Carrot varieties: new & old carrot varieties at a glance

A distinction is made between late and early carrot varieties. We will give you an overview of the best varieties and give you tips on colorful carrot varieties.

Carrots do not necessarily have to be orange, the variety of shapes and colors is great

Carrots or the shorter carrots ( Daucus carota ) should not be missing in any vegetable garden. The huge selection of varieties sometimes makes it difficult to choose a suitable one.

Types of carrots: how do you distinguish them?

The numerous types of carrots differ in shape, taste, color and shelf life. For the hobby gardener, it is often of particular interest which varieties are sown and harvested when and which carrot varieties are easy to store. In general, the cultivation time of the carrots is divided as follows:

• Early carrots: 70-90 days from seed to harvest
• Summer carrots: 110-135 days from sowing to harvest
• Late carrots for storage: 170-220 days from sowing to harvest

In addition, we will introduce you to types of carrots which, in terms of their growth and shape, are ideally suited for growing in small spaces.

Tip: The terms carrot and carrot are often used synonymously, although this is not entirely correct: carrots are the very short, almost radish-shaped growth forms such as the 'Pariser Markt' variety.

The 'Pariser Markt' variety is a classic carrot [Photo: Hortimages / Shutterstock.com]

The best varieties of carrots to grow

Carrot varieties for the balcony or terrace

• 'Adelaide (F1)': Early, compact carrot plant with small roots; ideally suited for cultivation on the balcony or terrace.
• 'Caracas': variety of the Chantenay type *; tiny, conical roots with a delicate taste.
• 'Kuroda': Early variety with intensely colored orange roots; excellent taste and delicate in texture; recommended variety for raw vegetable salads.
• 'Nandor F1': Compact carrot variety with good properties; suitable for growing in flower pots, on the balcony and on the terrace.
• 'Pariser Markt': traditional, proven carrots with spherical, red-orange roots; particularly suitable for hobby cultivation with outstanding taste and delicate texture.

Early ripening carrots

• 'Chantenay': Early variety with a cylindrical shape and an intense orange color; as the name suggests, also a variety of the Chantenay type *.
• 'Laguna F1': Quite early variety with convincingly high yields; cylindrical to slightly blunt root ends.
• 'Nantaise 2': Well known variety with cylindrical roots and an excellent aroma; Ripe early, but also well suited for storage in autumn.
• 'Sugarsnax 54 F1': Early carrot variety with a high carotene content; very tender and can be eaten raw.
• 'Totem': Tried and tested, early variety with high yields; aromatic taste; strong color and high carotene content.

Nantaise-type carrots are cylindrical and therefore easy to process [Photo: Buquet Christophe / Shutterstock.com]

Medium-ripe carrots

• ′ Atomic Red ′: Long, thin carrot with pink to deep red roots; contains the tomato pigment lycopene and tastes strong and crisp.
• 'Chantenay 2': Medium-ripening variety, cylindrical-conical roots with high quality pulp; of the Chantenay type *.
• 'Ingot F1': Newer variety with high yield, good quality and tolerance to the carrot fly; the end of the carrot is slightly blunt and rounded.
• ′ Lunar White ′: White, elongated roots with a mild taste; presumably comes directly from wild carrots.
• 'Purple Haze F1': Extravagant, storable variety with a deep purple skin and an orange heart; Can be eaten raw with a good aroma and a very high carotene content.

You can grow the 'Purple Haze' carrot yourself with our Plantura vegetable growing kit. In addition to the seeds of four other colorful vegetables, a mini greenhouse, substrate, growing pots and plant labels are also included. Cultivation is child's play!

Tip: Carrots need a loose, rather sandy soil without stones and compaction. A sufficient supply of potassium increases the yield and shelf life of carrots and improves the taste. If you don't have a perfect carrot soil in your garden, you can easily grow it in planters using potting soil with a high potassium content. One such is our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil.

Late ripening carrot varieties

• 'Jaune Du Doubs / Da Forragio': Late, yellow variety from Italy with a very good yield and strikingly large roots; the firm texture of the carrot is more suitable for cooking than raw consumption; is also used as animal feed.
• 'Flakker F1': Late variety with good taste and excellent storage properties.
• ′ Long red blunt without heart 2 / Vollenda ′: Popular variety with good properties; high yield and aromatic taste; very good shelf life.
• 'Red Giant 2': variety with high-quality orange-red pulp; high yields; very good camp carrots.

The 'Purple Haze' variety is a special eye-catcher in salads [Photo: MagicBones / Shutterstock.com]

* Chantenay-type varieties have shorter, tapered carrots. The taste is very aromatic and the carrots do not have to be peeled due to their delicate texture and extremely thin skin.

Have the desired varieties been selected and the garden prepared? Growing carrots is one of those things that can reduce the yield or the beauty of the harvest. That's why you will learn everything you need to know about the correct cultivation of carrots from us.