Specialty Carrot
Atomic Red Carrot transforms in the kitchen like few vegetables can, starting as a soft coral shade and deepening to brilliant red when cooked. This stunning cultivar grows 4 to 8 inches tall with uniform, reddish-pink roots reaching about 8 inches long, ready for harvest in 75 days. Unlike other red carrots, its vivid color runs through the entire core, attributed to exceptionally high levels of lycopene that become even more bioavailable when heated.
Full Sun
Moderate
?-?
8in H x 2in W
Biennial
Moderate
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The magic happens when you cook these carrots. Their coral hue transforms into a deep, striking red that intensifies with heat, making them natural showstoppers on any plate. The color isn't just surface deep either, this variety maintains its vibrant pigmentation straight through to the core. Packed with lycopene, these carrots offer powerful antioxidant benefits that actually increase when cooked. They sweeten beautifully in cold weather and grow with remarkable uniformity.
These carrots excel in cooked applications where their dramatic color transformation can shine. Their high lycopene content makes them particularly valuable for roasting, braising, and incorporating into soups where the cooking process enhances both their antioxidant benefits and their striking appearance. The uniform size and core-to-skin color consistency make them excellent for presentation dishes where visual impact matters.
Not recommended as root disturbance stunts carrot growth significantly.
Sow outside 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 45°F. Continue successive sowings every 3 weeks until 10 to 12 weeks before your average first fall frost date. Direct sow from mid-April until early August in deeply worked, fertile soil.
Harvest after 75 days when roots reach about 8 inches in length. Pull carrots carefully to avoid breaking the roots. Remove tops immediately after harvesting as they draw water and nutrients from the roots, then use the greens to flavor soup stock rather than letting them go to waste.
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“Red carrots actually predate the familiar orange varieties that dominate today's markets, representing an older genetic lineage that brings us closer to carrots' ancestral roots. Atomic Red stands as a modern celebration of this heritage, bred to capture the best qualities of historical red varieties while offering the uniform growth and reliable performance that contemporary gardeners expect.”