Carrots are actually biennial plants, which means they don’t flower until their second year. Once those flowers start blooming, the roots aren’t great for eating anymore. However, there’s a cool gardening hack you should know: you can actually leave your carrots in the ground over the winter and harvest them fresh in the spring!
Overwintering Storage Carrots
Not every carrot variety is a good candidate for staying in the ground all winter. You’ll want to stick with “storage” varieties—the ones meant for late harvesting and long-term storage. These guys are usually larger and heartier, so they don’t freeze through as easily as the smaller types.
I wouldn’t recommend trying this with early-season or baby carrots. They’re meant to be picked early, and if you leave them in the damp soil until late autumn, they’ll likely start to rot before the frost even hits.
Applying a Layer of Mulch
If you want to keep your carrots happy through the cold months (and keep harvesting them for dinner!), you’ve got to give them a cozy “blanket” of mulch. You want a nice, thick layer—fresh grass clippings or shredded leaves work perfectly for this. You can trim back some of the carrot greens, but leave a few attached to the root.
Pile your mulch high on both sides of the plant rows right before the first hard frost hits. If you live somewhere especially chilly, you can even toss a winter garden fleece over the top. Keep an eye on the mulch level; if it settles or thins out, add some more. This insulation is key because if the roots actually freeze solid, they’ll turn to mush as soon as the ground thaws.
Harvesting in Winter
The best part about overwintering carrots right in the garden? You don’t need a root cellar! You don’t have to spend your whole weekend processing or drying them in the fall, and you get crunchy, fresh carrots all winter long.
When you’re ready for a snack, just push the mulch aside and gently lift the carrots out with a garden fork. Just a heads-up: if you get a lot of snow, digging them out can become a bit of a chore. If that sounds like too much work, you might want to try a “clamp” or an earth pit.
A popular DIY method for an earth pit is using an old washing machine drum buried deep in the ground. This keeps the carrots safe from hungry pests like voles. Cover the opening with a piece of Styrofoam and a thick layer of mulch. The big advantage here? The carrots are already dug up, so you just have to reach in and grab a handful whenever you need them!
