VegetableCarrot
Samurai Red Carrot
Samurai Red Carrot is a Japanese heirloom variety that brings deep crimson beauty and exceptional sweetness to the cool-season garden. These glossy, tapered roots grow 10-12 inches long and mature in 70-79 days, making them a reliable choice for late-summer plantings destined for winter harvest. Unlike typical orange carrots, this kintoki-type accumulates anthocyanin rather than carotene, creating roots that are notably tender, juicy, and packed with the concentrated sweetness that defines premium Asian carrot varieties. Growing in zones 2-10, it thrives in full sun with minimal spacing, rewarding gardeners with both striking visual appeal and complex flavor.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Loose, Fertile Loam
Growth Stats
8 in
Height
Spacing
2
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
2-10
Size
8in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The deep scarlet color tells the whole story here. Samurai Red is a Japanese kintoki-type carrot where anthocyanin gives it that glossy, wine-dark hue rather than the carotene orange you'd expect. The roots are tender and remarkably juicy with a sweetness that builds when harvested in cool weather. At 10-12 inches long with a beautiful taper, these carrots are as gorgeous on the plate as they are in the garden.
Common Uses
Samurai Red carrots shine raw in salads where their tender texture and concentrated sweetness are fully appreciated, or lightly cooked to preserve their juicy character. Their refined flavor makes them excellent for stir-fries, where they cook quickly and maintain their crisp texture. Roasting brings out additional depth, while their striking color makes them a natural choice for any presentation where visual impact matters.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow Samurai Red in late summer for winter harvest, timing the planting so roots mature as temperatures cool. Sow seeds directly into loose, stone-free soil and keep the seedbed consistently moist until germination.
Harvesting
Samurai Red reaches full maturity in 70-79 days and signals readiness when roots are 10-12 inches long with a glossy deep scarlet color. Harvest by gently loosening soil around the root and pulling steadily. For maximum sweetness and color intensity, harvest after the first frost, when cool weather has had time to concentrate sugars in the roots.
Growing Calendar
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Daucus carota
Family
Apiaceae
Genus
Daucus
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)CAN (I)SPM (I)
History & Origin
“Samurai Red belongs to the kintoki carrot family, a Japanese tradition of sweet red and yellow root vegetables that have been cultivated for generations in East Asia. These heirloom carrots represent a different evolutionary path from the orange carrots common in Western gardens, developed specifically for their intense sweetness and color. The kintoki type has been preserved through Japanese seed-saving traditions and is now reaching Western gardeners through heirloom seed networks.”