We’re quickly approaching spring planting at Riverside Collective Farm and we’ve decided to expand some of our carrot production. High Mowing has a great collection of carrot varieties that satisfy our needs. Here are some varieties that have worked on our farm and that Riverside’s customers know and love. For the past few years we’ve grown Napoli F1 in our unheated hoop house for an early offering of spring carrots at our farmers market. Our customers can’t get enough of their sweet, crisp, carroty flavor! We’ll double our hoop house production this year and include Yaya F1, which has strong tops that are great for bunching, and is our favorite early season variety in terms of flavor. Colorful carrots in a mixed bunch make an eye catching display, especially at early markets, and are appreciated by chefs as well. Together with your favorite orange carrot, varieties like Dragon, Yellowstone, and White Satin F1 can be seeded separately or just mixed in the hopper of your seeder. Of course, High Mowing's Starburst Blend will achieve a similar effect. However you do it, the result is a nutritious array of colors and flavors that customers will love. We grow Miami F1 and Negovia F1 for well-balanced successions throughout the season. We like their seasonal versatility as well as their long-term storage - they’ve made it possible for us to sell quality carrots year-round. This year I’m looking forward to growing Cupar F1, which is gaining a reputation as a standard in the processing industry, with hefty 8” roots that average several inches around at the shoulder, and flavor that improves in storage. I’m also planning to try the NEW open-pollinated Dolciva carrot, a popular market standard in Europe. In High Mowing's storage trials, it performed better than Bolero, with 30% more sugars and almost zero loss in quality after 6 months in the cooler! Timing, diversity, and quality varieties make growers like Riverside Collective Farm successful. Let us know how we at High Mowing can help you succeed on your farm. Be sure to check out all of our carrot varieties to find what works best for you. Happy growing! Megen Hall, Farmer & Commercial Grower Sales Rep