Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. & G.Martens
Botanical family: Apiaceae
A sweet root of the Apiaceae family (Daucus carota), the cultivated carrot descends from wild forms of Central Asia; its orange colour was fixed by Dutch market gardeners in the 16th-17th centuries. It needs a loose, deep soil without fresh manure to form straight roots, and is sown in place as it tolerates transplanting poorly.
Sun to partial shade
Friable, deep, lightly fertilised
Moderate
Fairly hardy roots: they overwinter in the ground under a mulch; the foliage is more vulnerable to frost
Protect over winter in your zone
Role in permaculture
In the vegetable garden, the carrot is planned first and foremost around its pest, the carrot fly, hence the value of interplanting it with onions. Its taproot needs loose, deep, stone-free soil (RHS), without a heavy application of manure just before (GAB/FRAB Bretagne). And when left to flower, this umbellifer opens up umbels that feed hoverflies and other small beneficials, like the other Apiaceae so valued for drawing in pollinators and aphid predators.
Good companions
Fix nitrogen from the air (legumes)
Attract pollinators and beneficial insects
Trap plants (variable effect, need watching)
Traditional companion planting (benefit not demonstrated)
Poor companions
Same family: shared diseases and pests
Allelopathy, reputed or observed: may slow some neighbours
Insects attracted or useful
Known pests & diseases
Pests and diseases that commonly affect this plant, tap to learn how to recognise and manage them.
Documented synergies
Relationships backed by a named source, with their real scope. A synergy without a named reference has no place here, no “it is said that…”.
One of the few companion pairings to have been measured: in a field trial, onions interplanted with carrots reduced carrot fly attacks, mostly while they were young and numerous; the effect almost vanished once the bulbs formed. Onion thrips were also fewer in these dense plantings. The much-cited carrot and leek pairing was not tested in that trial: it remains traditional. The effect is partial and does not replace insect mesh under heavy pressure.
scientific study
- · Uvah I.I.I. & Coaker T.H. (1984), Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 36(2):159-167, DOI 10.1111/j.1570-7458.1984.tb03422.x
Seasons & availability
Lifted from May to November, then kept all winter in a clamp.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Carrots » (rhs.org.uk/vegetables/carrots/grow-your-own)
- La Ferme de Sainte Marthe, « Réussir la culture des carottes » (fermedesaintemarthe.com/en/blogs/comment-reussir-la-culture-de/reussir-la-culture-des-carottes)
- Garden Organic, « Carrot » (gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice/how-to-grow/growing-guides/vegetables-herbs-guides/how-to-grow-carrot)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
Dietary excess can slightly colour the skin without seriousness in some heavy consumers.
In the kitchen & the apothecary
Where to find carrot in preparations: recipes and traditional herbal teas.
Family behaviour: Apiaceae
In general, Apiaceae are umbel plants (carrot, parsley, celery, coriander, dill) whose flowers attract precious beneficials: hoverflies, ichneumons, parasitoids. Fairly easy to pair, except fennel, they are useful along edges to feed beneficials.
Understanding families means learning one rule per family rather than every pairing one by one. Learn more →
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.