VegetableCarrot
St. Valery Carrot
Imperator Carrot
St. Valery is a large, handsome heirloom carrot that's been grown for well over a century, prized by seed savers and juice enthusiasts for its intense flavor and earthy sweetness with hints of ginger. The bright red-orange roots stretch 10 to 12 inches long and taper gracefully, delivering smooth, tender flesh with minimal core. Reaching maturity in 70 to 109 days depending on growing conditions, it thrives in zones 3 through 10 and handles frost with ease, making it reliable across most North American gardens. This open-pollinated variety is equally at home fresh on the table or pressed into juice.
Photo © True Leaf Market(https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/carrot-seeds-st-valery)
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Loose Loam; Loose Texture Aids Root Growth
Preferred Temp55-75°F
Growth Stats
PeriodBiennial
TypeRoot
Spacing
1-2 inches apart
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-10
Size
?in H x ?in W
Growth
Biennial
Care
Moderate
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Highlights
Baker Creek calls this their favorite carrot for juicing, and the intensity of flavor explains why. The roots are remarkably uniform and smooth once they develop in loose soil, with a pronounced taper that makes them satisfying to pull from the earth. Its sparse foliage is actually a virtue for storage gardeners; less leaf means the roots keep longer without sprouting. Frost hardiness extends the harvest window deep into autumn, and its productivity as a maincrop variety means you can sow once and harvest abundantly.
Common Uses
St. Valery excels as a juicing carrot, where its intense flavor and earthy sweetness shine. The sweet, tender flesh also makes it exceptional for fresh eating raw, sliced into salads or served with dips. Its long, tapering roots take well to storage, so it's a practical choice for gardeners who want to preserve carrots through winter. The smooth roots also work beautifully roasted or braised, where the ginger notes become more pronounced.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Early Spring
First Harvest
Mid-summer
Last Harvest
Late Summer
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow seed outdoors once soil temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit in spring. Sow seed 1/8 inch deep and keep soil consistently moist until germination occurs, which typically takes 12 to 18 days. Sow successive crops every 3 weeks for continuous harvest through autumn.
Harvesting
St. Valery matures in 70 to 109 days from direct sowing, depending on soil conditions and temperature. Roots are ready when they reach 10 to 12 inches long and show their distinctive bright red-orange color. Loosen soil around each carrot with a fork before pulling; the catalog sources recommend digging rather than pulling to minimize damage to the smooth roots, especially if you plan to store them. Harvest before hard freezes if storing, though this frost-tolerant variety tolerates light frosts in the ground.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Soil pH Range
6 – 6.8
Scientific Classification
Daucus carota L. var. sativus Hoffm.
Family
Apiaceae
Genus
Daucus
Duration
Biennial
Growth Habit
Forb/herb
History & Origin
“The Vilmorins of France, legendary seedsmen, documented St. Valery in their 1885 catalog and noted even then that it had been grown for a considerable time, suggesting roots reaching back into the mid-1800s or earlier. The variety carries a French pedigree typical of that era's carrot breeding, when selection focused on uniform size, flavor intensity, and storage longevity. Its survival to today is a testament to gardeners who recognized its excellence and continued saving seed, passing it through generations until modern seed companies like Baker Creek and True Leaf Market made it accessible again to home growers.”