QUESTION: How long can you leave carrots in the ground? Will the flavor be better if harvested when smaller? -Jerry T.
ANSWER: You can begin harvesting carrots as soon as they are of size and sweet enough to eat, but how long you should leave them in the ground depends on the season you are growing them. If you’re growing carrots for a summer harvest, they should be pulled as soon as they are ready (on average, 70 to 80 days after seeds are sown). Exposure to hot weather can make carrots bitter, so if an especially hot spell occurs, you should pull up all your carrots to prevent losing them to bitterness.
In colder seasons, when carrots are grown for a fall or winter harvest, you can leave them in the ground until you are ready to use them. The exception to this rule is when carrots are grown in a region that gets cold enough for the ground to freeze. If the ground freezes in your area, make sure to pull up all the carrots in your garden soon after the first heavy frost, unless you plan to protect them from the cold.
How long can carrots stay in the ground?
Carrots may be left in the garden as long as the ground does not freeze. In warmer climates, this can mean staying in the ground well into fall and even into winter. If you have planted them late enough so that they do not get too big and become pithy, you can leave carrots in the ground and harvest one by one when you need them. Beware that significant rain after a dry spell cracks them open, so harvest if there is a danger of a rainstorm.
I left my rainbow carrots in the ground for a lot longer than I think I should have… the ground has not frozen but a few of them are quite big. I’ve read that they may lose their sweetness if they get too big, but I’m wondering if they’re still safe to eat?
Definitely safe to eat. I routinely pick my carrots around Halloween. I’m in Zone 0b and they’re still fine to eat after that time when I’ve received multiple frosts and snow.
I read that you can leave carrots in the ground all winter and when they freeze they get very sweet to keep them from going bad. I did this and harvested in the spring before it got warm and they were the best carrots ever. Do NOT leave them in long enough for the green leaves to begin growing again as the sweetness goes away and the texture is more woody.