How to Regrow Carrots from the Tops in 5 Simple Steps

Yes, you can regrow carrots from the tops for their tasty greens.

Can you regrow carrots from the tops you cut off? Yes and no. The big edible root part won’t regrow from the tops, but their leaves will. The greens make tasty additions to salads, pesto , and more. Packed with parsley-like flavor, bright green carrot leaves can be used fresh or dried as an herb . They can also be enjoyed as a unique houseplant that may reward you with carrot seeds for future planting. If you want to put kitchen waste to good use and get even more food out of your garden, this step-by-step guide will show you how to regrow carrots from the tops.

Related: How to Regrow Veggies and Herbs from Scrap Pieces

Why Regrow Carrots?

Finding new ways to repurpose kitchen waste makes your home a little greener. Regrowing carrot tops can also be a fun experiment for kids of all ages, and provide your kitchen with fresh herbs even in mid-winter. On top of that, carrot greens can potentially produce new carrot seeds, saving you money at planting time and helping you preserve heirloom carrot varieties.

How to Regrow Carrots

Once you cut the leafy top off the carrot tap root, that long root won’t regrow, and it’s only good for eating. However, the carrot top has lots of life left in it, and it will produce leaves and, eventually, flowers and seeds if you give it a bit of time and TLC. Whether you plan to grow carrot tops in indoor pots or your vegetable garden, here’s how to make those carrot greens regrow.

1. Remove the Carrot Tops

Make a clean cut at least ¼ inch beneath the carrot top to sever the top from the long tap root. If the carrot top already has attached greens, use your knife to trim those greens, leaving just 1 inch of stems attached to the carrot top.

Tips

You can regrow the tops of any type of carrot, but heirloom or heritage-type carrots are the best choice if you want the tops to produce quality seeds.

2. Place the Tops in Water

Fill a saucer or shallow dish with a small amount of water and place the carrot tops, cut side down, in the water. The cut end of the carrot tops should be fully submerged, but the carrot shoulders and greens should be well above the water line.

3. Wait

Move the growing container into an area that receives bright, indirect light , and refresh the water regularly so it doesn’t become dirty or dry out. You can sprout carrot greens indoors or outdoors, but keep the carrots in a safe location where rodents won’t get to them.

4. Plant the Tops

After a few days, the carrot tops should begin to sprout greens, followed by small, white root hairs. When the root hairs appear, it’s time to transplant the carrot tops into soil.

Even if you intend to grow carrot tops outdoors in your garden, carrot greens grow better if you plant them in pots first and then slowly transition them into your garden. To plant carrot tops in soil, fill seed-starting trays or pots with a rich potting mix amended with compost . Then, plant the carrot tops in the soil so the carrot shoulders and greens are just above the soil line. Water well and position the growing containers in a sunny window or under a grow light .

Related: The 11 Best Seed Starting Trays of 2024 to Help Kickstart Your Garden

Continue to care for the carrot tops and water them regularly to keep the soil moist but not soggy.

5. Transplant Carrots into the Garden (Optional)

If you want to grow carrot tops indoors as a houseplant or a pot herb, leave your carrots in containers. However, if you want to move the carrot tops out into your garden eventually, wait until the temperatures are mild and then harden off the carrots over the course of a week or two. When the carrot tops can tolerate full sun , amend the garden soil with compost, poke planting holes in the vegetable beds, and plant the carrot tops directly in the soil, leaving just the greens above the soil line.

Harvesting and Care Tips

After planting the carrot tops in pots or your garden, water them just as you would water standard carrots by providing them with about 1 inch of water per week. You may also want to fertilize the carrots with a monthly application of a liquid, organic fertilizer.

When the greens are a few inches long, you can start harvesting them by pinching the leaves off with your fingers or by clipping them away with scissors. If you need a few leaves at a time, harvest what you need for garnishing. If you want lots of carrot greens for pesto, leave at least 1 inch of carrot greens attached to the carrot tops to ensure the tops keep growing.

How to Collect Carrot Seeds

Carrots are biennial plants, which means they only flower and produce seeds during their second year of growth. So, if you want to collect seeds from carrot tops, you must be patient. You get the best results when you collect seeds from heirloom or heritage-type carrots, as seeds from hybrid carrots may not resemble the parent plant.

To collect carrot seeds , wait until the carrots flower and then allow the flowers to dry completely on the plant. Clip the flower clusters off the plant and let them dry for a few days indoors on a baking sheet or in a perforated paper bag. When the seeds are fully dry, shake them free from the dried flowers and store them in paper envelopes in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant them.

For more Better Homes & Gardens news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Better Homes & Gardens .