Along the same line, I would like to know how to BUY better-tasting carrots. Is there a way to tell which ones will be bitter?

I like Nantes variety, very sweet/tender esp autumn crops, and good juicers too. We always take a platter full to our annual family Xmas party and the plate is empty by the time Santa arrives.

As Veggieking mentions I think the key is when the carrots are harvested. If harvested in the heat of summer they will be less sweet than those harvested in the fall or winter after they have been frost kissed a few times. Some of my fall carrots actually got frozen in the soil for a week or so before I could harvest them and they were the sweetest carrots I've ever tasted.

Here in the KC area I sow my fall carrots in late July and harvest in October and November.

I find that Romance [Stokes Seeds] is a Nantes type that is an excellent grower.

Like LoneJack, for me those that are harvested latest after many frosts taste the best.

My favorite variety is Bolero- It is also the most requested at my winter farmers markets.

Bolero has also been my favorite of the dozen or so varieties I've tried. I recommend ordering pelleted carrot seed for ease of planting and mush less thinning. When I try to sow conventional carrot seed in late July it is so hot and sweaty that the seed sticks to my hand and I end up sowing clumps of seed and it makes thinning nearly impossible. Johnny's selected seed carries the pelleted Bolero as well as several other varieties.

I'm kinda impulsive crazy so I'm gonna try many different types, and I'll try to leave space for a late planting in late July to start of August. I've always assumed that seeds would do poorly in July heat, and I don't really plan on prime garden space for July, the interplanting doesn't leave much sun for seeds in July- early August.

Going to try Saint Valery Carrot, Muscade Carrot, and a pelleted Nantes F1 type. And Purple Dragon.

Going to try the Parisian Market ball type just in random empty spots, experiment if I can get edible carrots like that. Would these little ball carrots make good mid -late August planted carrots?

Going to try Black Nebula, I assume that this one should be a later planting to taste decent and not flower? Will it do poorly in the spring?

Going to try Yellowstone yellow carrot. Will this yellow be edible in spring? Or should it be a later planting? I once tried a yellow carrot years ago and it grew like a weed and the roots did not seem edible so I didn't give them a good try. Read that the yellow carrots are good fresh maybe if young or that they are only good for cooking, widely different opinions. Says they are strong growers as I witnessed but the yellow carrots at the grocery are at least edible, not like the tough weed tree root like yellow carrots I pulled out of my garden.