How to Save Carrot Seeds

Saving seeds is such a rewarding process. Learning How to Save Carrot Seeds requires a little more patience since these plants are biennials, meaning they take two growing seasons to mature.

You’ll need to know the best varieties of carrots to grow, how to protect them from potentially freezing weather, and when the best time is to save the seeds! We’ll go over it all in these step-by-step directions.

Leave one or two carrots behind in your garden and watch them grow and flower the next summer! This is such a fun process and will get you more carrot seeds than you could ever use. Take a look at my Monthly Canning Guide for your garden fresh veggies for this year!

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Save seeds from one carrot in your garden, and you’ll have enough seeds to give to all your gardener friends and family. This may even inspire you to host a seed swap!

Harvesting Carrot Seeds from Your Garden

Carrots are biennials, meaning they take 2 full growing seasons to go from seed to seed. During the first growing season, carrots grow a strong root that we usually pull up and eat.

In the second growing season, the plant will bolt and grow flowers, which produce seeds. The carrot greens will grow exponentially and will develop pretty white flowers.

Best Carrot Varieties to Save Seeds from

Choosing a carrot variety to save seeds from can be intimidating because there are so many. The biggest thing you want to look for is an heirloom or open-pollinated variety, not a hybrid.

Hybrids are not ideal because they are made by breeding two different varieties. When you collect seeds from these, they will not be as stable as heirloom varieties. The new plant you grow will probably not be like the one you saved the seeds from.

Here are some varieties you could try from Seeds Now:

• Danvers – orange
• Scarlet Nantes – orange
• Cosmic Purples – purple
• Lunar White – white
• Amarillo – yellow

When is the Best Time to Collect Carrot Seeds?

The best time to collect your carrot seeds is when the flower has turned brown and the seeds have naturally dried on the plant. This is usually late summer or early fall. Watch for these signs that your seeds are ready to harvest:

• The flowers have turned brown, and the seed heads are brown
• Seeds look brownish-gray, hard, and papery. They are not green or soft.
• The seed heads can be rubbed or shaken to release seeds easily.
• Seed heads feel crispy to the touch.
• Some seeds may have begun to fall off the plant naturally! Harvest ASAP if this is happening.

Step-By-Step Guide on How to Save Carrot Seeds

Grow carrots in the ground the first season like you usually would. Leave one or two carrots in the ground to overwinter. The first time I saved seeds was because I accidentally forgot a carrot in my garden! It must have been a small one that just got missed.

In colder zones with harsh winters, cover your carrots with mulch or a cold frame to protect them. If there is a lot of snow in your area, this could act as insulation, but it isn’t a guarantee to keep them safe.

During the second growing season, the carrots will bolt and start to develop flower clusters. The plants get bigger than I expected and develop so many flower clusters!

Let the flowers grow all season. After pollination, the flowers will form seed heads. Allow the seeds to mature and dry on the plant.

The seeds will be ready when the seed heads turn brown and the seeds are dry to the touch. Harvest your seeds by cutting off the whole flower head and putting it into a paper bag. Shake or rub to get the seeds to fall off.

Separate the seeds and the debris so the seeds are clean and ready for storage. Allow the seeds to dry for 1-2 weeks on a tray or paper towel in a dry, well-ventilated area.

Store seeds in an airtight container with a label for the variety of carrots and dates. The seeds will be good for 3-4 years as long as they are stored properly in a cool, dry place. Germination will generally go down the longer they are stored.

How to Grow Carrots from Seeds

If you’re on this post, you’ve probably already grown some carrots from seed, but just in case you need a couple of tips, this part is for you.

Sow carrot seeds directly into the ground about 1/4 inch deep and 1-2 inches apart in rows. Sow in loose, well-drained soil. Carrots don’t like to be transplanted, so do not start them inside to move later.

Carrot seedlings can tolerate a light frost so you can sow them when the ground can be worked up in the spring, even if it’s before your last average frost.

More Gardening Posts

• How to Plant Turmeric
• Seed Starting Guide for Zone 5
• Best Companion Plants for Tomatoes
• Grow your own Loofahs

These orange beauties love full sun and need constant moisture to germinate evenly, so make sure you keep them well watered. Don’t lose hope if your seedlings don’t come up right away. It can take up to 21 days for carrots to germinate, especially in cooler soil. You can thin them out once they have come up, so they don’t get overcrowded.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Saving Carrot Seeds

Saving carrot seeds is a rewarding way to grow your own vegetables year after year. Since carrots are biennial, the process takes two growing seasons, with the plant producing seeds in its second year. By choosing open-pollinated varieties, overwintering selected carrots, and harvesting mature, dry seed heads, you can collect and store viable seeds for future planting.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Active Time45 minutes mins

Growing Time490 days d

Total Time490 days d 50 minutes mins

Materials

• paper bag, box, or bucket for shaking the seeds into
• seed saving envelope or jar for storing seeds

Instructions

• Grow carrots in the ground the first season like you usually would.
• Leave one or two carrots (depending on how many seeds you want to collect) in the ground to overwinter.
• In colder zones with harsh winters, cover your carrots with mulch or a cold frame to protect them. If there is a lot of snow in your area, this could act as insulation.
• During the second growing season, the carrots will bolt and start to develop flower clusters.
• Let the flowers grow all season. After pollination, the flowers will form seed heads.
• Allow the seeds to mature and dry on the plant.
• The seeds will be ready when the seed heads turn brown and the seeds are dry to the touch.
• Harvest your seeds by cutting off the whole flower head and putting it into a paper bag. Shake or rub to get the seeds to fall off.
• Separate the seeds and the debris so the seeds are clean and ready for storage.
• Allow the seeds to dry for 1-2 weeks on a tray or paper towel in a dry, well-ventilated area.
• Store seeds in an airtight container with a label for the variety of carrot and date.
• The seeds will be good for 3-4 years as long as they are stored properly in a cool, dry place. Germination will generally go down the longer they are stored.