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Carrot seeds for pots

Updated: October 2026

You are sowing on a balcony or a patio because the garden is a yard, and the packet either says pots in one bullet or asks the question and leaves it blank. Carrot seeds for pots work when the container is deep enough for the root you intend to finish, or when you pull that root while it is still short. The [carrot seed comparison](/hub/root-vegetables/carrot-seeds) shows which of the twelve amazon.co.uk listings, priced on 15 October 2026, actually answer the pot question. This page is the depth and the compost. The Products Compared editorial team used the RHS container notes and those listings. We did not grow a trough through a season.

You are sowing on a balcony or a patio because the garden is a yard, and the packet either says pots in one bullet or asks the question and leaves it blank.

Our top picks

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored

Best overall

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored
9.2/10about £2.95
View offer
Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Early Nantes

Rank 2

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Early Nantes
9.0/10about £3.10
View offer
Mr Fothergill's Mr Fothergill’s Autumn King 2

Best value

Mr Fothergill's Mr Fothergill’s Autumn King 2
9.0/10about £2.34
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Depth decides the variety
  2. 2.Packets that say pots
  3. 3.Packets that only ask
  4. 4.Compost, not fresh manure

Depth decides the variety

A pot is a short column of compost, and the root stops at the base. The RHS April container note asks for pots ideally more than 20 cm deep for baby carrots, and names quick earlies such as Amsterdam Forcing. A separate RHS line asks for pots of about 45 cm when you want to water less often, because a shallow trough dries in a warm spell. Round or stump roots suit most ordinary pots. A long taper needs a deep pot, or you pull it young. The 1 cm cover in open ground stays on how to sow carrot seeds. Here the limit is the pot.

Packets that say pots

Two Meldon listings say the seed can go in pots, troughs, containers, or beds, and neither gives a depth. Early Nantes, the single at £3.10 with 4.3 from 267 reviews, is a blunt root the seller puts at 65–75 days. It belongs in a deep pot, or you pull it before it needs the full length. Chantenay Red Cored, at £2.95 with 4.4 from 170 reviews, is the stump of about 1.5 inches, which is the closer match to a modest trough. Both still say to cover seed with about 3 cm. Use about 1 cm in the pot as well. On a balcony the stump wins when the pot is nearer 20 cm than 45 cm. Nantes wins when the container is genuinely deep or you are happy with young roots. The shape page is Nantes or Chantenay carrots.
Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored

Testsieger

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored
9.2/10about £2.95
View offer

Packets that only ask

Several listings print Can it be grown in pots? and never answer. Mr Fothergill’s Autumn King 2, at £2.34, describes large tapering roots that store and leaves the question open. The Carrot Large twin at £1.98 does not name Autumn King and does not answer either. Sugarsnax sold as a baby carrot is a hint, not a depth. If you need the listing to say the seed suits a trough, stay with the two Meldon packets that say so, and still apply the RHS depth yourself. Unanswered fields sit next to count conflicts on the buying guide.

Compost, not fresh manure

Fill the pot with peat-free multi-purpose compost, which is what the RHS uses for carrots in containers. Clay from the garden brings stones and waterlogging with it, and fresh manure forks the roots. Do not add a rich feed because the pot looks hungry. Which? notes that baby carrots in a 10–15 litre pot do not want that feed. Over-rich compost gives you leaf and split roots. Water so the compost stays evenly damp, not soaked. A 20 cm pot in July can dry between morning and evening, and a flood after a dry spell splits roots that were sizing. Raising the pot helps with carrot fly, because the insect is a weak flier, and the RHS container note still expects a cover. A pot is not fly-proof. Fleece or mesh from April is the cover. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Common questions

Can I grow carrots in a pot?
Yes, if the pot is deep enough for the root you sow, or if you pull the roots while they are young. The RHS grows carrots in containers of peat-free compost and prefers shorter roots for ordinary pots. Listings that only ask the question have not confirmed it.
How deep does the pot need to be?
For baby roots, the RHS April container idea asks for pots ideally more than 20 cm deep. If you want to water less often, a separate RHS note points to about 45 cm. A blunt Nantes root needs the deeper end, or an early pull. A stump Chantenay is the more realistic crop in a trough near the 20 cm line.
Which variety in this set suits a trough?
Chantenay Red Cored at £2.95 is the stump the seller describes, and the listing says pots and troughs. Early Nantes at £3.10 also says pots, and it needs more depth or an early harvest. Autumn King 2 is a tapering storage root whose listing does not confirm a container. Match the shape to the pot you own, not to the lowest price.
Do I use garden soil or compost?
Use peat-free multi-purpose compost, as the RHS does for container carrots. Garden soil imports stones and a structure that sets hard in a pot. Leave out fresh manure and rich feeds. Firm the surface, sow thinly, and cover by about 1 cm even when a Meldon bullet says 3 cm.
How do I water a pot of carrots?
Keep the compost evenly moist from sowing until you pull. A shallow pot dries on a hot day and then splits roots if you flood it. Do not leave the pot standing in a full saucer. Steady damp is the aim, which is different from the cold wet that rots seed in March.
Does a pot stop carrot fly?
No. A pot raised up helps because carrot fly is a weak flier, and you still need a cover. Fleece or fine mesh from April is the barrier the RHS container notes describe. A container changes the soil depth. It does not replace the cover.

Related pages

Carrot pot depth

Carrot seeds

Best carrot seeds: top pick, best value, and skips

Carrot seeds buying guide for shape, count and price

How to sow carrot seeds: depth, timing and thinning

Nantes or Chantenay: blunt root or stump for UK soil

Sources

Public UK sources, checked with the amazon.co.uk listings of 15 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures in the display file. Specialist catalogue prices are before postage.

  1. RHS: How to grow carrots (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. RHS: Carrot fly (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Seed Marketing Regulations 2011 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: Apply to have seeds certified (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Seed Marketing Regulations 2011, explanatory memorandum (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Gardeners’ World: How to grow carrots (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Kings Seeds: Carrot Early Nantes 2 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Suttons: Carrot Early Nantes 5 (retrieved 15 October 2026)