Daucus carota

Daucus carota (carrot) — a hardy root crop first domesticated in Central Asia, where early types were purple and yellow; the sweet orange carrot was popularised by Dutch growers. The botanical home of our carrot range.

Best selling Best selling
  • Summer Carrot Purple Sun F1 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Summer Carrot Purple Sun F1 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Summer Carrot Seeds Purple Sun F1 Daucus Carota Annual
    €5,95

    Vibrant purple summer carrots for garden rows summer carrot seeds Purple Sun F1 are an annual vegetable choice for growers who want striking colour in the kitchen and the garden. This purple carrot F1 hybrid...
  • Red Ornamental Carrot Dara seeds (Daucus carota) – biennial vegetable Red Ornamental Carrot Dara (Daucus carota) – biennial vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Red Ornamental Carrot Seeds Daucus Carota Biennial Dara
    €4,95

    Red umbel blooms for borders and bouquets red ornamental carrot seeds are a distinctive biennial flower choice for gardeners who love airy, lacy umbels with rich, shifting tones. This ornamental selection, also known as Daucus...
  • Carrot Rainbow Mix F1 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrot Rainbow Mix F1 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Carrot Rainbow Mix F1 Seeds Daucus Carota Annual
    €5,95

    Rainbow carrot roots for colourful kitchen use carrot rainbow mix f1 seeds are an annual vegetable garden choice for growers who want a multicolour carrot seed mix with soft, pastel coloured carrot roots. This F1...
  • Carrot Tape Rainbow Mix seeds (Daucus carota) – annual seed tape Carrot Tape Rainbow Mix (Daucus carota) – annual seed tape seeds from SeedsChoice
    Carrot Seed Tape Daucus Carota Annual Rainbow Mix
    €4,95

    Rainbow carrots made easy with seed tape carrot seed tape is a practical way to grow a colourful annual carrot mix with neat, evenly spaced seeds already set on a paper strip. This rainbow carrot...
  • Carrot Caravel F1 seeds (Daucus carota) – organic annual vegetable Carrot Caravel F1 (Daucus carota) – organic annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    20%
    Carrot Caravel F1 Seeds Organic Daucus Carota Annual
    €3,96€4,95

    Organic Nantes summer carrot with uniform roots carrot caravel f1 seeds are an organic, annual vegetable choice for growers who want a dependable Nantes-type summer carrot with consistent shape. This F1 hybrid carrot seed produces...
  • Carrots Parijse Markt 4 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrots Parijse Markt 4 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    20%
    Carrots Parijse Markt 4 Seeds Daucus Carota Annual Variety
    €3,96€4,95

    Round summer carrots for compact, even roots carrots parijse markt 4 seeds are an annual vegetable seed variety valued for producing round, uniform carrots that suit many kitchen uses. This is a classic round carrot...
  • Carrots Redsun F1 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrots Redsun F1 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    20%
    Carrots Redsun F1 Seeds Daucus Carota Annual
    €5,56€6,95

    Carrots Redsun F1 for vibrant gardens carrots redsun f1 seeds are an annual root vegetable choice valued for their distinctive red roots and reliable, uniform performance in the vegetable patch. This red carrot F1 hybrid...
  • Fodder Carrot Jaune De Doubs seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Fodder Carrot Jaune De Doubs (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    20%
    Fodder Carrot Seeds Jaune De Doubs Daucus Carota Annual
    €3,96€4,95

    Classic yellow fodder carrot for open ground fodder carrot seeds jaune de doubs are an annual root-vegetable option valued for reliable performance and a traditional look in the garden. This jaune du doubs carrot variety...
  • Summer Carrot Flyaway F1 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Summer Carrot Flyaway F1 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    20%
    Summer Carrot Flyaway F1 Seeds Daucus Carota Annual
    €5,56€6,95

    Summer carrot for open ground vegetable beds summer carrot flyaway f1 seeds are a reliable choice for gardeners looking for an early-to-midseason Daucus carota with uniform roots and a crisp, sweet carrot flavour. This summer...
  • Summer Carrot Nantes 2 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Summer Carrot Nantes 2 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Summer Carrot Seeds Daucus Carota Annual Nantes 2 Variety
    €4,45

    Summer carrot seeds for Nantes type harvests summer carrot seeds for the Nantes 2 type are a reliable choice for gardeners who want uniform, half-long roots with a smooth, slender shape. This annual vegetable variety...
  • Carrot Chantenay seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrot Chantenay (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    20%
    Carrot Chantenay Seeds Daucus Carota Annual Variety
    €3,56€4,45

    Carrot variety for reliable summer garden harvests carrot chantenay seeds are an annual vegetable garden choice valued for sturdy, thick roots and consistent performance in the kitchen garden. This Chantenay type is known as a...
  • Wild Carrot seeds (Daucus carota) – biennial vegetable Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) – biennial vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Wild Carrot Seeds Daucus Carota Biennial Flower
    €4,95

    Wildflower character with airy, lace-like umbels wild carrot seeds are a classic choice for a naturalistic flower garden, bringing delicate, umbrella-shaped blooms that are often compared to a small bird’s nest. This biennial wildflower is...
  • Carrots Nantes 2 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrots Nantes 2 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Carrots Nantes 2 Seeds Daucus Carota Annual
    €4,45

    Nantes 2 carrot seeds for summer harvests carrots nantes 2 seeds are a classic Nantes-type option for gardeners who want uniform, long slender carrots with a smooth, cylindrical shape. This annual vegetable is valued for...
  • Winter Carrot Berlikum 2 Storage seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Winter Carrot Berlikum 2 Storage (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Winter Carrot Berlikum 2 Storage Seeds Daucus Carota Annual
    €4,45

    Winter carrot for reliable garden harvests winter carrot berlikum 2 seeds are a classic choice for gardeners looking for a dependable winter storage carrot variety with a uniform root shape. This annual vegetable is known...
  • Carrot Yellowstone F1 seeds (Daucus carota) – organic annual vegetable Carrot Yellowstone F1 (Daucus carota) – organic annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Carrot Yellowstone F1 Seeds Organic Daucus Carota Annual
    €4,95

    Organic bright yellow carrots for kitchen gardens carrot yellowstone f1 seeds are an organic, annual vegetable choice for growers who want a distinctive yellow-rooted carrot in the plot. This Yellowstone F1 carrot variety is known...
  • Carrot Amsterdam 2 Early Harvest seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrot Amsterdam 2 Early Harvest (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Carrot Amsterdam 2 Seeds Daucus Carota Annual Variety Early Harvest
    €4,95

    Classic early summer carrot for garden beds carrot amsterdam 2 seeds are a reliable choice for anyone looking for an early summer carrot variety with a neat, uniform look. This Amsterdam 2 carrot variety is...
  • Carrot Nantes 2 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrot Nantes 2 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Carrot Nantes Seeds Daucus Carota Annual Variety Nantes 2
    €4,95

    Carrot Nantes 2 for uniform summer roots carrot nantes seeds are a popular choice for gardeners who want reliable, attractive roots with a classic Nantes look. This annual summer carrot variety is known for producing...
  • Carrot Parijse Markt 4 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Carrot Parijse Markt 4 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Carrot Seeds Parijse Markt 4 Daucus Carota Annual
    €4,95

    Parijse Markt 4 carrot for compact roots carrot seeds Parijse Markt 4 are an annual vegetable choice valued for their distinctive, round root shape and reliable performance in the kitchen garden. This round carrot seeds...
  • Summer Carrot Napoli F1 Early seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Summer Carrot Napoli F1 Early (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    Summer Carrot Napoli F1 Early Seeds Daucus Carota Annual
    €5,95

    Summer carrot seeds for early, reliable crops summer carrot seeds napoli f1 are a popular choice for gardeners who want an early carrot variety with consistent results. This annual vegetable garden seed is suited to...
  • Winter Carrot Autumn King 2 seeds (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable Winter Carrot Autumn King 2 (Daucus carota) – annual vegetable seeds from SeedsChoice
    20%
    Winter Carrot Seeds Daucus Carota Annual Autumn King 2 Variety
    €3,56€4,45

    Winter carrot seeds for reliable maincrop harvests winter carrot seeds are a classic choice for gardeners looking for a dependable maincrop carrot with strong keeping quality. This annual variety is widely known as Autumn King...
Filter
44 products

Daucus carota — the carrot

Daucus carota is the botanical name for the carrot, a hardy biennial in the carrot family (Apiaceae) that is almost always grown as an annual for its sweet, crunchy root. It is the species behind our whole carrot range within the root vegetable collection.

History & origin

The cultivated carrot traces back to Persia and Central Asia — the region of modern Afghanistan — where the first domesticated roots, grown well over a thousand years ago, were purple and yellow rather than orange. From there carrots spread west through the Arab world and into Europe by the Middle Ages, and east into China and Japan.

The familiar deep-orange carrot is a relatively recent arrival: it was selected and popularised by Dutch growers in the 16th and 17th centuries, refined from yellow stock into the sweet, vitamin-rich root we know today — part of the reason the carrot remains so closely tied to the Netherlands. Its wild ancestor, also known as Queen Anne's lace, still grows across Europe and Asia and shows where all that feathery carrot foliage comes from.

Botanical characteristics

Grown for its swollen taproot, Daucus carota forms a feathery rosette of leaves in its first year and, if left in the ground, sends up a lacy white flower umbel in its second. Roots vary enormously: quick round and stump-rooted types for shallow soils and pots, long maincrops for storing, and a rainbow of colours from orange to purple, yellow, red and white. Their sweetness comes from sugars that build as the root matures, often improving after a touch of autumn cold. Quick early carrots feature among our fast-growing vegetables, while short types thrive in our container range.

Growing Daucus carota from seed

Carrots are always sown direct where they are to grow — they resent transplanting, which causes forked, misshapen roots. Sow thinly into light, stone-free, un-manured soil and keep it evenly moist for steady growth. Their one real enemy is carrot fly, so sow sparingly to avoid thinning, and grow under fine mesh or alongside onions to throw the pest off the scent. Our soil guide explains how to get the fine tilth carrots love, while the vegetable sowing calendar shows the windows for successional sowing from spring to late summer.

Ready to grow carrots? Browse the varieties or read up first.

Related categories: Carrot · Root Vegetables · Beetroot · Parsnip · All Vegetables

At SeedsChoice, every order ships from Meppel, NL with fast, tracked EU delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Daucus carota?
It is the botanical name for the carrot, a biennial root vegetable in the carrot family (Apiaceae).

Where do carrots originate?
From Persia and Central Asia — around modern Afghanistan — where the earliest cultivated roots were purple and yellow.

Why are carrots orange?
The sweet orange carrot was selected and popularised by Dutch growers in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Is the carrot annual or biennial?
It is a biennial, but it is grown as an annual and harvested for its root in the first year.

How do I grow carrots from seed?
Sow direct into light, stone-free soil and never transplant them; keep them evenly watered.