How to Grow Tomatoes & Carrots

Start the garden in early spring when the ground begins to dry, two to three weeks ahead of the last estimated frost. Tomatoes must wait until the ground warms, but carrots require cool growing seasons and thrive in early pre-frost starts.

Choose a large, flat site that gets full sunshine all day during the summer season, and at least four to six hours of sun in spring. Use sites that drain quickly as carrots rot in standing water from early-spring storms.

Amend the soil throughout the site for both crops. Till the top 10 inches of soil and remove rocks or roots, which disturb carrot growth. Incorporate 4 to 5 inches of organic compost for moisture, nutrition and consistent soil quality. Add starter 5-10-10 fertilizer for the carrots.

Plant carrots seeds when night time temperatures reach 55 degrees F. Plant the seeds 1/4 inch deep at every 1/2 inch in the row. Leave 12 to 18 inches between rows for growth and companion planting.

Mulch the garden with 1 inch of organic mulch for moisture and weed control and start the carrots on 2 inches of water every week. Carrots should never go dry, and fail with competition from weeds. Thin the carrot seedlings to every 1 inch in the row when they sprout.

Plant the tomato seedlings in the empty rows between carrots after the last frost lifts and temperatures reach 60 to 65 degrees F. Use empty rows at every 4 to 5 feet in the garden, and give tomatoes 24 to 36 inches of space in the row. Turn 6-24-24 or 8-32-16 fertilizer into the soil with this planting to encourage rooting. As the tomatoes grow up, they'll shade and protect the moisture-loving carrots below them.

Put a trellis up behind each row of tomatoes, or use individual vegetable cages for support. Train the tomatoes up these structures as they grow. Put the tomatoes on the same 2 inches of water every week as the carrots, and replenish the mulch layer as it breaks down.

Harvest carrots when they reach 4 inches in length or leave them to reach full maturity. Exposure to extremely hot weather may cause carrots to grow bitter and coarse.

Fertilize tomatoes when their first fruit grows with tomato or 10-10-10 fertilizer. Turn the fertilizer into the soil around the plants, then water. Feed the plants again after the first harvest to encourage repeat blooming and fruiting.