When to plant · 26 cities · zones 6a–10a

When to plant carrots in Arizona

Direct sow nantes carrot around Feb 4 — the Arizona statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of Feb 18 across 413 ZIP codes and 148 NOAA stations.

Feb 4Direct sowDec 24 – May 1 across the state
Feb 18Last spring frostmedian · 1 in 10 years after Mar 11
Apr 15First harvest70 days from sow

The rule: Direct sow two weeks before the last frost and keep the top half-inch of soil damp for the 14–21 days it takes to germinate.

Arizona carrots, by step

Statewide median last frost Feb 18, first fall frost Dec 1, 2027 season. Each cultivar's own indoor lead time and days to maturity, same engine as the Plan Builder.

CultivarStart indoorsSowFirst harvestDays
Nantes CarrotScarlet NantesDirect sowFeb 4Apr 1570 from sow

Tight means first harvest lands within two weeks of the median first fall frost. Statewide dates are the ZIP-weighted median of every NOAA 1991–2020 station Arizona's ZIP codes resolve to; 3 of 416 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.

Carrots in Arizona, city by city

Nantes Carrot, scheduled from each city's nearest NOAA station — the same dates as its frost page.

CityLast frostSowFirst harvest
Phoenixzone 9bJan 8Dec 25Mar 5
Tucsonzone 9bFeb 5Jan 22Apr 2
Mesazone 9bFeb 1Jan 18Mar 29
Gilbertzone 9bFeb 1Jan 18Mar 29
Chandlerzone 9bFeb 1Jan 18Mar 29
Glendalezone 9bJan 20Jan 6Mar 17
Scottsdalezone 10aJan 27Jan 13Mar 24
Peoriazone 9bFeb 5Jan 22Apr 2
Tempezone 10aFeb 13Jan 30Apr 10
Surprisezone 9bFeb 5Jan 22Apr 2
Goodyearzone 9bJan 7Dec 24Mar 4
Buckeyezone 9bJan 7Dec 24Mar 4
Yumazone 10afrost rareJan 17Mar 28
Avondalezone 9bJan 7Dec 24Mar 4
Queen Creekzone 9bFeb 1Jan 18Mar 29
Flagstaffzone 6aJun 4May 21Jul 30
Maricopazone 9aFeb 23Feb 9Apr 20
Casa Grandezone 9aFeb 5Jan 22Apr 2
Maranazone 9bApr 2Mar 19May 28
Lake Havasu Cityzone 10aJan 5Dec 22Mar 2
Prescott Valleyzone 7bApr 30Apr 16Jun 25
Oro Valleyzone 9aApr 2Mar 19May 28
Prescottzone 7bApr 30Apr 16Jun 25
Sierra Vistazone 8bApr 18Apr 4Jun 13
Apache Junctionzone 9bFeb 1Jan 18Mar 29
Bullhead Cityzone 10aJan 4Dec 21Mar 1

What Arizona carrots need

SeedsThe cultivar decides the sauce. Everything downstream is damage control.
  • Scarlet Nantes Carrot Seed

    The carrot that makes a fermented habanero sauce work. It brings sweetness and body so the sauce has texture without thickener and heat without being one-dimensional.

StartSoil temperature and light intensity, indoors, weeks before your frost date.
  • Organic Seed Starter Potting MixMust have

    Seed-starting mix is not potting soil with a nicer label — it is finer, lighter, and low in nutrients on purpose, because a seedling's first roots want air and moisture, not fertiliser.

GrowRoot volume, nutrition and structure. Where most home crops actually fail.
  • Ocean Forest Potting SoilMust have

    Pre-charged with enough nutrition to carry a transplant for its first month without feeding, which is exactly the window when most container plants stall.

  • 5-Gallon Fabric Grow Bags, 5-Pack

    Fabric pots air-prune roots and drain faster than a plastic pot can, which is the entire reason container tomatoes fail. Five gallons is the honest minimum for a pepper; a tomato wants ten.

  • Rapitest Soil Test Kit

    In-ground growers are guessing until they test. pH outside 6.0–6.8 locks nutrients out no matter how much fertiliser you add, and no amount of feeding fixes that.

  • 3-in-1 Soil Moisture / Light / pH Tester

    Used for one thing — is the root zone actually dry six inches down — it prevents both halves of the most common container failure. Ignore the pH scale on it entirely.

HarvestTiming, handling, and weighing what you actually got.
  • Garden Harvest Basket with Tool Caddy

    A harvest basket that doubles as a colander means the hose rinse happens in the garden, and the dirt stays outside. On a 20-pound tomato day that is a genuine time saving.

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Carrots in Arizona: questions

When should I plant carrots in Arizona?

Direct sow around Feb 4 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Dec 24 in the warmest tenth of Arizona's ZIP codes to May 1 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from Mar 11 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.

When is the last frost in Arizona?

The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is Feb 18. In the warmest tenth of Arizona's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Jan 7; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 15.

When will Arizona carrots be ready to harvest?

Nantes Carrot planted on the statewide date is ready around Apr 15: 70 days from sow.

More for Arizona

Carrots in every state → · Arizona frost dates → · How frost-date math works →