Have you ever wondered how many different kinds of carrots are out there? Today, we're diving deep into their world — from their shape and color to their special growing habits.

Whether we love gardening or just enjoy eating fresh veggies, this journey will definitely surprise us!

The Unique Appearance of Carrots

Carrots are herbaceous plants that usually grow for one or two years. We can easily spot their thick, long cone-shaped roots, typically orange-red or yellow. Their stems stand tall at 60–90 cm, often branching out. Each leaf has a long stalk and is divided into 2–3 feathery layers, ending with sharp little tips. The flower structure is pretty special too — umbrellas of tiny white or pale pink flowers sit atop stems 10–55 cm long, covered in tiny bristles. Their fruits are rounded with soft white prickles along the ridges.

Meet the Star Varieties

Let’s meet some of the most amazing carrot varieties that growers absolutely love:

- Honsen: A hybrid with fine cores and sweet flavor. It’s medium-maturing, highly cold-tolerant, and keeps quality even if harvested late. The surface is smooth, and there are very few fine roots.

- Japanese Hybrid Carrot: Famous for straight, smooth roots, deep coloring, and strong field durability. It grows about 18–20 cm long, 5 cm wide, weighing around 200 grams per carrot. This variety loves spring, summer, and fall.

- Improved New Kuroda Five-Inch: Strong growth, heat-resistant, and disease-tolerant. Roots are deep red, smooth, and perfect for summer planting and autumn-winter harvesting.

- Super Red Core: Grows fast with strong heat and disease resistance. Roots are cylindrical, about 18–22 cm long, and can weigh up to 300 grams each. It matures in around 100 days, yielding about 5,000 kg per acre.

- Seoul Six-Inch: Quick to grow with bright red skin and core. Roots are uniformly shaped and highly marketable, perfect after about 100 days.

- French Aya: A super early-maturing type with excellent root shape and heart color. Harvestable just 90 days after sowing, with great resistance to heat and common diseases.

- Red Shine No.2: An early hybrid from Japan. It’s perfect for spring planting under film cover and produces upright, dense leaf clumps. Its skin, flesh, and core are all bright red, making it look stunning.

- Baoguan: Imported and specially suited for summer planting. It has straight roots, around 20–22 cm long and 4.5 cm thick, great for carrot juice and diced products. It can yield about 4,000 kg per acre.

- Red Core No.6: A hybrid that grows smoothly without becoming too leafy. It features long, smooth, cylindrical roots with intense red color and rich β-carotene content — about 3–4 times more than the New Kuroda Five-Inch variety.

Spring Red No.2: Early-maturing and heat-resistant, with smooth, bright red cylindrical roots about 18 cm long and 5–6 cm wide. It’s perfect for spring and summer cultivation across many regions in China.

Where Do Carrots Come From?

Carrots originated in western Asia, particularly Afghanistan. By the 10th century, they traveled through different regions and made their way into Europe. By the 15th century, they were common in England and reached North America by the 16th century. In China, they arrived via trade routes and were later introduced to Japan in the 16th century.

Carrot Growing Habits We Should Know

Carrots love cooler temperatures and plenty of sunshine. They prefer deep, fertile soils with a neutral to slightly acidic pH. Seeds sprout best between 20–25°C, taking around five days to germinate. For the best leafy growth, 23–25°C works wonders, though young plants can survive even higher temperatures. The ideal root development temperature is between 13–18°C. Their flowering season usually starts in April.

Ready to Grow or Enjoy Carrots?

After exploring all these amazing varieties and their growing tips, we might feel inspired to plant some in our garden or simply appreciate them more when we shop! Carrots are not just a crunchy snack — they come in so many shapes, sizes, and colors, each with its own story.

Lykkers, have you ever tried growing your own carrots or tasted a variety different from the usual orange ones? Let's chat and share experiences — maybe we’ll inspire each other to start a little carrot project of our own!

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Video by When You Garden