So last spring I got totally obsessed with figuring out where carrots grow best worldwide. Let me tell you straight up – this turned into way more work than I expected.
The Big Idea Strikes
Started simple: grabbed my laptop, searched “best carrot growing countries.” Got flooded with generic crap like “cool climates” and “loose soil.” Useless. Needed real dirt-under-fingernails data.
Operation Global Carrot Test
Ordered ten packs of same Nantes carrot seeds online. Dug up soil samples from:
- My backyard in Oregon
- Cousin’s farm in New Zealand (made her FedEx me dirt, crazy I know)
- Buddy’s garden in southern France
- College roommate’s place in Netherlands
- Even convinced mom to mail dirt from rainy UK
Got weird looks at airport security carrying baggies of international soil. Worth it.
The Actual Grind
Set up identical containers in my garage. Filled each with different country’s soil. Planted three seeds per container. Watered exactly 200ml daily. Measured sprouts every freaking morning.
First week: Netherlands and Oregon jumped ahead. French soil sprouted but looked weak. UK seeds drowned in that soggy dirt – total flop.
Week three: Oregon carrots grew bushy tops but stubby roots. Netherlands? Beautiful long orange fingers. New Zealand sample surprised me – decent length but weirdly pale color.
Epic Failures & Heroes
Tried replicating in Arizona (cousin’s balcony) – baked to crisps in 4 days. Iceland attempt? Forget it. Midnight sun confused plants so bad they bolted immediately.
Netherlands container became rockstar. Sand mixed with peat made perfect fluffy bed. Roots grew straight as arrows. Harvested carrots sweeter than Oregon’s by taste test.
The Gold Nuggets
Realized it’s not just about countries – it’s conditions:
- Dirt matters most: If it clumps in your fist, forget carrots
- Temperature tricks: Netherlands’ steady 60°F beat Oregon’s 40°F-85°F rollercoaster
- Light magic: 10-12 hours sunlight max – too much makes them bolt
Final Verdict?
Netherlands won hands-down for flavor and size. But here’s the kicker: you can make ANY spot work if you tweak conditions. Now I’m burying sand in my Oregon clay like crazy. Still chasing that Dutch perfection.
