Can you replant thinned carrots?

QUESTION: Do I have to waste the carrots I remove when I’m thinning carrot seedlings? Can you replant the thinned carrots? -Kimmie S.

ANSWER: Yes, you can replant thinned carrots. Oftentimes, replanting carrot thinnings is not recommended, because the rate of success has been somewhat low for some gardeners. However, others have had lots of success with replanting their carrot seedlings, and have shared some tips that they learned along the way. Follow these guidelines to replant your carrot thinnings:

• Pick a new location to plant your thinnings and space each one out at least two inches apart when replanting.
• Using a pen or a pencil, create a hole in the soil as deep as it will go.
• Carefully pick up your carrot thinning by the stem from the same area which you grabbed it when removing it from its previous location and lower it into the hole, being careful not to bend the tender seedling’s stem in the process.
• Gently pack the soil in around your new transplant to secure it in place and water it lightly to help ease its transition into its new home.

Supposedly, there is about a fifty percent chance that your carrot thinnings will produce a healthy carrot when it’s time to harvest your crops. Those are pretty good odds to significantly boosting the size of your carrot yield come harvest time.