Carrots are one of the more popular vegetables to grow, but also the one that gardeners tend to run into difficulties with. And in containers, it can be a challenge since carrot taproots don’t like being constrained in space.

Fortunately, there are many different types of carrots, with some being well-suited for container growing. Generally, you want to plant wider, more stout carrot varieties in containers for the best results.

Carrot Varieties for Containers

You may notice that all the below carrots are globe, Chantenay, or Nantes carrot varieties. Globe-type carrots are round, radish-shaped carrots. Chantenay-type carrots taper like a normal grocery store carrot, but are shorter and thicker, with broad shoulders. Nantes-type carrots are more cylindrical but may also have tapered ends, and can come in short and longer varieties.

Since all these varieties typically don’t grow very long, they are ideal for containers. Globe-type and Chentenay-type carrots tend to also be well-suited for heavy soils due to their shape, which means you are likely not to get small, misshapen carrots.

Pro-Tip: Directly sow carrot seeds in your containers and thin them out later. Transplanting them can lead to misshapen or stunted carrots.

Parisian Carrot

Adorable globes bursting with flavor, best for shallow containers and heavy soils

Type: Round/Globe
Days to Maturity: 50-70 days
Open Pollinated (OP): Yes
Size: 1 to 2 inches
Container Depth Needed: 5+ inches
Get seeds: Baker Creek (US), HR Seeds (US), Urban Farmer Seeds (US), West Coast Seeds (Canada), OSC Seeds (Canada)

 

An old French heirloom, the Parisian carrot (also Parisienne carrot, Parisian Market, or Paris Market carrot) is a globe carrot that is by far the best carrot for gardeners tight on space. It comes in the common orange color of regular long carrots, but is almost perfectly round, like a radish.

The Parisian carrot reaches, at most, 2 inches in size, and because of its shape, it is very unlikely to split like long carrots. It is well-suited to shallow containers, but is recommended to plant it in at least a 5-inch pot as the smaller roots do like to grow deeper into the soil.

Parisian carrots are also perfect for in-ground beds with heavy, clay soils.

The taste is described as very sweet, and the flesh is surprisingly tender for a carrot.

New Kuroda Carrot

Thick, stubby carrots with sugary sweet taste and good heat tolerance

Type: Chantenay
Days to Maturity: 75 days
Open Pollinated (OP): Yes
Size: 5 to 7 inches
Container Depth Needed: 10+ inches
Get seeds: Baker Creek (US), Victory Seeds (US), Urban Farmer Seeds (US), West Coast Seeds (Canada), McKenzie Seeds (Canada)

The New Kuroda carrot is the latest improvement of the Japanese Kuroda heirloom carrots. It’s sold under different names, such as Shin Kuroda or Nova Kuroda (Shin means “new” in Japanese).

This Chantenay-type carrot is pointy with wide shoulders, but more stubby than conventional carrots, so it’s great for container gardens. It’s recommended to use a pot at least 10 inches deep, but you can get away with shallower containers.

The main draw of the New Kuroda is its extremely high sugar content and tender texture, making it not only fantastic for fresh eating but excellent for steaming, stir-frying, and juicing. It was specifically bred to also do well in hotter climates, making this a great carrot for the South or spring/summer gardens.

Red Cored Chantenay Carrot

A dependable, consistent, sweet heirloom with thick roots

Type: Chantenay
Days to Maturity: 65-70 days
Open Pollinated (OP): Yes
Length: 5 to 6 inches
Container Depth Needed: 10+ inches
Get seeds: Baker Creek (US), Burpee (US), Seed Savers Exchange (US), High Mowing Organic Seeds (US), McKenzie Seeds (Canada)

 

The Red Cored Chantenay carrot is an old heirloom dating back nearly 100 years, and has become a popular variety for home gardeners and market growers due to its consistent size and thick taproot. As the name suggests, it is a Chantenay-type carrot, meaning it is more cylindrical and thick down the length of the taproot.

The reddish orange core is encapsulated with juicy, sweet orange flesh that is perfect for soups, canning, or eating fresh.

Little Finger Carrot

Extra sweet, finger-sized gourmet carrots ideal for containers

Type: Nantes
Days to Maturity: 55-65 days
Open Pollinated (OP): Yes
Length: 3 to 4 inches
Container Depth Needed: 8+ inches
Get seeds: Baker Creek (US), Burpee (US), Park Seed (US), Urban Farmer Seeds (US), McKenzie Seeds (Canada)

 

The Little Finger carrot is a Nantes-type gourmet carrot that looks like a baby version of the longer carrots at the grocery store. Despite the small size, the taproot is thick all the way down before tapering right at the tip.

The Little Finger was bred in France for canning and pickling, but is excellent for fresh eating or chopped into soups with its superb flavor. The skin is relatively smooth and the core is small, making them perfect for eating whole.

A dependable producer for market growers and perfect for container growing.

Short ‘N Sweet Carrot

Uniform, sweet carrot that makes the perfect container carrot

Type: Chantenay
Days to Maturity: 68 days
Open Pollinated (OP): Yes
Length: 3 to 4 inches
Container Depth Needed: 8+ inches
Get seeds: Burpee (US), Plants of Distinction (UK)

The Short ‘N Sweet carrot was bred for those looking for sweet, uniformly shaped carrots in a small package. It was actually developed for growing in heavy clay and other poor soils due to its short, stubby shape, but that makes it ideal for container gardening as well.

This variety is just what it says on the tin: short and sweet. These bright orange carrots are perfect for snacking or for stews, pickling and canning. They are broad at the shoulders but taper to a uniform tip.

Whether growing in containers or raised beds, you can get excellent yields from this variety. Highly recommended for those wanting to grow a Chantenay-type carrot.

Scarlet Nantes Carrot

Nearly coreless sweet carrots with blunt tips that can be harvested early as baby carrots

Type: Nantes
Days to Maturity: 62-70 days
Open Pollinated (OP): Yes
Length: 6 to 7 inches
Container Depth Needed: 10+ inches
Get seeds: Seed Savers Exchange (US), Park Seed (US), West Coast Seeds (Canada), McKenzie Seeds (Canada)

 

The Scarlet Nantes carrot sets the standard for high quality carrots with its crisp, tender, and flavorful taproot.

For a carrot of its size, it also pushes up its bright orange shoulders earlier than other varieties. The core is very small for its size, which is why Scarlet Nantes is so tender yet crisp, and the carrot itself is slightly tapered at the end.

The Scarlet Nantes is excellent for slicing, pickling, eating fresh, or freezing.

Although this is a full-sized carrot, it can be harvested earlier as baby Nantes-type carrots, which make it great for containers.

Oxheart Carrot

Massive, fat carrots that can reach up to 1 lb

Type: Chantenay
Days to Maturity: 80-90 days
Open Pollinated (OP): Yes
Length: 3 to 5 inches
Container Depth Needed: 9+ inches
Get seeds: Baker Creek (US), Victory Seeds (US), Urban Farmer Seeds (US), Plants of Distinction (UK), Dobies (UK)

 

Oxheart carrots are aptly named for their resemblance to a beef heart – in both shape and size. They are relatively short, reaching 3 to 5 inches, but these Chantenay-type carrots are extremely wide at the top, easily reaching up to 1 lb at maturity. Oxheart carrots

Oxheart carrots are described as crisp and sweet, yet mild in flavor. A great yielder for small gardens due to their massive, yet stout size.

These carrots thrive in containers and in heavy soils, where their massive, stout taproot can easily push aside clay. Great for juicing or any other use when cut into smaller pieces.