🥕 Thumbelina Carrots (Daucus carota) Seeds

Grow Thumbelina Carrots, a charming round carrot variety that produces small, ball-shaped orange roots rather than the typical long, tapered carrot. The roots are crisp, sweet, and tender, making them excellent for fresh eating, roasting, salads, and pickling. Their compact shape makes Thumbelina particularly well suited to containers, raised beds, and heavy or shallow soils where long-rooted carrots may struggle.

Key Details

• Botanical Name: Daucus carota
• Common Name: Thumbelina Carrot
• Type: Cool-season biennial, grown as an annual
• Days to Maturity: Approximately 60–70 days
• USDA Growing Zones: 3–10
• Root Shape: Round / ball-shaped
• Root Size: Approximately 1–2 inches in diameter
• Color: Bright orange

Features

• Produces distinctive small, round carrots
• Sweet, crisp flavor
• Excellent for fresh eating and roasting
• Great for containers and raised beds
• Performs well in heavy or compacted soils
• Easy to harvest because of the shallow, rounded roots
• Attractive and fun variety for children's gardens

Growing Information

• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Loose, fertile, well-drained soil
• Seed Depth: 1/4 inch
• Seed Spacing: 1–2 inches
• Row Spacing: 12–18 inches
• Germination: Approximately 7–21 days
• Optimal Germination Temperature: 55–75°F

Sow seeds directly in the garden as carrots generally do not transplant well. Keep the soil consistently moist during germination, as carrot seeds are small and can dry out quickly. Thin seedlings once they emerge to give the roots enough room to develop.

Harvest

Harvest when the roots reach approximately 1–2 inches in diameter. Thumbelina carrots can be harvested when smaller for especially tender roots or left longer for larger, more mature carrots.