Heirloom · Open-Pollinated · 65–75 days from direct seeding
cool-season · timing varies by zone
Grows well in
Raised Bed ✓
In-Ground ✓
Container/Pot ✓✗
Grow Bag ✓✗
Meet This Plant
Scarlet Nantes is the carrot that makes you understand why people grow their own. The roots are smooth, cylindrical, and blunt-tipped, growing 6–7 inches long in vivid orange-red with almost no core. Carrots take patience, but when you pull your first one, you'll get it.
What it tastes like: Genuinely sweet and crisp in a way that store-bought doesn't come close to matching. Almost no woody core means the flavor is consistent all the way through. Fall-harvested roots after a frost are on another level entirely.
How to Grow It
Sun
Full sun. Carrots need good sun exposure for proper root development.
Water
Keep soil consistently moist from seeding through germination. Once established, water deeply and less frequently.
Sowing Details
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Depth¼ inch. Carrot seeds are tiny. Barely cover them.
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Spacing1–2 inches, thinning to 2–3 inches
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Row Spacing12–18 inches
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ThinningThin twice. First to ½ inch at 3 inches tall, then to 1–2 inches at 6 inches tall.
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Germination10–21 days. Slow to germinate. Don't give up on them.
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Days to Maturity65–75 days from direct seeding
When to Plant
For spring, direct sow 2–3 weeks before your last frost when daytime temperatures are consistently in the 40s to 50s°F and soil temps hit at least 45°F.
For fall, sow in early to midsummer so roots have time to mature before hard freeze, or once daytime temperatures begin dropping below about 75°F.
Succession sow every 3 weeks for a continuous harvest.
Zones 7–8
Direct sow in early spring while daytime temperatures are still in the 40s to 50s°F, typically 2–3 weeks before your last frost.
For fall, direct sow in late summer once daytime temperatures start dropping below 80°F, typically 8–10 weeks before your first fall frost. Carrots get tough and starchy in summer heat so don't push it.
Zones 9–11
Fall through winter is your best season. Direct sow once the heat breaks and the roots will be noticeably sweeter for it. Start seeds in late summer as temperatures begin cooling.
Grow Friend Tips
Keep the surface moist until they germinate
Carrot seeds are tiny and need consistent surface moisture to sprout. This is where most beginners lose their first carrot crop. Cover the bed with a piece of burlap or row cover to hold moisture and check it daily. Once you see sprouts, you can ease up.
Loose soil is non-negotiable
Carrots grow down, and anything in their way produces forked, stubby, or misshapen roots. Rocky, compacted, or clay-heavy soil is the enemy. Work your soil deeply before planting, remove any rocks or debris, and mix in compost. A raised bed with loose, well-draining soil is the easiest way to get straight, uniform carrots.
Thin them twice and take it seriously
Carrots need two rounds of thinning to develop properly. Skip it and you'll end up with a tangle of skinny, forked roots fighting for space. It feels brutal but it's the only way to get actual carrots worth eating.
Frost makes them sweeter
A cold snap before harvest converts starches to sugars and the difference in flavor is noticeable. If you're growing a fall crop, let a frost or two hit before you start pulling. Fall carrots are almost always better than spring ones for this reason.
They take longer than you think to germinate
Carrots can take up to 3 weeks to show up. Don't assume they failed and replant over them. Mark your rows, keep the soil moist, and wait. They're coming.
Containers work, but depth matters
Scarlet Nantes needs at least 10–12 inches of loose soil to form full-length roots. Shallow containers produce short carrots, which is fine if that's what you're expecting. Just don't expect a 7-inch carrot from a 6-inch pot.
Companion plants
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Onions
Chives
Rosemary
Nasturtium
Harvest & What to Do With It
When it's ready
Scarlet Nantes is ready at 65–75 days when roots are about 6–7 inches long and ¾ to 1 inch across at the shoulder. The top of the root will start to push up above the soil line. Pull one to check before harvesting the rest. Fall carrots can stay in the ground longer since cold sweetens them up.
How to harvest
Water the bed first if soil is dry. Grab the greens close to the root and pull straight up with a gentle twist. If they resist, loosen the soil around them with a garden fork first. Don't yank or the tops will snap off and leave the root in the ground.
Yield
A short row produces a surprisingly large harvest. Succession sow every 3 weeks for a steady supply rather than one big pull.
Short-term storage
Remove the greens, wrap in a damp paper towel, and refrigerate. Keeps 2–4 weeks. Leaving the greens on draws moisture out of the root and they'll go limp fast.
Long-term storage
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Root cellaring: Pack in damp sand or sawdust at 32–40°F with high humidity. Keeps several months.
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Freezing: Blanch 2–3 minutes, ice bath, dry well, freeze flat then bag. Keeps up to 12 months. Holds up well in cooked dishes.
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Pressure canning: Carrots pressure can well. Follow current USDA guidelines for safe processing times and pressures.
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Dehydrating: Blanch first, slice thin, dehydrate at 125°F until completely dry. Keeps 6–12 months airtight. Great for soups and stews.
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Refrigerator pickling: Quick pickled carrots are easy. Slice thin, pack into a jar with vinegar, salt, sugar, and spices, and refrigerate. Ready in a few hours and keeps for several weeks.
❌
Water bath canning: Only safe for carrots in an acidified pickling brine. Plain carrots are too low in acid for water bath canning on their own.
What to cook
Raw straight from the garden with nothing on them, because homegrown Scarlet Nantes is genuinely that good. Roasted until caramelized, added to soups and stews, or juiced. The almost coreless flesh means no woody center to cut around and the flavor holds up beautifully when cooked. Don't toss the carrot tops either. They're edible and can be blended into pesto or chimichurri.
Seed Storage & Saving
| Variety |
Scarlet Nantes Carrot |
| Type |
Heirloom · Open-Pollinated |
| Seeds per packet |
~300 seeds |
Storing unused seeds: Keep somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Viable up to 3 years.
Seed saving: Carrots are insect-pollinated and will cross freely with other carrot varieties and wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) nearby. Isolate by at least half a mile for reliable purity, or grow only one variety at a time. Carrots are biennial, so they set seed in their second year. Let a few plants overwinter, then let them bolt and flower in spring. Once the seed heads are fully dry and brown, cut the stalks, bring them inside to finish drying, then rub the seeds out by hand. Store in a cool, dark place.
