How to Plant, Grow, and Care for ‘Chantenay’ Carrots
If you’ve faced difficulty growing carrots in compacted or heavy clay soils, try growing Chantenay carrots. This group of carrots have short and stocky roots that grow well where other carrots will not. Farmer Briana Yablonski will share how to plant and care for these delicious roots.
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Even though I’ve grown over 50 different vegetables and herbs in the past few years, carrots remain one of my favorites. Biting into a sweet and crunchy homegrown carrot can make you wonder if the cellophane-wrapped roots you find in the grocery store are the same plant! And there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of pulling a well-formed carrot from the ground.
However, these beloved veggies aren’t always the easiest to grow. If you’ve experienced spotty germination, a carrot bed swallowed by weeds, or misshapen roots, you’re not alone.
Over the years, I’ve learned how to grow carrots that are a joy to harvest. Start with strong Chantenay carrot seeds, follow the care tips I’ll outline below, and you’ll soon be harvesting beautiful carrots.
Chantenay Carrot Overview
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Plant Type
Biennial
Family
Apiaceae
Genus
Daucus
Species
Carota
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Native Area
Europe and Southwest Asia
Exposure
Full sun
Height
10-18 inches
Watering Requirements
Moderate to high
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Pests & Diseases
Alternaria blight, carrot rust fly
Maintenance
Moderate
Soil Type
Loose and well-draining
Hardiness Zone
8-10, grown as an annual in zones 2-11
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What Are Chantenay Carrots?
Chantenay carrots are grown for their short and fat roots with blunt ends. Since the roots only grow six inches long, they’re a great option if you’re working with compacted or heavy soils.
Characteristics
Carrots are biennial plants. That means they spend their first year producing a strong tap root and produce flowers in the second year. Although these plants can survive multiple years, we grow them as annuals in order to enjoy their tasty roots.
Chantenays are known for their short and stocky roots and blunt tips. The roots rarely grow over six inches long, but their chunkiness means they still provide a sizable harvest.
You can find multiple cultivars of Chantenay under various names, but they all feature roots with the same shape.
Native Area and History
Humans began cultivating carrots over a thousand years ago from the wild carrot, Daucus carota. Growers in the Middle East and Central Asia selected plants with flavorful and tender roots. However, the Chanetay type didn’t arrive until over 500 years later.
Growers in the Chantenay district of France created these unique crops in the 1700s and first used them to help with medical issues. Eventually, the roots grew in popularity and became widespread by the 1960s.
While you can grow Chantenays anywhere you would grow other varieties, their stocky roots make them especially well-suited for areas with heavy clay soil.
Planting
Chantenay carrots grow best when you direct sow the seeds in your garden. Although you can plant them from spring through fall, the roots grow best in cooler temperatures. You can even overwinter fall roots in the field and harvest them throughout the winter.
How to Direct Sow
You can sow these seeds any time the soil is thawed. However, most growers sow a spring crop in February through April and a fall crop in July through September.
No matter when you sow, plant the seeds one to two inches apart. Since Chantenay carrots grow wide, it’s important to provide them with enough room to expand. If planting multiple rows, provide four to six inches of spacing between each row.
You can plant the seeds by hand or use a push seeder. No matter which option you choose, sow the seeds about a quarter of an inch under the soil surface.
Growing in Containers
Since Chantenays grow less than six inches long, they’re a good variety for growing in containers. First, select a container or grow bag that’s at least six inches deep and a foot across. The wider the container, the more carrots you can plant.
Fill the container with a well-draining potting mix. A mix made of peat moss, compost, and perlite can work well, as can a balanced soil mix designed for raised beds. Once you have the proper container and growing media, you can plant your seeds just like those growing in the garden.
Keep the Soil Moist
Carrot seeds take one to three weeks to germinate, depending on the seed and the soil temperature. You must keep the soil moist during this period! If the seeds dry out for even a few days, they may not germinate.
One option is to water your seeds every day. Overhead irrigation is best since drip irrigation can lead to spotty coverage. You can hand water with a hose or set up a sprinkler on a timer to simplify the irrigation process.
Daily watering is often sufficient for spring-planted successions. However, the soil can quickly dry out in the summer and cause spotty germination of fall crops. Thoroughly watering your bed and then covering it with a piece of row cover or shade cloth will help trap water and decrease the number of times you have to irrigate.
Once the seeds germinate, thin the seedlings so they’re two inches apart. Older seedlings are hardy to thin, so complete this process in the first few weeks following germination.
How to Grow
Chantenay carrots are moderately difficult to grow. Although the plants don’t require much maintenance, providing the proper type of soil and staying on top of weeds can be challenging.
Light
These crops grow best in full sun. Plant them in an area that receives at least eight hours of direct daily light. Since this light can dry the bare soil when the seeds are germinating, make sure to check it regularly and water when it is dry.
Water
Although carrots have large roots, they only cover a small part of the soil. Since the root hairs only reach an inch or so away from the plants, it’s important to provide water directly where the crops are growing.
As I mentioned above, carrot seeds can be slow to germinate and must stay moist during their entire germination period. I recommend checking the soil at least once a day and watering it when the surface is dry. Overhead irrigation will quickly cover the entire planting area and encourage the seeds to germinate.
Chantenay carrots are small when they germinate, so keep the top two inches of the soil moist for the first few weeks following germination. As they grow larger, you can switch to deeper and less frequent irrigation. This practice will encourage the plants to develop long and straight roots.
Overhead or drip irrigation works for larger varieties. Drip irrigation keeps the leaves dry and decreases the odds that the plants will develop alternaria blight, but it doesn’t have as good of coverage as overhead sprinklers. If you utilize drip irrigation, choose tape with emitters that are spaced no more than six inches apart.
Soil
Chantenay carrots can tolerate compacted soils better than thinner and longer types, but they’ll still grow best in loose and well-aerated soil. If you have difficulty sticking your finger into the top few inches of soil, it will benefit from aeration.
Aerating the soil isn’t necessarily the same thing as tilling it. While tillage will work air pockets into the soil, these spaces will collapse with heavy rain. A longer-lasting and more obtainable option is to gently lift the soil with a shovel or broadfork, encouraging larger cracks and air pockets that make it easier for water to enter and roots to grow.
Start by grabbing a digging fork or broadfork—a shovel also works if you don’t have access to either of these tined garden tools. Insert the tines or spade at least six inches into the ground, then pull back on the handle just until the soil cracks. Return the tool to its upright position, remove it from the ground, then repeat this process every eight to ten inches.
Mixing compact into the top few inches of soil can also help with compaction. Although the results may not be obvious in the first growing season, the compost will feed microbes and improve the soil structure over time.
Temperature and Humidity
Carrots grow best in the cool temperatures of spring and fall. While they can grow throughout the winter, hot and dry days cause greater stress and make it more difficult to keep plants happy. Plus, the colder days of fall lead to super sweet roots!
Although some people say high temperatures cause carrots to bolt, this isn’t necessarily the case. If you sow seeds in June or July, they won’t flower as soon as hot weather arrives.
However, if the biennials experience cold weather followed by warm temperatures, they’ll take the hot weather as a signal that it’s time to form seeds. Sowing seeds in the fall and overwintering them is fine as long as you protect the seedlings from cold and harvest them by the middle of spring.
Fertilizing
Chantenay carrots require a few additional nutrients to grow well. If you’re growing crops in healthy garden soil or a high-quality raised bed mix, applying a light dusting of finished compost will provide the plants with everything they need to grow.
Although carrots rarely suffer from too few nutrients, they can face problems when too much nitrogen is available. High amounts of nitrogen can lead to large greens and small and/or misshapen roots.
Maintenance
Carrots require little maintenance beyond regular irrigation and weeding. Since the small, slow-growing seedlings compete poorly with faster-growing weeds, remove any weeds that appear in the first few weeks.
Harvesting and Storage
Most Chantenay carrot varieties are ready to harvest about 60 to 70 days after planting. Since the greens’ height doesn’t always correlate to the root size, the days to maturity are a better way to determine when they’re ready to harvest. If you think they are big enough, dig up a few plants to check.
When you’re ready to harvest the entire bed of carrots, use a shovel or digging fork to gently loosen the soil around the plants. Insert the tool a few inches away from the plant to avoid piercing the crop. After you crack the soil, grab the base of the greens and gently pull.
If you want to store them for more than a few days, remove the tops immediately after harvest. The greens will draw moisture out of the bottoms, eventually causing the previously crunchy carrots to turn limp. Place the topped carrots in an airtight container and store them in a refrigerator for up to three months.
Common Problems
Although carrots aren’t prone to many serious pests and diseases, there are still a few that can cause notable damage. Carrot growers may also face small or misshapen roots due to improper care.
Carrot Rust Flies
Adult carrot rust flies are only half a centimeter long, so they’re difficult to spot with the naked eye. However, the small nymphs are the life stage you have to worry about. These small, white larvae emerge from overwintering pupae and begin feeding on carrot roots. Their feeding results in reddish-brown spots and channels tunneling through the carrots.
Treating these pests can be difficult since you won’t know the larvae are present until you dig them up. Planting carrots in a new place each year and harvesting as soon as they mature can help limit damage. You can also cover the plants with row cover or insect netting immediately after seeding to prevent infection.
Alternaria Leaf Blight
This fungal disease infects carrot greens, causing brown spots with yellow rings. When about half of the leaf is infected, the entire leaf yellows and dies. Alternaria is more likely to infect older leaves.
Once infection takes hold, it’s challenging to treat. However, you can prevent the disease by practicing crop rotation, buying disease-free seeds, and planting resistant varieties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Chantenay carrots the same as Parisian carrots?
No, these are two different types of carrots. While both originated in France and have short and stocky roots, Chantenay varieties are longer than Parisian types.
What is the best month to plant Chantenay carrots?
The ideal planting time varies depending on where you live. However, March, April, August, and September are good months to direct sow Chantenay carrots.
Do carrots get sweeter in the fall?
Yes! Cold weather causes carrots to concentrate sugars in their roots so they don’t freeze. That’s why fall carrots typically taste sweeter than spring carrots.
