pic?

I ate it. As I said, it looked like the other Nantes, except for the color. Don't need a pic. White is white. Um, sorta like the color under the letters in this post. Oh, it tasted fine.

I read that carrots may turn white if they lack certain nutrients, particularly potassium or nitrogen. Poor soil quality, insufficient watering, or inadequate sunlight can also lead to abnormal coloration in carrots. But this guy was neck to neck with normal orange ones.

There are several varieties of white carrots available to grow. A random seed getting into your packet is likely the cause.

Rodney

I agree with Rodney. There are a number of varieties of white carrot and it would not be much of a stretch for a seed (or several) to get mixed in with the Nantes.

Or could just be a genetic fluke of reversion. Wild carrots, from which all cultivars are derived, are white rooted. Orange carrots were a 16th c. development.

These seeds were from Botanical Interests. I guess a random seed dropped in from another variety is one explanation. But if genetic reversion. I'd expect this to have been reported elsewhere. Now, I did have daikon radishes in a bed about 20 yards away, but this didn't look like those.

NVM, MGCB

Once in a blue moon I'll get a white or light/pale yellow carrot (I also grow Nantes/Touchon). Did yours taste ok? Mine seemed a bit off in flavor so I just toss those on the rare occasion they pop up.

Ah, thanks vzkg. That's the confirmation I was looking for. Mine did not have any off-taste, though it might have been somewhat firmer than a regular carrot. The carrot had no color. Pure white.

I just happen to have an odd seed of some type in my Brussels Sprouts seed packet.

It's the one on the right with serrated edges (saw tooth) on the leaves. It's not the same as the other smooth edged Brussels Sprouts I planted so I guess I'll need to wait see what it is.

Well, no question that a rogue seed might have been dropped in my packet, but I was wondering if there was some natural explanation. It should be noted that BI does not market white carrots. They market purple and red ones, but not white ones. So that makes a mistake on their part less likely.

Botanical Interests sells a carnival blend and a rainbow blend. Both of which have white carrots included. And even if they didn't sell white carrots themselves, they likely got the seeds from a supplier that produces them and it could have happened there.

Rodney

Botanical Interests does carry a "rainbow mix" which does include white carrots. These claim to be a cross between Nantes and Imperator types so the possibility still remains this could be either a rogue seed OR a reversion.

Their "Carnival Blend" does not call out white carrots. It calls out lots of other colors. "Rainbow" does, so that might be it. Thank you. Still would be interesting to understand if some reversion was possible.

Their Carnival Blend is listed as "purple, red, white, yellow, and orange". The Rainbow Carrot is listed as "mix of colors from coral to yellow to white". So both have white in it.

I see, for Carnival Blend: "Variety Info: PURPLE: Purple skin, orange interior, tapered roots. RED: Red skin, yellow interior, rounded ends. YELLOW: Yellow skin, yellow interior, tapered roots. ORANGE: Orange skin, orange interior, tapered roots." Not sure where you got white.

I got it from their website for their Carnival Blend. https://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/carnival-blend-carrot-seeds?_pos=5&_sid=fcb41bd2e&_ss=r

"Grown and eaten in Asia and Europe 1,000 years ago, these colorful carrots are available once again. Just like the popular orange carrots, red, purple, and yellow carrots contain plenty of vitamin A and other healthful nutrients. Carnival Blend carrots can also be harvested when only 3"–4" long for gourmet baby carrots."

Where did your description come from?

It's strange. The organic version of their carnival blend (the one beesneeds linked) does not specifically say white is included, but their conventional version does (which must have been the link I looked at, see below).

Rodney

https://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/calliope-blend-carrot-seeds

Doh! Good catch Rodney. Heh, I dropped the wrong link there and didn't even realize it. Looks like Botanical Interests has two versions of the mixes on their site, and also the version that Dan provided that isn't what's listed on the site. Ah, the grace of magic gardens.

Two pages on Carnival Blend with different numbers of seeds and different prices. But this is digressing from the issue. Yes, it could be a rogue seed, but maybe a reversion?