Discover the Secret Life of Carrots from the Experts at a Garden Centre in Vancouver
By Darrell Smith | Owner, DH Garden Centre & DH Landscape Solution
There’s a question I get asked every spring, usually from curious first-time gardeners standing in front of a seed rack at DH Garden Centre: “Darrell, the seed packet says carrots are biennial… but if we harvest them in the first year, how do they ever make seeds in the second?”
It’s a question that seems simple at first but underneath it lies a powerful truth that can completely shift how we see gardening. Because it’s not just about carrots. It’s about cycles. About patience. And about learning to partner with nature instead of rushing her along.
Let me tell you a story—a true one—about how I first discovered this for myself, and why this knowledge has changed how I teach every gardener who walks into our shop.
Year One: Growing Carrots in Vancouver’s Climate – What Most Gardeners Already Know
Carrots (Daucus carota) are classified as biennial root vegetables. That means they naturally live for two years.
In the first year of their life cycle, carrots focus all their energy on:
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growing strong leafy greens (those are their solar panels),
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and developing that big, juicy, sweet root (which is actually their energy storage battery).
When you harvest them in late summer or fall, you’re pulling them right at the peak of this energy storage phase. That’s why they’re sweet, crunchy, and loaded with flavor—it’s nature’s way of preparing for survival through winter and reproduction the next year.
But when we eat that root… we interrupt the story.
Most gardeners, myself included at one point, never get to see what happens next. And it’s in that second year that things get truly magical.
Year Two: The Carrot’s Hidden Seed Cycle – And How Gardeners in Vancouver Can See It
If you don’t harvest a carrot—if you let it remain in the soil or store it and replant in spring—then something beautiful happens in Year Two.
That same carrot plant uses its stored sugars to send up tall, elegant flower stalks—sometimes over 4 feet tall—topped with delicate white umbel blooms that look a lot like Queen Anne’s lace (a wild cousin of the carrot). These flowers attract pollinators, set seed, and dry down by late summer.
At that point, the plant’s mission is complete. It has lived a full life. And you, as the gardener, are rewarded with dozens—sometimes hundreds—of seeds from a single carrot plant.
But here’s the catch: carrots don’t do this unless you give them the chance to live their full biennial life. And most of us don’t.
Why You’ve Never Seen Carrot Seeds Before
The reason seed companies can offer packets of carrot seeds is because they don’t harvest all their carrots. Instead, they let select carrots go through the full two-year life cycle in controlled environments designed specifically for seed production.
Here in Canada, and especially in coastal BC where DH Garden Centre is located, home gardeners can absolutely do the same—with just a little planning.
So let me walk you through exactly how we do it.
How to Grow Carrot Seeds in Vancouver – Step-by-Step from Your Local Garden Centre Expert
This is where the gardener becomes the seed-keeper. And trust me—it’s one of the most satisfying experiences you’ll ever have.
Step 1: Grow Your Carrots Normally in Year One
Choose a variety you love—maybe a Nantes, Chantenay, or a heritage variety like Danvers. Sow in early spring, thin them properly, water consistently, and harvest most of them in late summer.
But here’s the key: select 4–6 of your healthiest, most vigorous carrots to save for seed production.
We call these your stock plants or mother roots.
Step 2: Overwinter the Roots
Now comes the most important step.
In most of coastal BC (zones 7-8), you have two options:
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Option 1: Leave the carrots in the ground. If your soil drains well and you apply a thick layer of mulch (straw, leaves, or compost), you may be able to overwinter your carrots right in the bed.
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Option 2: Dig and store them. This is the safest method. Dig up your selected roots in late fall, trim the greens to about 1 inch, and store them in damp sand, sawdust, or peat moss in a cool (0–4°C), dark, frost-free place. A root cellar, basement, or unheated garage works great.
Tip: Be gentle with your roots—any bruising or rot can ruin your second-year plants.
Step 3: Replant in Spring
Once the last frost date has passed and soil is workable (usually March–April in Vancouver), replant your stored carrot roots 6–8 inches apart in well-drained, compost-rich soil.
They’ll send up leafy tops and, soon after, long flower stalks. These blooms are pollinated by wind and insects, so don’t be surprised to see bees and hoverflies visiting.
Step 4: Harvest the Seeds
By late summer (July–August), the flowers will dry and turn brown. At this stage, you can cut the seed heads, dry them further indoors if needed, and then rub them gently to release the seeds.
Sift out the chaff, store the seeds in a paper envelope or glass jar, and label them with the variety and year.
Boom—you’ve just closed the loop. You’ve become a self-sufficient grower.
The Power of Seed Saving for Sustainable Gardening in Vancouver
We live in a time where seed shelves empty fast, where climate change makes gardening trickier, and where more people are yearning for connection—with nature, with their food, with something real.
Saving seeds from carrots (and other biennial crops like beets, cabbage, kale) reconnects us to something ancient. It’s not just gardening. It’s stewardship. It’s participation in life’s full circle. Every time you save a seed, you’re saying: “I believe in the next season. I trust in the future.”
A Vancouver Garden Story: How One Backyard Became a Sanctuary of Life and Seeds
Years ago, when I was still new to the landscaping game, I had a client in Burnaby who’d just lost her husband. Gardening had become her therapy. One day, while I was helping redesign her front garden, she asked: “Darrell, can we make this a place that feels like it keeps going? I want something that comes back year after year.”
I told her, “Let’s grow things that tell their whole story. Not just the pretty part, but the patient part too.”
That fall, we planted carrots. She saved five roots. Overwintered them. Nurtured them.
The next summer, she called me in tears. “Darrell,” she said, “They flowered. They bloomed like lace.”
She had never seen a carrot bloom before. She had saved something. Grown something new. And it had healed her.
Ready to Save Seeds? Visit DH Garden Centre in Vancouver for Help, Seeds, and Supplies
If this story sparked something in you—if you’re ready to go beyond the harvest and become a seed saver—come visit us at DH Garden Centre. We’ll help you choose:
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Carrot varieties suited for seed-saving in Canada,
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Organic growing mediums,
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Mulch and overwintering tips,
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And everything you need to turn your garden into a seed-producing sanctuary.
And if you need help designing or maintaining a garden that works for your space, I’d be honoured to visit through DH Landscape Solution and create something with you that’s not only beautiful—but sustainable and enduring.
After all, gardens aren’t meant to be rushed. They’re meant to be lived with.
Let’s grow something real—together.
See you soon,
— Darrell Smith
Owner of DH Garden Centre & DH Landscape Solution
3742 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6R 2G4
604-929-7335 | dhgardencentre.com
