Carrots are a popular root vegetable along with potatoes and onions. There is no housewife who does not use orange vegetables in cooking. And fresh carrots are not only tasty, but also contain many vitamins, this is especially important in late autumn and winter - when the choice of fresh vegetables is limited. Carrots are freely sold in supermarkets, and their prices are reasonable. But if you want to be sure of the quality of the vegetable, grow it yourself. And for this it is important not only to know the rules of agricultural technology, but also to choose good varieties of carrots.
What to consider when choosing a variety
I think that many housewives have encountered the fact that having bought a beautiful, even, bright orange carrot, like from a picture, in a store, they were disappointed in the taste. It is not sweet, not juicy, you don’t want to eat it at all. Therefore, an important characteristic of a vegetable variety is taste .
It’s a shame when you choose a tasty variety, but the plant does not have time to grow roots or produces a very small harvest. Therefore, the second quality of the variety is productivity and early maturity .
Well, you chose a fruitful, sweet type of root crop, but it gets sick, the pests just stick, in this case you definitely won’t get a good harvest, you’ll just be exhausted. The third quality of the variety is resistance to diseases and changeable weather conditions.
If you are growing a vegetable for winter storage, it is important that it retains its freshness and taste for as long as possible. This is another important quality of the species - keeping quality .
Seeds of a huge number of varieties of queen vegetables are now sold; the most fastidious gardener has plenty to choose from.
What sweet varieties are recommended for children?
Sweet and juicy carrots are a favorite product for children, which varieties of carrots are best suited for feeding children, have beneficial properties and do not spoil during storage.
- Alenka is an early ripening variety, ripening occurs in 2-2.5 months, elongated cone-shaped with a rounded end. Gives a good harvest of small size 85-115 cm, the fruits are sweet and juicy.
- Mango - suitable for consumption in its pure form and for preparing dishes and preparations. Sugar root crop up to 22 cm long, bright orange.
- Children's sweetness - the name speaks for itself, early carrots are sweet, you get delicious juice and puree from the pulp. The fruits ripen in 3-3.5 months.
The largest varieties of carrots
Carrots are considered large if the weight of the root vegetables exceeds 200 grams. There are many suitable varieties, but there are those whose mass is much larger.
- Shantane is a pretty big carrot. With good care, it reaches a weight of 600 grams and a length of 25 cm. It has good taste, but, unfortunately, poor resistance to pests.
- Russian size - the name says it all. Perhaps this is the largest carrot, the weight of which reaches 1 kg, while the length is 30 cm. The widest part of the root crop is 6 cm.
- Canada F1 is certainly not the biggest carrot, but you certainly can’t call it a baby either. Weighing 500 g, 20 cm long, as much as 5 cm in diameter, it has a wonderful, juicy taste of pulp.
Variety "Canada"
Variety "Chantane"
The taste of a vegetable is one of the main criteria when buying seeds.
Varieties for the Moscow region and central Russia
These regions are characterized by an unstable climate: temperature changes, recurrent morning frosts and abundance of precipitation. Carrot seed varieties should be selected taking into account the characteristics of the varieties. The best varieties for these regions:
Artek
See the description of this variety above.
Bangor
See the description of this variety above.
Vitamin
See the description of this variety above.
Granddaughter
The variety is early ripening, 80-90 days, root crops are 13-15 cm, the yield is stable. The fruits are smooth, bright orange, resistant to cracking.
Gribovchanin
The variety is mid-season, ripening in 120 days. The shape of the root vegetable is cylindrical, weight 120 g, taste sweet. Sugar content 8%.
Charging F1
An early hybrid variety, conical fruits 15-20 cm long. Fruit weight is 100 g, the yield is average. Prized for its sweet taste and smooth fruit.
Quadrille F1
Ultra early hybrid, ripening 65-75 days. The variety is resistant to drought and the vagaries of nature. The taste is pleasant, sweetish, the core is small.
Lydia
See the description of this variety above.
Nantes
See the description of this variety above.
Mother in law F1
Early hybrid, ripening 80 days. The fruits are orange, smooth, the surface is not lumpy. The length of the fruit is 10-11 cm, weight 180-200 g. The carrot pulp is tender and sweet, the core is small.
The best sweets
Carrots are so sweet that they are eaten as dessert. The average level of sugars in root vegetables is approximately 4%, but there are types that contain much more sugars. These fruits make delicious juices, and it’s a pleasure to just chew them fresh.
| Name | Sugar content | Description of the variety |
| Children's sweet | 8,3% | Perhaps the sweetest carrot. Root vegetables with reddish-orange flesh, juicy and sweet. Stores well, but is not particularly disease resistant. |
| Emperor | 7-9% | Bright fruits with a pointed tip, weighing 100 grams. With aromatic, dense pulp. A big plus is that the taste of the fruit improves during storage. |
| Caramel | 7,5% | Smooth orange fruits with a blunt tip, weighing up to 170 g. Resistant to coloring and does not crack. |
| Gourmand | 7,6% | Large, long fruits of rich, bright color. The pulp is juicy with a thin core. Requires compliance with agricultural technology. |
There are varieties of carrots without cores that also have a very sweet taste, these are:
- Yaroslavna,
- Praline,
- Natalia F1.
Carrots "Children's sweet"
Variety "Natalia F1"
Even if you choose the best carrot seeds for open ground, you may not get a harvest because it will be destroyed by pests. However, there are even pest-resistant varieties.
Carrot ripening time
Carrots are divided into 4 ripening periods, they are determined by the time from the moment the seeds are sown in the ground until harvesting.
- early ripening varieties - 65-80 days;
- mid-season - 80-100 days;
- late - 100-120 days.
Early varieties
Early varieties of carrots ripen quickly, the first harvest is obtained 2.5-3 months after sowing. These carrots are suitable for eating and canning for the winter. The disadvantage of early varieties is their less sweet taste and short shelf life. The best varieties of early ripening carrots:
Amsterdam
The shape is cylindrical, dark orange in color. The weight of the root crop is up to 150 g, the yield is stable.
Artek
The root crop is cylindrical, with a rounded tip, weight up to 150 g. Red-orange color, grown in greenhouses.
Dordogne F1
The color is bright orange, the root size is 22 cm, the weight is up to 130 g. The variety is resistant to weather conditions.
Nandrin F1
Large cylindrical variety, weight up to 170 g. The core is weakly expressed, high carotene content.
Nantes 4
Fruit length 15-17 g, weight up to 120 g, color red-orange. The yield of the variety is high, the shelf life is up to 3 months.
Orange nutmeg
Cylindrical shape, orange color. The core is practically absent, the yield is high, storage is 2 months.
Saturno F1
Orange hybrid, weight up to 110 g, sweet taste. It is resistant to cracking and has high yield.
Touchon
The shape is cylindrical, length 18 cm. The weight of the root crop is up to 120 g, the core is hard, the taste is increased.
Shantanay
Bright orange color, cone-shaped. The weight of the root crop is large, up to 250 g, the taste is sweet, the yield is stable, and the shelf life is low.
Fairy
The fruits are coreless, cylindrical, weighing up to 170 g. The commercial quality is high, the harvest can be stored for up to 3 months.
Mid-season varieties
Root crops of mid-season carrots ripen on average in 100 days. Carrots are suitable for food, preservation, and winter storage. The shelf life of carrots is 3-4 months, the root vegetables are sweet. The best varieties of mid-season carrots:
Boltex
The root crops are bright orange, weighing up to 100 g. The variety is resistant to root gill and bolting. High, stable yield (up to 6 kg per sq.m.).
Vitamin 6
The color is red-orange, the shape is cylindrical, with a blunt nose. The weight of root crops is up to 150 g, length 18-20 cm. The variety is characterized by a high content of carotene.
Karotel
The shape is conical, with a blunt nose, weight up to 130 g. Ripening is friendly, simultaneous, the yield is stable.
Lydia F1
Conical shape with a blunt nose, bright color. The weight of the root crop is 100g, the yield is stable. The variety is valued for its taste and shelf life for up to 6 months.
Losinoostrovskaya 13
The shape of the root can vary depending on care, with a pointed nose and a blunt one. The color is orange, bright, weight varies from 80 to 160 g. Length 12-16 cm.
Incomparable
Increased carotene content, root weight 90-120 g. Carrot length up to 17 cm, large, sweet variety. The weight of root crops is up to 200 g.
NIIOH 336
The rhizomes are cylindrical in shape, bright in color, and have a high carotene content. The length of the root crops is 18 cm, weight up to 150. They have a good shelf life.
Parmex
The fruits are orange, weight 50-70 g. The variety is characterized by a stable harvest, the shape of the carrots is even and smooth. Sugar content is low.
Samson
Root vegetables with a pointed nose, orange. The weight of the carrots is 120-150 g, the dimensions are 20-30 cm in length. Shelf life is up to 6 months, the taste is sweet, the core is practically absent.
Flakke
Ripening in 100 days, root length up to 30 cm, weight up to 200 g. Carrots are smooth, large, sweet, can be stored for up to 6 months.
Late ripening varieties
The ripening period of late varieties of carrots is extended to 130-150 days. Such varieties are stored in cellars for winter: the root crops have a dense shell and core. Late-ripening varieties of carrots are intended for cooking. But they are not recommended to be grown in cold regions, where carrots do not ripen. The best varieties of late-ripening carrots.
Valeria
Carrots are low in carotene and have reduced sugar content. Intended for children's and dietary nutrition. The length of carrots is up to 30 cm, weight up to 120 g.
Vita Longa
Harvest ripening in 140 days. Root crops are conical in shape, rich orange in color. Length 25-30 cm, weight of one copy up to 200 g. Good disease resistance.
Volzhskaya 30
Ripening in 140 days, conical shape, bright color. The variety is intended for cultivation on an industrial scale and is valued for its high, stable yield.
Dolyanka
A variety of Polish selection, fruits weighing up to 130 g, cylindrical in shape. Harvest ripening time is 140 days, storage up to 8 months.
Golden autumn
Ripening time 130 days, conical shape. Root vegetables weigh up to 200 g, length 20 cm, taste sweet. It has stable immunity and good keeping quality.
Cascade F1
A hybrid of Dutch selection, semi-conical shape, rounded nose. Fruit length 18-20 cm, weight 120 g. The harvest is stable, the fruits are smooth and even.
Queen of Autumn
Crimean selection, a variety that is popular in the south. The carrots are not large, weighing 100 g, the yield is stable. The variety is considered drought-resistant.
Red giant
A large variety, loved by gardeners for its ease of care. Ripening in 140-150 days, fruit length up to 30 cm, weight 150-170 g. Conical shape, smooth.
Monastyrskaya
The shape of the fruit is conical, the nose is sharp, the color is orange, bright. The weight of specimens is up to 220 g, length 25 cm. Ripening period is 140 days, shelf life is 8-9 months.
Flaccoro
Ripening in 120-130 days. The length of the vegetable is 28-30 cm, weight 160-180 g. The variety is valued for its resistance to cracking and storage of the crop for up to 8 months.
Resistant to carrot fly
The carrot fly is the main, most vicious pest of orange vegetables. The fly is capable of destroying most of the crop, laying eggs twice during the growing season. Experienced gardeners advise planting the vegetable in early spring, when the larvae are not so active, but this is not suitable for northern regions and late varieties. Breeders are trying to invent hybrids that are resistant to this pest. The fly is attracted by the aroma of carrot tops, which contain chlorogenic acid. If you reduce the acid level in the tops, the fly may not detect the planting of the vegetable. The following hybrids are considered the most “courageous” to the carrot fly:
- Monanta;
- Flyway F1;
- Cardinal;
- Ibiza F1;
- Olympus;
- Nantik Resistafly F1;
- Crispy;
- Vitamin 6.
It is not necessary to plant only these hybrids; the fly can be effectively controlled. Good ways are to follow the rules of crop rotation and cover the crops with agrofibre.
Variety "Vitamin 6"
Variety "Monanta"
It’s healthier to consume this vitamin-rich vegetable fresh, and to do this, plant tasty varieties.
General rules of agricultural technology for growing carrots
The rules for growing carrots are quite simple:
- do not apply fresh organic fertilizers in the fall or during the planting year;
- observe crop rotation: plant carrots after tomatoes, onions, zucchini, cabbage;
- annual change of planting site (carrot beds are allowed to be placed in the same place only after 4 years);
- heavy soils should be diluted with sand or properly rotted humus;
- sow seeds early in well-moistened soil;
- carry out autumn preparation of the planting site: enriching the soil with wood ash, sowing green manure, loosening;
- apply fertilizers during the growing season;
- systematically water the carrots and loosen them.
Below are the best varieties of carrots according to their ripening time.
For planting before winter
Not every carrot is suitable for winter sowing. Good harvests are produced by early and mid-ripening varieties that are resistant to cold weather. It is impossible to plant early, because warm weather will provoke seed germination, and this will lead to the death of crops when frost sets in. Planting is done when the stable temperature drops to 2 degrees Celsius . The following species performed well in such plantings:
- Our Nanny;
- Children's sweet;
- Beauty Maiden;
- Nantique Resistafly;
- Losinoostrovskaya 13;
- Vitamin 6;
- Nantes 4;
- Shantane 2461.
Variety "Nantes"
Variety "Beauty Maiden"
The seeds are planted to a depth of 2 cm, then the crops are mulched with peat. In the northern regions, it is better to cover the crops, and a layer of snow will provide additional protection during severe frosts.
How to choose the best variety
Today, breeders are developing various varieties of vegetable crops that differ in yield, taste and fruit size. But the main thing that every gardener is interested in when choosing planting material is the timing of carrot ripening. Varieties and hybrids are divided according to this criterion into three subspecies: early ripening (the growing season begins 50-60 days after the seed is pecked), mid-ripening - from 90 to 110 days, and late ripening - over four months.
In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to what growing conditions the manufacturer recommends for a particular hybrid. Carrots, as a root vegetable, are quite resistant to temperature changes in the air and on the soil, but they can be demanding on certain types of fertilizing and regular abundant watering.
In addition, the instructions will necessarily indicate the region and climatic conditions that are optimal for growing root vegetables. An early variety of carrots in open ground conditions produces stable and high yields in the southern regions and central Russia.
