There’s nothing quite like a homegrown carrot’s perfect crunch and sweetness. And if you crave an extra hit of sweetness, you’re going to love the Napoli carrot.
A bright orange carrot variety with a unique, super-sweet flavor, Napoli is also easy to grow and an early, heavy producer.
Read on to learn all about this tasty and beautiful carrot, including how to grow it in your own garden.
Looking for Napoli carrot seeds? Check availability.
Characteristics of the Napoli Carrot
The Napoli carrot, whose botanical name is Daucus carota var. sativus, is a Nantes-type hybrid cultivar.
Here’s what you can expect to see and taste when growing and eating this exceptional carrot.
Plant Traits
This carrot cultivar produces bright orange, smooth, famously uniform, cylindrical roots about seven to eight inches long.
The carrots have slightly tapered shoulders, blunt ends, and dark green tops.
Taste of the Napoli Carrot
Napoli carrots are popular for their exceptionally sweet flavor, tender texture, and juicy crunch.
And when harvested late, they become even sweeter!
How to Use Napoli Carrots
These sweet carrots are perfect for snacking on raw.
But here are a few more ideas for other great ways to use your Napoli carrot harvest, too!
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Honey
This recipe for Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Honey is a versatile side dish with endless pairing possibilities.
You can also swap out the parsnip for another veggie you have available in your garden. Turnips, potatoes, or sweet potatoes could all work paired with carrots in this dish.
Pickled Carrots and Jalapeños
Sweet, mild Napoli carrots are perfect for this Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots recipe!
Spicy pickled carrots make a great snack or an easy side dish to serve up with your favorite Mexican recipes. And a pickling kit can make it super easy to get started pickling your own veggies at home.
How to Store Carrots
It’s really true: eating too many orange carrots can temporarily turn your skin orange.
And with your early and prolific Napoli carrot harvest, you might wind up with more carrots than you can, or should, eat all at once.
Don’t worry! We’ve got instructions for how to store carrots and keep them fresh so that you can enjoy your harvest longer. (And not turn orange.)
Health Benefits of Carrots
You probably already know that carrots are good for you. But here’s a rundown of some of the specific ways these popular vegetables benefit your health.
Vitamin A
Beta-carotene, a provitamin that gives the Napoli carrot its lovely orange color, converts to vitamin A in the body.
And just half a cup of orange carrots provides more than half the daily value of this essential nutrient.
The high vitamin A content is why carrots are so well-known for supporting eye health and vision. But vitamin A also supports immunity, bone and skin health, and vital organ function.
Weight Loss and Digestive Health
Carrots are high in fiber and low in calories. Eating them helps you feel full, so snacking on carrots can work as a natural appetite suppressant.
Carrots’ fiber, minerals, and enzymes also support overall digestive health.
Preventative Health
Because they are high in antioxidants, eating carrots can also help to prevent certain kinds of cancer.
And another benefit of the carrot’s vitamin A content? Studies show vitamin A can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Grow Your own Napoli Carrots
Prepare to grow a healthy Napoli carrot plant by reading the growing info below before you get started.
Where Can You Grow Napoli Carrots?
Despite what you might have heard, carrots are easy to grow!
With the right soil and some strategic preparation, you can grow carrots just about anywhere in the world.
How to Grow Napoli Carrots
Follow the steps below to start your own Napoli carrot patch!
Soil Prep
Carrots need loose, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Sandy soil enriched with well-decomposed compost is ideal.
Till the soil at least twelve inches deep and work it until you’ve achieved a fine texture.
If you have clay or rocky soil in your garden, plant your carrots in containers or raised garden beds instead.
Placement
For best results, plant Napoli carrots in full sunlight.
They can also tolerate partial shade but will produce better quality carrots with more light.
Sowing
Sow Napoli carrot seeds as early as spring. For a continuous crop, sow more seeds about once a month.
Plant one inch apart and half an inch deep, in rows about two feet apart. Consider sowing companion plants in between the rows for best results.
Radishes make perfect companions for carrots because they help keep the soil loose. And planting garlic, onions, chives, or leeks in your carrot patch can deter flies as well.
Water Needs
Carrots need about an inch of water per week. In dry climates, provide your carrot plants with frequent, shallow waterings that keep the soil moist but not wet.
Consistency is key. Fluctuations in a carrot’s water supply can lead to split roots.
When To Harvest
The Napoli carrot will reach maturity at 55 days.
After that, you can harvest the carrots when you need them, or when they’ve reached your desired level of sweetness.
To overwinter your carrots, sow late in the summer and harvest in the winter. Napoli carrots harvested after a frost will have an extra-sweet flavor.
Common Pests and Diseases
Carrot flies may be drawn to your Napoli carrot patch. In addition to sowing companion plants that repel flies, you can also use row covers to keep pests off your plants.
Blight is a common disease that causes brown or black lesions on carrot plant leaves. Remove and dispose of affected leaves immediately to keep the fungus from spreading.
And to prevent blight from recurring, plant your carrots on a three-year crop rotation.
Where to Buy Napoli Carrot Seeds
Ready to start planting your Napoli carrots? While they’re not the most common carrot variety, it’s not difficult to find seeds to grow your own.
You can find Napoli seeds on Amazon. Order yours in time for spring planting!
Or if you prefer, you can purchase your Napoli seeds on Etsy.
Let’s Start Growing Napoli Carrots!
Order your Napoli carrot seeds today and get started growing these sweet, colorful treats in your garden. You’ll love coming up with new and creative ways to include them in your meals.
And if you’re eager to dig in and learn all about carrots, your next stop is the Carrot Plants page on our website!