Carrot Nantaise améliorée - Daucus carota

The Nantes Carrot is intended for seasonal and early cultivation. Sowing period extends from March to July and then from September to November for a harvest from July to November and again in May. (See details of Cultures No. 3, 4, and 5) Its flesh is bright orange. This variety is appreciated for its significant production of semi-long roots, its sweet flavour, and its hardiness.

This variety has semi-long roots with orange flesh. It is ideal for the production of carrots with a fine collar.

The carrot is a biennial herbaceous plant (cultivated annually), belonging to the Apiaceae family, grown as a vegetable for its so-called taproot, fleshy, edible, and usually orange in colour. It is a root rich in carotene. It can generally reach a height of 30 cm (12 inches). The leaves are deeply divided and covered with hairs. The flowers are small and white, grouped into compound umbels. These umbels have 30 to 40 rays, generally incurved towards the top. The fruits are diakenes.

The carrot is undemanding on the type of soil, however, the best roots will be harvested in a rich, light, and deep soil. It is therefore necessary to prepare the soil well by deep digging in autumn, when 2 to 3 kg of well decomposed manure or compost can be added. All stones should be removed during this operation. Before sowing, the soil will be well-crumbled and fertilised with a base fertiliser, then left as is for about fifteen days. Sowing can then take place.

Harvest: during the season, harvest the carrots as you need them. To extract the roots from the soil, use a fork spade, taking care not to damage the root. Injuries to the roots can trigger carrot rot during storage. Yield estimates can be made based on the type of cultivation and carrot. For guidance, plan for between 1 and 1.5 kg/m² for early cultivation; about 3 kg/m² for seasonal cultivation of a half-long carrots, and up to 5 kg for late cultivation of long carrots.

Storage: carrots can be done in the ground, at the place of cultivation, but this restricts space for more cultivation in the vegetable garden. In this case, in winter,  protect the roots from frost with a good layer of dead leaves. Storage in a silo is an excellent long-term solution. In a frost-free and ventilated place, cut the foliage at the base of the collar and place the roots next to each other on a bed of moist sand. Cover them with a 2 cm (1in) layer of sand and place the next row.

Gardener's Tips:
Sowing radishes and carrots on the same row and at the same time naturally distances the carrot seeds. Once harvested, the radishes will leave space for the carrots to grow. It's a winning thinning technique! Sowing carrots near a row of leeks helps protect them both from carrot fly and leek moth.