Carrot Chantenay Red Cored organic seeds - Daucus carota

The organic Red Cored Chantenay Carrot is a traditional variety suitable for seasonal cultivation or late harvest. Long used in the canning industry, it is prized by gourmets for its large red core, sweet flavour, and delicate texture. It produces conical carrots with a broad top and rounded tip, measuring on average 15 cm long. Their flesh does not form a hard core. It works well in soups, freezes well, and is good for canning. After harvest, its taste refines and becomes sweeter. Sow from March to July and then from September to November for a harvest from July to November and in May.

Certified AB Seeds

The carrot is a biennial herbaceous plant of the Apiaceae family, grown as an annual for its edible and fleshy roots, typically orange. This taproot is particularly rich in carotene. The plant can reach about 30 cm in height, with finely cut and slightly hairy leaves. Its small white flowers are grouped in compound umbels, with 30 to 40 rays, often incurved upwards.

Soil Preparation and Sowing
Carrots prefer light, deep, and rich soil, although they adapt well to other types of soil. To obtain well-formed roots, the soil must be deeply dug in autumn, incorporating 2 to 3 kg of well-decomposed compost or manure. Stones should be carefully removed. Before sowing, it is advisable to loosen the soil, amend it with a base fertiliser, and then let it rest for two weeks. Once the soil is ready, sow directly in place.

Harvest and Yield
Carrots can be harvested as needed, using a fork spade to avoid damaging the roots, as cuts can rot during storage. Yields vary depending on the variety and growing period: around 1 to 1.5 kg/m² for early crops, 3 kg/m² for mid-length seasonal carrots, and up to 5 kg/m² for late long varieties.

Carrot Preservation
There are several options for preserving carrots. Leaving the roots in the ground is a simple method, but requires protecting the crops from frost in winter with a thick mulch of dead leaves. For extended preservation, the silo technique is very effective: in a ventilated place and protected from frost, cut the foliage at the collar level, place the carrots on a bed of moist sand, cover them with 2 cm of sand, then add a new layer of carrots.

Tips for the Vegetable Garden
Associating radishes and carrots during sowing naturally spaces out the carrot seeds. Once the radishes are harvested, the carrots have more space to grow, making thinning easier. Planting carrots near leeks is another tip, as this combination limits attacks from the carrot fly and leek moth.