Beets and carrots are among our favorite cool-season crops. They’re perfect for home or market gardeners and keep well in cold storage or in the root cellar. Unfortunately, many gardeners struggle with these hardy root crops, particularly getting them started. Beets and carrots can be sensitive to soil conditions, moisture levels, and pests as they get established, but with the right steps, they’re wonderful productive crops. Here’s how you can have success with sowing beets and carrots. 

Prepare the Soil

Preparing and amending your soil before seeding can make a big difference in germination and production for root crops like beets and carrots.

Soil Composition

Heavy, dense soil, like the clay found in much of the Southeast, can be tricky for root crops. Carrots especially thrive in loose, well-drained soil. To create these conditions in areas with heavy clay, you’ll need to amend your beds with plenty of organic matter. Finished compost, leaf mold, and peat moss are all good options. For best production, you want to loosen and lighten clay soil to a depth of 9 inches.

Raised beds can be an excellent option for beets and carrots in areas with less than ideal soil. You can read more about the pros and cons of raised beds here.

Soil pH

Carrots are fairly flexible about pH and do well when the level is neutral to slightly acidic, between 5.5 and 7.0. Some experts recommend between 6.0 and 7.0 for best root development. 

Beets are sensitive to soil pH. They need a neutral to slightly acidic soil between 6.0 and 7.0, though some people find that up to 7.5 is fine. Acidic soil below 6.0 will stunt beets’ root growth and result in a poor harvest. 

Soil Nutrients

If you’ve struggled with beets and carrots in the past, a soil test is a great place to start and will allow you to make necessary changes. Carrots need high levels of phosphorus and potassium in the soil for good production. 

Beets also thrive with relatively high levels of phosphorus and potassium. In addition, they need adequate amounts of magnesium and calcium. They’re also particularly sensitive to boron deficiency, which is often known as black heart. You may notice stunted growth, distorted or yellow leaves, cracked roots, or roots with black spots, corky areas, and rot. You can treat boron deficiency with liquid seaweed fertilizer or by applying 1 teaspoon of borax to a gallon of water for each 100 square feet of bed. 

Don’t add nitrogen-heavy fertilizer or fresh manure. Excessive levels of nitrogen in beets and carrots will promote foliar growth over root production.

Wood ashes are a great amendment for beets and carrots. Wood ashes help raise the soil pH, making it less acidic. Spreading it along the row of carrot seeds can also prevent wireworm damage. However, in spoils that are already alkaline, it may raise the pH too much.

Consistent Moisture

One of the biggest issues we see with seeding beets and carrots is poor germination because of inconsistent moisture. Carrots and beets must have constantly moist soil in order to germinate well. They also need consistent moisture throughout the season to produce large, sweet roots. Setting up a consistent watering schedule and mulching your plants are key to success.

Carrots have small seedlings, which are also susceptible to soil crusting. One way to conquer this is frequent overhead watering, with a shower attachment for a hose or watering can or by using a sprinkler. Older gardeners may also be familiar with the “board trick.” Laying boards or cardboard over rows of watered carrot seeds will hold in the moisture and keep the soil from crusting, but must be checked on frequently. You need to remove the boards as soon as the carrots germinate to avoid spindly seedlings.

Companion Plant

Companion planting can help carrots and beets thrive. Onions and garlic are great options for reducing pest pressure. We’ve found that inter-planting carrots with onions in a ratio of 1 to 2 reduces carrot fly damage by 70%. 

Mixing in radish seeds with beets and carrots can also help to reduce soil crusting. As the radish seeds germinate so quickly, they can also serve as row markers so you can keep up with weeding before your other seeds germinate. 

Thinning

Overcrowding can lead to poor production in root vegetables. The plants will compete for light, space, moisture, and nutrients if you don’t thin them. This is particularly true of beets as each “berry” contains multiple seeds. 

For beets, thin to 6 plants per foot for fresh beets, 3 plants per foot for beets used for winter storage, in rows 12 inches apart. For carrots, thin to 1 to 2 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart.

Add Mulch

Once your plants are up and the seedlings reach a few inches tall, it’s a good idea to mulch around your rows. Mulch helps hold in moisture, suppress weeds, and adds organic matter as it breaks down. 

As gardeners, farmers, and growers, we plant seeds for many reasons. Maybe we’re interested in growing the healthiest food possible, getting in touch with nature, or taking part in a more sustainable food system. Whatever the case, most of us care about how our produce is grown whether that’s vegetables from our own gardens, berries from the local farmer’s market, or seeds from the catalog. One quality we may look for is the organic label, but what does that actually mean for our produce and gardens?

In this post, we’ll talk about what organic means and answer some of the most common questions we get about growing organically. 

What does an organic mean?

In the United States, organic is a regulated certification. To label products organic, growers and must comply with practices listed in the National Organic Standard that was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the Organic Foods Protection Act of 1990. 

Organic standards are designed to promote soil and environmental health by promoting practices like crop rotation and biological pest control. They also prohibit things like synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, GMOs, sewage sludge, antibiotics, and hormones.

The exact standards can vary by type of product. For example, meat, dairy and eggs must be raised without growth hormones to be certified organic and certified organic grain must be produced with natural fertilizers.

It can also affect land selection. Growers must use land that has been free from prohibited substances for at least 3 years.

You can find the full set of standards on the USDA website.

Should my farm get an organic certification?

Growing organically can improve your farm or garden’s soil health, protect water quality, help conserve nature, and support healthy communities. You don’t need a certification to do any of those things. You can follow organic standards on your farm or in your garden with no certification. 

However, organic certification offers significant benefits to market gardeners. Having an organic certification and organic labels can allow farms to sell their products at higher prices, break into new markets, and build consumer trust. An organic certification can also allow a farm to access certain government programs for technical and financial assistance.

Growers have to weigh the pros and cons before seeking organic certification. Depending on the size of your operation, organic certification can cost anywhere from $750 to $3000+ annually for small and mid-sized farms. Sometimes, an organic label can help growers sell more food or demand higher prices. However, in many rural areas, where small-scale operations are well known and already trusted, a certification may do little to affect demand and may not be worth the cost. 

Is anyone exempt from certification?

Some small farms that gross less than $5000 per year may be exempt from organic certification. To see if your small farm qualifies, reach out to your local certifying agency.

Why aren’t all of your seeds organic?

As of 2025, about 71% of our varieties are certified organic. This percentage has been increasing slowly over time. We’re carrying more organic seed all the time, but there are many varieties that we just can’t get organically right now. Certified organic varieties are marked with the green “OG” symbol. Since certified organic farmers must plant certified organic seeds when available, we prioritize offering USDA certified organic seed for varieties that are particularly well-suited to market gardeners.

Several of our growers are using organic practices without getting the certification. As of our 2025 catalog, this is about 14% of our varieties. Usually these are small farmers who don’t feel it’s worth their time and money to be certified. In these cases, we use the green “e” symbol to note varieties that they’ve grown. Some of these Eco folks have an alternative certification through Certified Naturally Grown, which is not an organic certification, but uses roughly the same criteria.

Can hybrid seeds be organic?

Yes, hybrid seeds are the first-generation cross between two open-pollinated parents. These crosses have what we call “hybrid vigor” and a tendency to produce uniform crops, making them a popular choice for market gardeners. Hybrid seeds produced on organic farms may be certified organic. 

Note that hybrids are not reliable for seed saving. Seeds from hybrid crops rarely grow vegetables that are “true to type” the following year. Meaning they may not look like what you originally planted. They can revert to looking like a parent crop or produce something new. We don’t offer hybrids, except for two varieties of sweet corn, because our focus is on preserving open-pollinated varieties and protecting farmers and gardeners’ right to save seed.

Can GMO seeds be organic?

No, GMO seeds and crops are prohibited under the organic certification. We don’t carry any GMO seeds at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Most conventionally grown seeds aren’t GMO either. Currently, the vast majority of vegetable crops are not GMO.

Can I get organic garden amendments?

Yes, there are many organic amendments and garden supplies available, from potting soil and compost to natural fertilizers like kelp meal and natural pesticides like neem oil. To find organic amendments, look for those with the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) label.

Are there other certifications?

Yes, there are many other certifications that farms and companies can get for their food and other products that may affect how they’re grown. For example, some farms may choose to pursue bee-friendly farming, regenerative farming, fair trade, or B Corp certifications. 

However, it’s important to know that plenty of companies will use phrases and buzzwords to help sell their product that don’t mean anything like “natural,” “eco-friendly,” “ethically sourced,” or “sustainable.”

When you see a certification or phrase listed on something you’re purchasing, do a bit of research to make sure it actually carries weight. Good certification programs should have third-party oversight and transparent practices. 

Small gardens don’t have to mean small harvests! It can be tempting to make your garden as large as possible and buy all of the seeds, but it’s easy to stretch ourselves too thin. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the weeding, watering, harvesting, and preserving for a large garden. A well-tended small garden will out-produce a large, poorly maintained garden. So whether you are short on space or short on time, there are still methods you can use to produce a big harvest. 

Here are some good options for small garden layouts and a few tips for making the most of your space. 

Small Garden Layouts

All small gardens are different, and there are no concrete rules. To create a layout that works for you, you’ll need to consider your space, your family’s tastes, and what vegetables perform best in your climate. 

For these layouts, I’ve focused on some of our most popular vegetable crops like peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, carrots, sweet corn, lettuce, and summer squash. However, you can swap these out for other crops like okra, beets, asparagus beans, sage, peanuts, or sweet potatoes.

You can get incredible production from six raised beds (four feet by twelve feet). This layout features an early-summer option. The collards may have already replaced a cool-season crop like lettuce, and the sweet corn could have been planted where snow peas were previously grown.

A couple of smaller raised beds (two feet by eight feet) can still provide an abundance. Focus on your favorites for a garden like this and work with smaller varieties of crops like peppers and tomatoes when possible to make the most of the space. Using trellises for crops like cucumbers and pole beans will help prevent them from spilling into the paths.

Round or oddly shaped gardens are a fun, whimsical option and can help your vegetable patch match the decorative features in a small backyard. As the summer continues, the cool-season crops in this bed like lettuce, broccoli, kale, and radishes can be harvested and replaced with heat-tolerant options like eggplant, cowpeas, sweet potatoes, oregano, or Swiss chard. 

Designing Permanent Beds in a Small Garden

In small spaces, permanent beds are often a good option. They reduce compaction, improve drainage, and help you build healthy soil. They’re also easy to design and accessible. I like to leave 2 foot wide paths around the exterior of my beds so I can easily move a wheelbarrow and other tools down the pathway. I also make beds a maximum of 4 feet wide so I can reach across them for weeding, planting, and harvesting, but you can decide what works best for you.

Raised Beds Versus Traditional Beds

These days, many folks are opting for raised beds, and they have a lot of benefits. Raised beds give you good soil right from the beginning. They also drain well, warm up quickly in spring, are easy to manage, and may be more accessible for some folks. 

However, raised beds have a few downsides. They dry out more quickly, especially in hot climates. They can also be costly to build and may require maintenance or replacement over time. Also, they’re tough to move, so if you decide to change your layout, it may involve quite a bit of work. There’s no one size fits all; you’ll have to decide which works best for your space.

Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Raised Beds.

The Best Crops for Small Gardens

There’s no real perfect crops for small gardens. You should aim to grow what you enjoy, so that you’ll make the most of it. However, crops that are short-season and can be planted in successions like radishes, or produce over a long period, like cherry tomatoes, will help you get the most produce from your square footage. You also want to consider each crop’s growth habit. Can it be neatly trellised to save space? Does it take up tons of room for the produce you get? Can you grow it in a container?

Here are a few of our favorite varieties for small gardens, but feel free to experiment:

• Aunt Bea’s Pole Snap Bean
• Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage
• Chantenay Red Core Carrots
• Ashworth Sweet Corn
• Marketmore 76 Cucumber
• Spacemaster Cucumber
• Arugula (Roquette)
• Champion Collards
• Vates Collards
• Premier Kale
• Salad Bowl Looseleaf Lettuce
• Red Malabar Summer Spinach
• Tom Thumb Bibb (Butterhead) Lettuce
• Wild Garden Lettuce Mix
• Deep Purple Bunching Onion
• Evergreen Hardy White Bunching Onion
• Sugar Ann Dwarf Snap Pea
• Ashe County Pimento Sweet Pepper
• Doe Hill Golden Bell Sweet Pepper
• Jalapeño Hot Pepper
• Seminole Pumpkin
• Cherry Belle Radishes
• Zipper Cream Southern Pea (Cowpea)
• Early White Bush Scallop Summer Squash
• Black Cherry Tomato
• Yellow Bell Paste Tomato
• Glacier Tomato

Sneak in Crops Wherever and Whenever Possible

One of the key ways you can make the most of your space is to sneak in crops wherever possible. I like to tuck onions in between grids of cabbages, sow some small patches of spring radishes between squash before it gets too big, and under-sow snap peas with Malabar spinach. The onions make use of the gaps between the cabbages, the radishes are ready to pull long before the squash takes over the bed, and the heat-loving Malabar spinach takes off as the peas begin to die back.

Succession Planting

You can also add crops in by succession planting. In a small garden, you want to always be harvesting something. When lettuce bolts, pull it immediately and sow a warm season crop like green beans or zucchini. If Downey mildew takes your cucumbers, pull them and sow some pole beans. When your summer squash plants begin to fail, sow carrots or beets for a fall harvest.

The Risks of Tight Spacing

Many gardeners with little spaces forgo traditional spacing guidelines and opt for tighter spaces. For many small gardeners, this works because they can provide extra nutrients, water, and attention to make up for a bit of crowding. 

However, sometimes crops need the space. Proper spacing between crops like tomatoes, summer squash, and cucumbers allows good air circulation, helping to prevent diseases like Downey mildew and late blight. Overcrowding can also lead to poor production. Some crops, like broccoli, may produce smaller heads, while beets may produce smaller roots.

Learn more about 5 Ways to Increase Your Harvest in a Small Space. This article includes advice on season extension for small gardens, growing vertically, succession planting, soil health, and record keeping.