Chantenay Carrot Info: Guide To Growing Chantenay Carrots

Carrots are a favorite of many gardeners. They are cool-season biennials, which produce heavily in their first year. Due to their quick maturity and preference for cool weather, carrots can be planted at different times of the year for separate harvests. When gardeners have successfully grown and harvested high yields of carrots, they usually try new varieties each year. One versatile carrot variety recommended by many carrot lovers is the Chantenay carrot. Continue reading for Chantenay carrot info and tips on growing Chantenay carrots.

What are Chantenay Carrots?

Chantenay carrots are short, stout carrots with light orange flesh and orange-red colored cores. They mature in 65 to 75 days to 4 to 5 inch (10-13 cm.) long and 2 to 2 ½ inch (5-6 cm.) thick roots. Introduced in 1929, Chantenay carrots are commercially grown for canned and processed carrots because of their high yields. The carrots can be eaten fresh, frozen, or canned. Chantenay carrots can be eaten raw or cooked, with their taste usually described as sweet and crisp. However, they may become coarse and tough when grown past maturity, specifically in the heat of summer. Like all carrots, Chantenay carrots are high in carotene and fiber. There are two main types of Chantenay carrot seeds available to gardeners, Red cored Chantenay, or Royal Chantenay.

• Red cored Chantenay carrots have a redder core and blunt tip.
• Royal Chantenay carrots have an orange-red core and a tapered tip.

How to Grow Chantenay Carrots

Chantenay carrots should be planted deeply directly in the garden in spring after all danger of frost has passed. It is recommended to plant them directly in the garden because transplanting young seedlings often leads to crooked, malformed roots. Chantenay carrots can be planted in spring for a midsummer harvest, and again in midsummer for a fall harvest. In hot climates, such as zones 9 through 12, many gardeners grow Chantenay carrots during the winter months because they produce the most tender roots in cool weather. Chantenay carrot care is the same as caring for any carrot plant. This variety has no special requirements. Due to their stout roots, however, Chantenay carrots grow well in shallow or heavy soils.