A to Z of Carrot Varieties (original) (raw)

A to Z of Common Carrot Varieties

Carrots - A to Z of Varieties

Typical Varieties of Commonly Available Carrots

To see photos of some of the common varietiesclick here.

Akaroa Long Red Rare New Zealand variety from Southern Seed Exchange in New Zealand.
Altrincham Old English variety introduced in the 19th Century. Has long and slender roots of good flavour. The neck is purple where exposed to light.
Amsterdam Forcing Small, bunching finger carrot.
Artist grows to 8" taper and blunt which is sweet and juicy - a good all round carrot.
Autumn King Commercial flakee type of carrot with strong tops and heavy yields. This is 'a heavy carrot, a true Winter carrot, which is fairly smooth and has good colour.
Barwon a long Nantes type. Averages 20cm long, tops medium tall and strongly tolerant to alternaria, also other leaf blights. Deep orange inside and out, bolt tolerant, good for winter cultivation.
Baby Bell Early maturing small tender type;
Belgian White A large rooted white skinned and fleshed variety popular in Belgium and France for forage for animals but also used for human consumption.
Bolero - Commercial market garden Nantes type. Smooth, long, slightly tapered roots. High yields, excellent colour. Tolerant to Alternaria blight, powdery mildew. Good cavity spot tolerance.
Carotene 200 Commercial Flakee/Berlicum type. High yielder, good colour and suitable for juicing. Quick to blunt and make size in winter.
Chantenay An old variety originally from France with large diameter roots up to 15- 20 cm long. Good for winter storage, often grown as a baby carrot.
Chantenay Red-Cored Broad short root, orange-red colour throughout. Continental Variety offered by Self reliance Seeds in 1980; forcing type with strong tops.
Crusader Nantes type. Smooth skins, good colour, high yields. Good uniformity. Harvest for Summer, Autumn, late spring.
Danvers grow up to 7 inches long and are suitable for most soils.
Doucer An old variety with cylindrical roots with a smooth skin and fine core. Good for baby carrots.
Early Horn Very old variety first introduced before 1610 in the Netherlands.Now quite rare. A short rooted variety noted as having deep red skin and flesh. fine grained , crisp and well flavoured.
Easy Grow Small round carrot with good flavour.
Egmont Gold long rooted variety.
Five-Star Baby Ideal for close sowing and heavy soils.
Flakee Long Red Exhibition type carrot with strong very long roots up to 50cm long.
French Round Nearly spherical roots 3-5cm across.
Guerande An early stump rooted variety.
Hipak Nantes Berlicum type, slightly tapered, long root, good all rounder. Good colour and taste.
Imperator Excellent bunching and packing carrot with strong tops for mechanical harvesting.
Indian Pink Rare Indian variety not commercially available with pinkish roots.
Juwarot Deep orange roots 14 cm long. Claims are made that this variety has twice as much carotene as other varieties.
Karotan bred from Flakee and Imperator. Good colour, high in carotene, ideal for juice.
King Chantenay An early stump rooted variety.
King West Developed from Western Red. Long, thick red roots of rich flavour. Quick growth.
Large Altringham A large somewhat coarse variety with a good proportion of the root being above the ground...roots are 18-24 inches long and 2-3 inches in diameter at the top. the skin is orange red; very suitable for cattle feeding'
Long Intermediate A large rooted, vigorous variety.
Magno bred from Nantes and Berlicum. Mid season carrot, excellent-coloured cylindrical roots, strong against breakage and cavity spot.
Majestic Red Imperator type. Long and slightly tapered, deep orange colour, strong tops, early maturing, high yields.
Manchester Table Nantes type carrot with sweet crisp deep orange, uniformly long cylindrical root, having blunt end with small core..
Mini Round Good for pots and heavy soil. 2.5cm round carrots, can be sown twice as thickly as common varieties.
Nantes Succulent cigar-shaped, bright orange, French variety. Not seen in the market much as they are too brittle for machine harvesting.
Nelson a nantes/imperator type grows to over 7" and is sweet and crunchy.
Onward Commercial crop variety widely grown in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation districts of New South Wales. Roots average 18 cm long by 4 wide at the shoulder with a slight taper to a wide stump root tip. The tops are strong making them easy to harvest mechanically.
Oxheart A variety introduced from France. in the 1900's Has a unique shape, very short, thick roots 12-14 cm long 5 cm thick; medium orange colour, yellower core with coarse flesh; rapid grower, easy to pull and will not corkscrew
Pakistani A rare, unusual variety from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.. Has attractive rots in shades of purple, orange and red. Good flavour and a vigorous grower.
Paris Market Short rooted commercial variety.
Pimpernel late maturing variety taking 12-13 weeks to harvest. Roots at maturity are 25 cm long and 5 cm in diameter at the shoulder. Core is not distinct which is why it is favoured for processing. The tops are strong which allows mechanical harvesting.
Queen Anne's Lace the Wild Variety often thought of as a weed.
Redhild Has very smooth skin and extra deep colour, and a small core.reputedly a high protein content..
Redland Short pointed variety, fast grower, slow-bolting.
Red Elephant A variety sold in Australia till the 1910's when it was discontinued by seed companies for unknown reasons.. Was a very large rooted variety with deep red flesh
Royal Star Long grower, good storer.
Scarlet Nantes 6"cylindrical and blunt, grows to 6" and is sweet crisp juicy and uniform.
Short and Sweet Small rooted variety 10 cm long for salads.
Sinclair's A yellow fleshed variety ..that grows to a great size individual roots often weighing 16 pounds each.
Spring Market Improved A flakee variety bred in New Zealand by Watkins Seeds for Autumn sowing.
St Valery, finely textured and sweet flavoured. Needs a long season to reach maturity. Light tops not suitable for mechanical harvesting.
Suko Japanese variety with crisp, sweet, finger sized roots.
Sumner's Early Market Fine quality, small cored very early type recommended for market or garden..
Swamp King Commercial variety sown in late Spring.
Thumbelina Has 3-4cm diameter, round roots. Variety suitable for heavy soils as little as 8cm deep. Matures quickly and is deliciously sweet. Can sow with early peas and harvest together.
Tip Top Variety that grows up to 25 cm long, cylindrical roots.
Topweight Best resistance to pests and carrot virus. They taper to a blunt tip.
Topweight Improved A late maturing bolt hardy multi-purpose carrot with strong tops.
Touchon Rare old French Nantes type with roots growing 15-17 cm long deep orange colour and little core. Very sweet and juicy.
Uchon A Nantes type, grows to 8 inches, blunt with a sweet and mild flavour; bright orange centre.
Unnamed Variety sold in Western Australia which is suitable for heavy soils while still growing to moderate size.
Viva La France Hybrid - F1 Hybrid, no further information
Valery - also called St Valery, fine texture and sweet flavour
Wanganui Giant New Zealand variety that requires deep sandy soil with not too much fertiliser as the carrots end up forking; carrots are so enormous that it is reputed that a pig hollowed one out and raised her piglets inside!
Western Red An old Australian variety with a deep orange colour.
X - I'm still working on it.
Yellow Austrian Lobberericher Rare Austrian yellow fleshed variety; this is a fodder variety for cattle or rabbits.
Zino Very long exhibition type carrot that reportedly still has good flavour and taste. Good for juicing.

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