Choose well-shaped, smooth, firm, crisp carrots with deep color and fresh, green tops. Most are ready at 60 to 80 days.
Avoid soft, wilted or split carrots.
- Look at the carrot greens once your carrots have been growing for the minimum recommended time listed on the seed packets. Often, what goes on above ground with carrots can suggest what’s happening beneath the soil’s surface. So, if your carrots have lush tops measuring around 10 to 12 inches tall, there’s a good chance the root is mature, too. On the other hand, if your carrot leaves look small and underdeveloped, the root has probably not finished growing.
- Beyond the tops, another critical indicator that carrots are ready to harvest is the size of their "shoulders." Carrot shoulders are the top section of the carrot root, which sometimes pops up above the soil line when carrots are ready to pick. If the shoulders aren’t exposed, gently sweep your finger around the base of carrot greens to inspect the developing roots. If the carrot shoulders measure about ¾ to 1 inch in diameter and the root has a nice, deep coloration, that’s a good sign that it’s time to harvest your carrots. On the other hand, if the shoulders look underdeveloped, firm the soil around the carrot greens again and wait a bit longer to harvest.
