Carrots - when to pull?

[Dianne1234567]

This might sound like a stupid question, but I planted carrots seeds straight into the ground in April, and they are now booming and starting to show some of their tips through the soil. Does this mean it is time to pull or should I wait a month or so. I have pulled them in the past and it has been too early and disappointing as the carrots have been tiny. Can anyone help or advise?

[TEB]

You can always pull one or two to check on size, we pulled half a row today because we saw the carrot cake recipe on here, they were a nice size and lovely.

[HayleyB]

Or you could just cover up the tip (to stop it going green) and sit on your hands for a couplea more weeks

[snohare]

If they are in a container like a bucket say, and they start to "shoulder" - pushing up out of the ground - that is a sign that the bottoms have hit the bottom of the bucket. If they are shouldering in the soil, it might just be a sign they have encountered a stone or other obstacle. Either way, the green bits are inedible.
Do you know if they are earlies or maincrops ? What variety are they ? Most carrot seed packets will give you an idea of how long to cropping, the maincrops take longer because they have a bigger maximum size to achieve. Twelve weeks springs to mind, but of course people tend to pick them while thinning out, which kind of gives them an excuse to see how they are doing and lets them eat baby carrots early !