
Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
Cool-season biennial root vegetable grown as an annual, producing sweet, orange taproots. Adaptable across Zones 3-10, carrots thrive in loose, well-drained soils and are one of the most widely grown vegetable crops worldwide. Suited for both fresh market and processing, with varieties ranging from small round types to long Imperator types.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Carrots require deep, loose, stone-free soil for straight root development. Heavy or compacted soils cause forking and misshapen roots. Seeds are slow to germinate (14-21 days) and benefit from consistent moisture during establishment. Successive plantings every 2-3 weeks extend harvest season. Carrots tolerate light frost and may actually improve in sweetness after cold exposure, as the plant converts starches to sugars. Nitrogen should be moderate (approximately 100 lbs N/acre for commercial production) — excess nitrogen promotes top growth at the expense of root development. Carrots are a key rotation crop and work well in diversified vegetable operations, offering strong direct-to-consumer and wholesale market potential.
Growing Season
- Plant
- Early spring (2-4 weeks before last frost) – Late summer for fall harvest
- Harvest
- Late June (spring planting) – Late October (fall planting)
- Frost-free days
- 60+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,200 – 1,500
Yield
- Typical yield
- 30 tons/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Labor
- 80 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
1 active buyer on record purchasing this crop.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "increasing".
Supply Below Demand
3 of 4 documented channels rate viability "strong". Sold into regional rather than national markets, vegetable supply here generally trails that demand.
Multiple Buyer Channels
4 of 4 documented market channels rate viable or better (direct_to_consumer, wholesale, retail, restaurant). Multiple independent routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
2 viable direct-market channels (direct_to_consumer, restaurant). Supports value-added and margin capture beyond wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Mature vegetable market; growth over a 5-year horizon is expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 3-10; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 1200 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Sufficient.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~1 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 65 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Not applicable — annual crop has no winter chill requirement.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 8 hardiness zones (3-10). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 60% cited.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 60% cited.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 60% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- n/a
- Frost-free season
- 60+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- 1,200+
- Winter chill
- n/a
- Rainfall
- 23.6–157.5 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 6.0–7.0
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- n/a
- Needs cold-air drainage
- n/a
- Shade tolerance
- none — full sun
- Mature height
- not yet recorded
- Rooting depth
- not yet recorded
- Wind exposure tolerance
- not yet recorded
- Workable slope
- not yet recorded
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
3 of 4 documented equipment items are crop-specific (75%) against a catalog median of 29%. Above-median share of purpose-built equipment, implying real capital outlay.
Storage Available
3 documented storage routes; at least one (Fresh cold storage (topped)) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~1 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
80 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Manageable with typical farm labor.
Processing Proximity
1 processor/cooperative buyer on record for this crop, 1 within NY/PA/OH.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Vacuum or belt seeder for precise spacing. Essential for commercial production.
cultivation
Subsoiler or chisel plow for deep soil loosening (12-18 inches). Critical for long root types.
harvesting
Mechanical harvester for commercial scale. Hand harvest viable for small/direct-market operations.
post_harvest
Barrel or conveyor washer for cleaning roots before fresh market sale.
Storage Requirements
Fresh cold storage (topped)
Temperature
32–34°F
Humidity
95–98%
Max Storage
270 days
Fresh cold storage (bunched with greens)
Temperature
32–34°F
Humidity
95–98%
Max Storage
14 days
Frozen (blanched)
Temperature
0–0°F
Max Storage
365 days
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue not recorded for this crop in lake_erie. Cannot establish it exceeds the catalog median of $6,000.
Input Costs Acceptable
Input cost not recorded; not penalising. Catalog 75th percentile is $6,300/ac.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 0 years. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
No federal crop insurance recorded for this crop; risk sits with the grower.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Cannot compute — net return not recorded. Catalog median is $13.16/hr.
Grants/Subsidies
Vegetable crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | — |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $7,500 |
| Annual Operating Cost | —/acre |
| Establishment Cost | —/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $1,800 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Not available |
Source: MSU Extension E1437 Commercial Carrot Recommendations; USDA NASS Vegetables 2024 (2025)
Risk Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
1 of 4 documented risks are high-severity (25%) against a catalog median of 36%. Risk load is manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
4 viable market channels of 4 documented, plus 1 named buyer. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
0 years to full production. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 3-10 (8 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a vegetable revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
pest
Larvae tunnel into roots, causing brown scarring and decay. Multiple generations per season in temperate climates.
Nematodes cause galling and forking of roots, reducing marketability.
disease
Fungal disease causing dark lesions on foliage, reducing photosynthesis and yield. Favored by warm, humid conditions.
climate
Compacted or rocky soils cause forked, stunted, or misshapen roots, reducing marketable yield.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 41 kcal | 9,930,954 kcal |
| Protein | 0.9 g | 225,263 g |
| Total fat | 0.2 g | 58,132 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.6 g | 2,320,452 g |
| Fiber | 2.8 g | 678,212 g |
| Sugar | 4.7 g | 1,148,115 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
No cultivars recorded yet for this crop.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Carrot →
Avoid near, or plan around (31)
Grows with (4)
Tolerates (1)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from UMN Extension, Cornell ENYCH, Penn State Extension, and USDA resources.
Economics data year: 2025 · Basis: lake erie View economics source →
53 tracked changes across 8 data categories
