweeter than others in which we dig into the roots of this question.
Should you peel carrots?
Feeling a little too tired to meticulously peel each individual carrot? That’s totally okay!
You don’t need to peel your carrots if you don’t want to. If you choose to leave the skin on, though, make sure you wash it carefully to ensure your carrots are clean.
We also recommend following whichever recipe you’re making. A recipe that recommends peeling your carrots means you should peel them, otherwise you might risk a subtle difference in flavor from what the recipe intended.
Wrap Up
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, vegetables probably are the last food group you’d turn to in order to satisfy your cravings. You don’t need to avoid veggies when you want something sugary, though – carrots are an excellent way to incorporate sweetness into your dinner.
Heck, you can even use them to make dessert. Just try out this vegan carrot cake recipe if you don’t believe us.
