When to plant · 29 cities · zones 6a–6b

When to plant carrots in Michigan

Direct sow nantes carrot around Apr 19 — the Michigan statewide median, counted from a last spring frost of May 3 across 988 ZIP codes and 196 NOAA stations.

Apr 19Direct sowApr 12 – May 9 across the state
May 3Last spring frostmedian · 1 in 10 years after May 20
Jun 28First 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.

Michigan carrots, by step

Statewide median last frost May 3, first fall frost Oct 14, 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 sowApr 19Jun 2870 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 Michigan's ZIP codes resolve to; 4 of 992 ZIPs have no datable freeze and are left out.

Carrots in Michigan, city by city

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

CityLast frostSowFirst harvest
Detroitzone 6bApr 27Apr 13Jun 22
Grand Rapidszone 6aApr 29Apr 15Jun 24
Warrenzone 6bApr 21Apr 7Jun 16
Sterling Heightszone 6bApr 30Apr 16Jun 25
Ann Arborzone 6aMay 5Apr 21Jun 30
Lansingzone 6aMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Dearbornzone 6bApr 27Apr 13Jun 22
Livoniazone 6bMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Troyzone 6bApr 26Apr 12Jun 21
Farmington Hillszone 6aMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Westlandzone 6bMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Flintzone 6aMay 3Apr 19Jun 28
Wyomingzone 6aApr 29Apr 15Jun 24
Rochester Hillszone 6aApr 26Apr 12Jun 21
Southfieldzone 6bMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Kalamazoozone 6aApr 28Apr 14Jun 23
Novizone 6aMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Pontiaczone 6aApr 26Apr 12Jun 21
Taylorzone 6bApr 20Apr 6Jun 15
Dearborn Heightszone 6bMay 1Apr 17Jun 26
Royal Oakzone 6bApr 26Apr 12Jun 21
St. Clair Shoreszone 6bApr 29Apr 15Jun 24
Kentwoodzone 6aApr 29Apr 15Jun 24
Battle Creekzone 6aApr 30Apr 16Jun 25
Portagezone 6aApr 28Apr 14Jun 23
East Lansingzone 6aApr 28Apr 14Jun 23
Rosevillezone 6bApr 29Apr 15Jun 24
Saginawzone 6aApr 29Apr 15Jun 24
Midlandzone 6aApr 29Apr 15Jun 24

What Michigan 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.

Paid links. We earn a commission from Amazon if you buy; you pay the same. Disclosure.

Carrots in Michigan: questions

When should I plant carrots in Michigan?

Direct sow around Apr 19 at the statewide median; across the state that date runs from Apr 12 in the warmest tenth of Michigan's ZIP codes to May 9 in the coldest. To cut the freeze risk to one year in ten, count from May 20 instead of the median last frost. Use the city table for your own town.

When is the last frost in Michigan?

The ZIP-weighted median of NOAA 1991–2020 station medians is May 3. In the warmest tenth of Michigan's ZIP codes the median last frost falls on or before Apr 26; in the coldest tenth, on or after May 23.

When will Michigan carrots be ready to harvest?

Nantes Carrot planted on the statewide date is ready around Jun 28: 70 days from sow.

More for Michigan

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