Carrots

We are growing 140 hectares of organic carrots for the 2026/27 season, mainly destined for the UK’s major supermarkets.

We have also targeted a significant proportion of our production towards the ‘baby food’ market and ‘box schemes’. Together, these two outlets account for around 25% of our total production.

Supply starts in July and extends through to the following May, with all carrots harvested after December being ‘strawed up’ for the winter months.

Varieties in production include Speedo and Octavo, as well as Bangor for the processing market. Octavo has high resistance to viruses and cavity spot and is also an excellent long-term storage variety.

Due to customer demand, we have recently installed a carrot-washing facility, allowing us to offer a basic washing service to support our processing and wholesale outlets.

A crown grader was installed in January 2023.

Variety Development: We are always keen to explore new varieties. If any customer would like us to consider a particular variety, please let us know.

New Product Development: This season, in conjunction with Dr Richard Binks of freshtec.co.uk, we are using a biological approach to help control carrot root fly. We also continue to work with Koppert, using a range of its biological products to support the natural control of several pests. This forms part of our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy.

We are also trialling three-row beds this season, maintaining the same plant population per hectare as our current four-row beds. The wider row spacing helps to improve airflow.