Nantes Carrot

Daucus carota 'Nantes'

vegetable

Nantes is a classic carrot type producing slender, cylindrical, blunt-tipped roots six to seven inches long with smooth skin, a small core, and exceptionally sweet, crisp, mild flesh. Among the most popular home carrots for fresh eating, it matures in about 60 to 75 days and grows best in cool weather, sweetening further after fall frosts.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Onions and Chives — Their scent masks carrots from the carrot rust fly
• Leeks — Repel carrot rust fly while carrots repel leek moth
• Rosemary and Sage — Aromatic herbs that help deter the rust fly
• Lettuce — Shares space without competing

❌ 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 →

  Surround with onion-family plants whose scent masks the carrots; cover with insect netting; delay sowing past the first spring flight

• Flea beetles →

  Row cover over seedlings

• Forking and splitting →

  Sow in loose, stone-free soil and keep moisture even

🌾 Harvest & storage

Pull carrots once the roots reach about three-quarters of an inch or more at the shoulder and full color, loosening the soil first if it is firm. A few frosts make the roots noticeably sweeter, and carrots can be left in the ground under mulch and dug as needed through fall into early winter.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Carrots are low in calories and an outstanding source of beta-carotene, the orange antioxidant the body converts to vitamin A for healthy vision, along with fiber, potassium, and vitamin K.