I've had trouble with carrot seeds and low germination %. Even some that were only a year old. Are there any seed vendors that are know for having fresh seed?

I’ve planted carrots this November and into December. A Nantes type ordered from Renee’s Garden, A Danvers type from Burpee, seed packet off the shelf from the big box store, and a couple of Asian red and purple types ordered online from Kitazawa. Seed all labeled for 2020. All have come up nicely except the ones I planted on December 10th, but I wasn’t expecting those to be up yet.

I used to buy Renee's Garden seeds at Orchard Supply. It took me about three or four years of extremely low germination rates (everything, not just carrots) to figure out there was something wrong with their seeds. This was years ago, so I hope they've improved...but it will be a long time before I try that company again.

Carrots can be tricky to get going. I've had the best germination from Baker Creek seeds of anywhere I've tried. I don't have a lot of experience with Renee's Garden, but I didn't notice any problems with the few I've had. It might be Orchard Supply causing your issues - some stores don't store their seeds properly. I've seen grocery stores set their seed racks outside in the sun, which is a great way to make sure those seeds don't last very long. Who knows what else those poor things have been through.

When I plant carrots, I scrape a shallow trench, sprinkle the seeds on top, water them, and put a 2x4 over them for several days to hold in the moisture. I've tried religiously watering them every day, every other day, but I get the best results with the 2x4. Just make sure to remove it when they start to come up.

Here in Canada, I bought carrot seeds last year from William Dam. They have good deals on large amounts of seed as well as small packets. Germination was great on all of their seeds. They serve the farming community as well as home gardeners, and their seed is always fresh.

I don't often grow carrots (so, I can't comment without some research into packed for dates and purchase dates on my carrots), but Baker Creek sure is into carrot photography.

root_grow, thanks for the 2x4 idea. I'll give it a try. And I'm just putting in an order with Baker Creek, 3 carrots (Cosmic Purple, New Kuroda, Koral) among other items. I figured that Baker Creek would be a good source, so your recommendation is well timed.

How many days did it take your carrots to germinate?

MI Gardener has good seeds for 99 cents a pack. I have had good luck with their seeds.

No idea. In spring they take 2-3 weeks sometimes, but a couple times they've jumped up in a week. In summer they've ranged anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks.

jbclem wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:02 am I've had trouble with carrot seeds and low germination %. Even some that were only a year old. Are there any seed vendors that are know for having fresh seed?

Where do you garden?
We need that information!

Like you, my carrots tend to be hit or miss... And age may not be the issue.
I've had seeds that were years old grow fine and fresh seed not so much.

I prefer to plant just before a rain... Sometimes i sprinkle seed in drills, and sometimes just broadcast on top of the beds... I think that planting in a trench works better...

Late Autumn planting seems to work well here, Feb planting is also good.

My carrot seeds are 4 years old and they germinate fine. I store them in the refrigerator. I think it may be how you plant them. Or really, how you water them until they sprout. They need to stay moist for really good germination. Some people put a board on top of their rows, and only lift it up once a day until you see germination. Then take it off. Keeps the ground evenly moist, as well as your seeds.

I had an issue last year which I thought was seed germination. Everything under row cover, saw that plants were starting to come up, then when I uncovered it was just weeds and no carrots. This year I also had some question marks on the germination, but I uncovered and took pics when they were just sprouting and there were lots! Some days later, less. A week later, fewer! And so on. One bed I didn't get a single carrot. There is a slug around here that LOVES carrot seedlings, and it sure got into that bed. The other beds did fine. So if you have slugs, watch your bed like a hawk!