IF tapering orange roots spring to mind when carrots are mentioned, it’s time to dig deeper to find the veritable spectrum of colours and collection of shapes this vegetable has to offer.
Carrots have been grown for thousands of years, gradually spreading from the Middle East to gardens across the world. Originally white or purple in colour, the vast number of cultivars available nowadays is the legacy of generations of growers.
From the long ‘Imperator’ types frequently found in supermarkets and ‘carrot-shaped’ Danvers varieties developed in the USA towards during the 19th Century, to stout ‘Chantenay’ and ball-like roots associated with France, there’s a world of flavours, shapes and sizes awaiting gardeners keen to try something different.
Early or maincrop
Carrots have a hardiness rating of H3 in the UK. Seeds can be ‘early’, as soon as February or March, with cloches or horticultural fleece being used to get
