Imperator Carrot

Daucus carota 'Imperator'

vegetable

Imperator 58 is the classic supermarket carrot: 8 to 10 inches long, slender, tapered, and deep orange, with the uniform shape that made the Imperator type the standard for commercial production. The variety needs loose deep soil to size up properly; in heavy or rocky ground the roots fork and twist.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Onions — Repel carrot rust fly with their sulfur volatiles
• Leeks — Strong onion family scent masks carrots from carrot rust fly
• Rosemary — Aromatic foliage helps confuse carrot fly egg-laying
• Sage — Repels carrot fly and other carrot pests

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Carrot rust fly →

  Cover the bed with floating row cover from sowing until harvest; intercrop with onions or leeks

• Carrot weevil →

  Rotate carrots out of the bed for 3 years; remove and destroy carrot tops in fall

• Aster yellows →

  Control leafhopper vectors with row cover; remove and destroy infected plants showing yellow distorted leaves

• Forking →

  Loosen soil to 12 in deep and remove all stones; avoid fresh manure which causes forking

🌾 Harvest & storage

Imperator matures in 65 to 80 days. Harvest when the shoulders reach 3/4 inch in diameter at the soil line. In loose soil, loosen with a fork first, then pull by the foliage; in heavier soil, dig with a fork to avoid snapping the long taproot. Twist off the tops within hours to prevent them from drawing moisture from the root. Refrigerate in perforated bags for up to 6 weeks.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

About 41 calories per 100 g with 2.8 g fiber, 5.9 mg vitamin C, 320 mg potassium, and an extraordinary 16,706 IU of vitamin A from beta-carotene (over 300 percent of daily value). The Imperator type is also rich in alpha-carotene and lutein.