Lynda Hallinan sows every carrot variety in the shops ... - Realview

Grow your ownIf you’ve got the space, use it...Lynda Hallinan set aside a 50m²bed to sow 26 rows of carrotsin a bid to discover which varietiesperformed best in her garden atHunua, south-east of Auckland.26-carrotGOLDLynda Hallinan sows every carrot variety in the shops– and digs up some surprising resultsphotos: sally tagg33

I’ve never grown a decentcrop of carrots. Until now.All of my previous attempts to grow long,straight, crisp and crunchy carrots – just like theones in the shops – have come to nothing. Youname it, I’ve encountered it: poor germination(or no germination), twisted and forked roots,vigorous tops with no bottoms and prematurebolting. I was starting to take it personally, butmy summer carrot trial suggests it’s simplya numbers game. The more carrots you sow,the more likely you are to succeed.On September 7, I sowed the seeds in 26beds, each 2m long and 40cm apart, withdwarf marigolds as row dividers (pheasantslater scratched them up). I didn’t spray, feed,water or thin the seedlings, though I regularlyhoed down any competing weeds.We photographed the results exactly 100days later, in the week prior to Christmas,though I started picking the baby varietiesafter 70 days. (Incidentally, I assumed thatthe smaller the carrot, the easier it would beto grow, but that wasn’t the case. Most ofthe so-called baby varieties had significantlylower strike rates as well as smaller yields.)A couple of varieties came a cropper whenour cows got into the garden and ‘Touchon’and ‘White Belgian’ both got a raw deal atthe far end of my trial bed. As the seasonprogressed, so did the shade cast by theadjacent oak tree – yet both produced anadmirable haul. Consider these if you havea similarly dry, difficult spot in your vege plot.I had no problems with carrot rust fly, butif it’s a pest in your area and you want togrow chemical-free carrots, Egmont Seedshave since released the F1 hybrid ‘Resistafly’.With up to 2000 seeds per packet – that’s50 carrots for as little as 10c if you sow withcare – these hearty, wholesome root vegesare by far the best value crop I’ve grown.Just don’t ask me which one tastes best.Wine judges have delicately tuned palatesbut, having chomped my way through morecarrots than Bugs Bunny, all I can say forsure is that they all tasted like, well, carrots,though the heirloom varieties tended tohave a slightly more earthy or rustic flavour.• Sources: EG Egmont Seeds, KS Kings Seeds,KO Koanga, McG McGregor’s, NS NicheSeeds, RB Running Brook Seeds, Y Yates.1 ‘All Seasons’ EG, McGThe seed packet says: “Dependable andadaptable, with high quality tapered roots.”My verdict: Having decided to sow all mycarrots in alphabetical order, ‘All Seasons’was first on the list. Determined to get the soilconditions right, I spent almost an hour siftingout lumps and bumps with an antique soilsieve. I gave up sieving after that first row –it would have taken till Christmas to sow all26 varieties otherwise! I’m glad I didn’t go toall that trouble, given that ‘All Seasons’ clearlydidn’t take kindly to its plush fluffy bed. Thiswas one of my worst performers, with just21 carrots in the entire 2m trial row, averaging8-10cm each. I’m not sure what went wrong –possibly a tad too much competition from theneighbouring row of gargantuan Tuscan kale.2 ‘Amsterdam Forcing’ KSThe seed packet says: “Sweet and crispgourmet baby carrot. The roots are orange,blunt tipped, very slender and cylindrical.Good resistance to splitting and cracking.”My verdict: Lovely, long, slender carrots,averaging 13-15cm, as promised on the packet.3 ‘Baby Slenderette’ McGThe seed packet says: “An excellent babycarrot, producing slender, 8-12cm, cylindricalroots. Rich orange colour with minimal core.”My verdict: Sweet, straight, crunchy 10cmcarrots – and quick to mature. I had a spot ofbother with the ends snapping off in the soil,so be gentle when you harvest. These babycarrots were at their best 70-80 days aftersowing; by the time we took our photos theroots were starting to split.4 ‘Berlicum’ KSThe seed packet says: “A very sweet,early, bunching carrot. Vigorous growthplus resistance to alternaria and splitting.”My verdict: Fat, juicy, pale orange carrotsup to 15cm long, though there were a fairfew littlies in there too.5 ‘Chantenay Red Core’ KSThe seed packet says: “A versatile darkorange carrot without the typical lightercore of other carrots. Sweet, crisp, wideshoulderedand tapered, it is well known asa roasting carrot due to its chunky shape.”My verdict: All the Chantenay varietiesproduced significantly stockier roots thanother types (as is characteristic). Given theirlush tops, I was initially disappointed by theirlength (8-10cm), despite being impressedby their girth (some were 6cm wide). Butwho says that carrots should be straightand narrow? Chantenay carrots have a rich,classic carrot flavour (try par-boiling thenroasting with honey and orange juice).Unlike some of the longer, skinnier types,which started splitting and rotting after 90days, these also store well in the soil. I’mstill eating mine now, almost six monthsafter sowing. Their germination rates werealso unsurpassed – they came up thick andfast – and I really should have thinned them,at least once if not twice. I suspect they’d allhave appreciated a little extra elbow room.6 ‘Chantenay Royal’ EGThe seed packet says: “Great for heavy soil.Sweet and crisp. Stores well and tastes great.Grows 12-15cm long. The shorter lengthmakes ‘Chantenay Royal’ a good variety forcontainers or shallower soils.”My verdict: Though slightly smaller than‘Chantenay Red Core’, this carrot was thefirst to pop up and had an excellentgermination rate, so if you have troublegetting carrot seeds to strike, I’d say youcan’t go wrong with this variety.7 ‘Early Chantenay’ YThe seed packet says: “This short-rootedcarrot is much favoured for its early maturity.The brilliant orange colouring and delicioustaste make this a welcome source ofcarotene and vitamin A.”My verdict: Similar to ‘Chantenay Red Core’and ‘Chantenay Royal’, except, despitesharing the same soil conditions, most ofmy ‘Early Chantenay’ carrots were forked.8 ‘Egmont Gold’ RB, YThe seed packet says: “A traditional NewZealand carrot from the 1950s. A large,superbly crunchy and vigorous variety.”My verdict: My crop was a bit rougharound the edges with a few oddballshapes, but these Kiwi heirloom carrotswere my favourites for raw carrot sticks.

13 ‘Majestic Red’ YThe seed packet says: “An Australianbredvariety. Has excellent colour, flavourand adapts to most climates. A heavy yieldof strong tapering roots. Very crunchy!”My verdict: How it pains me to admit thatan Aussie variety triumphed as my championcarrot, but I couldn’t fault ‘Majestic Red’.The roots were 18-25cm long, a uniformshape, lasted well in the soil, were easy todig and were rich in flavour. My only minorquibble? Though ‘Majestic Red’ is beautiful,it’s not actually red (if you want red carrots,sow ‘Nutri Red’) but an intense deep orange.Sow it for yourself. We have 200 packetsof ‘Majestic Red’ seeds, courtesy of Yates,up for grabs. To enter the draw, emailcontests@nzgardener.co.nz with ‘Carrots’in the subject line, or write to Carrotcompetition, NZ Gardener, PO Box 6341,Wellesley St, Auckland 1141 by March 31.PICKoF the crop14 ‘Manchester Table’The seed packet says: “Easy, blunt-ended,tasty carrot, to 20cm long.” ES, KS, McG, YMy verdict: A handy all-purpose carrot.‘Manchester Table’ was one of the slowestto mature; pair it with an early variety like‘Baby Slenderette’ to extend your season.It pains me to admit that an Aussie variety triumphedas my champion carrot. I couldn’t fault ‘Majestic Red’.9 ‘Express Hybrid’ YThe seed packet says: “An extremelyreliable cylindrical hybrid carrot that willgrow to a good long length.”My verdict: My ‘Express Hybrid’ carrotswere consistently long – averaging 20cm –and nicely shaped, though their girth wasvariable. In terms of its overall performance,‘Express Hybrid’ came a very close secondto ‘Majestic Red’, with an excellent yield.An easy, fast-growing carrot.10 ‘Kuroda Improved’ KSThe seed packet says: “A Chantenay-style,bright orange carrot. A Japanese selection.”My verdict: ‘Kuroda Improved’ was quick togerminate and fatten up. Sow this variety ifyou’ve left it late but want a whopping cropof proper carrot-shaped carrots (if you knowwhat I mean) in less than 80 days.11 ‘Ladies Finger’ EGThe seed packet says: “Rich orange, 8cmroots. Sweet flavour and delicate shape.”My verdict: A cracker of a baby carrot,though my 10-12cm roots were more likemen’s fingers than dainty feminine ones.12 ‘Lubyana’ KSThe seed packet says: “A bright yellow,decorative heirloom carrot from Slovenia.”My verdict: What a looker! ‘Lubyana’ is a hipgolden carrot with a sweet, mild flavour. Theseed packet recommended mounding upthe rows to prevent green shouldering, butI didn’t bother and they didn’t seem to mind.15 ‘Mini Sweet’ KSThe seed packet says: ”High quality,bright orange mini carrot only 10cm long.“My verdict: Sweet and coreless, but not somini. Mine were 14-16cm overachievers!16 ‘Nutri Red’ KSThe seed packet says: ”The unique coralred colour of this 25cm variety is derivedfrom its high level of lycopene, a wellknowncancer preventing phyto-nutrient.”My verdict: A winner if you want carrotswith a colourful twist. I loved them – andthey were popular at the farmers’ market.17 ‘Paris Market’ EG, KS, McG, NSThe seed packet says: ”Ready in 70 days,this small round, French heirloom carrotmatures extra early. 2.5-4cm in diameter.”My verdict: I’d describe them as a novelty.Who can be bothered peeling and scrubbingso many carrots to get a meal? They are cutethough. One for the kids? Also sold as ‘RolyPoly’, ‘Parisian Market’, ‘Baby’ and ‘Parmex’.3637

18 ‘Purple Haze’ EG, KS, McG, NSThe seed packet says: ”Vibrant purpleheirloom carrots with an orange core.”My verdict: Also sold as ‘Purple Dragon’,this variety dates back 1000 years, longbefore patriotric Dutch growers bred theorange carrots that are now the commercialnorm. ‘Purple Haze’ also has red-tinted topsthat break off easily, so fork, rather than yank,to harvest. The small roots averaged 8cm.Though the colour is retained when roasted,the flavour’s far better when eaten raw.19 ‘Rainbow Blend’ KSThe seed packet says: A colourful baby mixof ‘Atomic Red’, ‘Bambino’, ‘Cosmic Purple’,‘Lunar White’ and ‘Solar Yellow’.”My verdict: Five fantastic varieties for theprice of one! ‘Rainbow Blend’ was definitelythe best value for colour, flavour and fun.I’m also pleased to report that no one colourdominated, as often happens in seed blends.20 ‘Samantha’ KSThe seed packet says: “Sweet baby carrotwith smooth, uniform 20cm roots thatdevelop their full orange colour early.”My verdict: Long, sweet and slender, thisfast-growing hybrid also had the tallest tops.Bestvalue seeds21 ‘Scarlet Nantes’ KSThe seed packet says: “A long time favouritewith bright orange, 25cm roots. Organic.”My verdict: Worth growing for its attractivecolour alone, though an odd mix of lengths.22 ‘Senior’ EGThe seed packet says: “Our best carrot.Huge, strong, vigorous roots with excellenttolerance to alternaria and bolting.”My verdict: My worst carrot. It’s diseaseresistantbut not hoof-proof. When our cowsgot out in late October, a heifer trampled my‘Senior’ row. Total harvest: 11 carrots.23 ‘Solar Yellow’ KSThe seed packet says: “Completely yellow.”My verdict: Gorgeous, golden, and far easierto remember the name of than ‘Lubyana’.24 ‘Topweight’ EG, McG, YThe seed packet says: “The most popular ofall. You can’t go wrong choosing this one.”My verdict: Yes, you can. I got a poor yield ofstunted roots reminiscent of all my previouscarrot crops. A failure for no apparent reason.25 ‘Touchon’ EG, KS, McGThe seed packet says: “Cylindrical, coreless,deep orange, 14-17cm. Good value for money.”My verdict: Sweet, smooth-skinned carrots –just scrub (no need to peel) to enjoy.26 ‘White Belgian’ KO, KSThe seed packet says: “Flemish heirloomfirst recorded in the 1500s. Mild and crisp.”My verdict: As pretty as a parsnip, but truecarrot flavour. The first to bolt to seed. i3839