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Beautiful Parisienne Carrots

July 28th, 2010

I’ve mentioned before that one of the reasons I grow food in is because of all of the interesting varieties of vegetables that you can’t get at the store. When I saw these Parisienne Carrots from Baker Creek I just had to grow them. Carrots don’t do all that well here, our soil is heavy and compacted, lacking a lot of humus. Since these carrots grow fat and wide instead of long and deep, they do well in heavier soils.

I think these carrots weren’t very fond the hot dry weather we’ve been having since this particular variety started to die back. I dug the ones that had died back and left the rest to size up. I’m quite happy with these though, what beautiful little carrots. I haven’t tasted on yet (I should have yesterday), but I have yet to meet a carrot I don’t like. I also planted a few other varieties of carrot this spring: ‘Blance a Collet Vert’, ‘St Valery’, ‘Short n Sweet’, and ‘Oxheart’.

Sure, they’re small, but that’s normal in my gardens. In a few years after adding lots of manure I should be able to grow carrots and onions of reputable size. Until then I’ll be happy with these little rolly polly beauties. These will be wonderful with some tiny potatoes and pearl onions baked up with one of Mr Chiot’s venison roasts. A perfect homegrown meal!

Do you grow carrots in your gardens? Every tried round ones?

21 Comments to “Beautiful Parisienne Carrots”
  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mark mile, Susy Morris. Susy Morris said: Beautiful Parisienne #Carrots http://goo.gl/fb/xC0rU #edible #growyourown #growingcarrots #parisiennecarrots […]

    Reply to Tweets that mention Growing Parisienne Carrots | Chiot’s Run — Topsy.com's comment

  2. Kelly on July 28, 2010 at 9:24 am

    Last year I didn’t get a single carrot, but this year we’ve a few coming up – small yet, most of them, but growing! I’m pretty excited about them (I, too, haven’t met a carrot I didn’t like). I had terrible germination of the onions I planted – next year I’m thinking potato onions, as well as standard ones.

    Reply to Kelly's comment

  3. Mike on July 28, 2010 at 9:36 am

    We are growing the same carrot from Baker creek. Ours are still pretty small so it is nice to see what yours look like, now I have an Idea what to expect. A perfect snacking carrot.:)

    Reply to Mike's comment

  4. Susan on July 28, 2010 at 10:12 am

    I never have had luck growing carrots, but these look like the perfect carrots for my garden – I will give them a try next year!

    Reply to Susan's comment

  5. Louise on July 28, 2010 at 10:32 am

    Yes, I have about 256 carrots growing now. I am waiting for them to get a little bigger before harvesting. Last year I dried the carrot tops and added them to soup throughout the winter months. Never tried the Parisienne Carrots, they look delicious, enjoy!

    Reply to Louise's comment

  6. Amy on July 28, 2010 at 11:06 am

    I like your attitude!

    “The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.” – Vita Sackville-West

    Reply to Amy's comment

  7. Teresia on July 28, 2010 at 12:08 pm

    I always grow carrots. Usually a nantes variety, never tried the round ones… yet. I have 5 raised beds that are dedicated to root veggies. The soil is a nice loam, and I add compost every year. The beds are 4ft by 6ft, so I never have to step in them, and they dont get compacted. I havent pulled any carrots yet.. (notice I said PULLED, I dont have to dig, because the raised beds are nice loose soil).. maybe this weekend, but last year my largest carrot was 12 inches long!

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  8. melissa on July 28, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    oh these are adorable!! I didn’t know they came in a round variety :D

    Reply to melissa's comment

  9. Lisa on July 28, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    Where we lived when I was a kid, our soil wasn’t good for carrots, so we would grow them in half barrel planters. In grad school, I had a garden rental plot in Champaign, IL and was amazed when my carrots grew fantastically in the soil. Central IL has silty clay loam soil which seems to be just right for root crops. I might try those round carrots in the future- they sound good.

    Reply to Lisa's comment

  10. Jackie on July 28, 2010 at 1:57 pm

    I also planted St. Valery from Baker Creek. I planted the seeds in February and started harvesting at the end of May. They are nice with purplish tops.

    Reply to Jackie's comment

  11. MAYBELLINE on July 28, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    I’m growing Atomic Red carrots now. I’ve never tried round carrots. How do you peel and slice them? Oblong carrots seem easier to handle.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

    • Susy on July 28, 2010 at 3:02 pm

      I don’t peel them, just scrub and eat.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  12. Morgan G on July 28, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    We’re about to pull up our first-ever carrot harvest – a whopping four fingerlings, but we’re still pretty proud!

    Reply to Morgan G's comment

    • Susy on July 28, 2010 at 9:52 pm

      Four is better than none! So far I’ve only been able to harvest 4 zucchini’s from my 6 plants, I know I’m the only person that can’t seem to grow a zucchini.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  13. Beegirl on July 28, 2010 at 8:09 pm

    Ooo la la!! NICE!! I still need to look up your onions..
    sigh..

    Reply to Beegirl's comment

  14. Renee on July 28, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    I need to try those, because look at what keeps happening to my carrots!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/59064186@N00/4813667421/

    Reply to Renee's comment

  15. Marlyn on July 29, 2010 at 1:31 am

    I had WONDERFUL carrots last year. This year, none sprouted. I am sad. I have been looking for good seeds the last couple days because I freed up a bed that would be good to try for a late season harvest — my season runs long so I still have time.

    I just finished blogging about something else orange in my garden though!

    Reply to Marlyn's comment

  16. Joanne on July 29, 2010 at 3:32 am

    I grew thes little babies when I lived in an apartment so everything was grown in pots – perfect for an urban gardener.
    Then I got an allotment which was also heavy clay and despite many attempts I couldn’t get any carrots to grow…but the peas were fantastic!
    Now I live in France and have a veg patch with sandy soil so I have carrots galore…. but not much luck with peas! Every garden has it’s own character, best to adapt and go with the flow (and keep adding manure…)

    Reply to Joanne's comment

  17. Rose on July 29, 2010 at 3:46 am

    I grew those as well this year, but we had the same problem; much too hot, and I really didn’t plant anywhere near enough of these. I got only a handful out of the ground, which was a shame. My son was a fan however and next year I’ll make a bigger effort at growing a lot more of them.

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  18. Lisa on July 30, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Last year (my 1st year with a garden) my carrots didn’t do well at all! And it was because of my hard, clay-like soil. This year I built boxes and the carrots are doing great!! We are starting to get some harvest from them. I have Little Finger baby carrots and Scarlet Nantes. They are both a sweet flavored variety and very good.
    I, also, enjoy the variability of planting my own garden. All the varieties are fun to experiment with.

    Reply to Lisa's comment

  19. […] fond of the heavy lean soil and thus they don’t get very large. As a result I generally grow the small round variety. In my mom’s garden however, she’s spent years amending the soil and it’s now a […]

    Reply to Simple Tips For Growing An Organic Garden | Garden Weekend's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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