First the potatoes and now the carrots. Can veg growing get any more exciting than this? I grew these carrots in a bucket on a balcony, well above the pesky carrot fly’s cruising height, and have been rewarded with these spectacular psychedelic roots. I’ve never grown ‘Rainbow Mix’ before, but it’s on the list for next year already!
I was talking to fellow blogger Veronica at Through the Garden Gate about the enduring delight of digging up potatoes and she says for her the excitement never wanes as it’s like hunting for hidden treasure. And I really felt like this too, waiting to see which colours were next to appear. I marvelled that having sowed and thinned out the carrots randomly, there was still an even amount of oranges, reds, purples and yellows in the bucket. So after the quickest of washes, I started nibbling at the different colours and found that they were all remarkably sweet. What’s more, they retain their colour when cooked.
I have to admit that the purple ones are my favourites though as they still have an orange flesh which contrasts in a very groovy fashion with their rich exterior. These purple carrots can be bought separately as ‘Purple Haze’ or ‘Cosmic Purple’ -still firmly in the realms of psychedelia then!
Out of my shed 
We grew ‘Purple Haze’in the ground this year and, despite some hit and miss germination, they have been spectacular. I love the idea of a Rainbow Mix, where did you get them from?
HI Anna, the rainbow mix came from http://www.pennardplants.com/ Looking forward to growing Purple Haze next year too.
Thank you. Bookmarked for future reference.
All those betacarotenes must be so good for us, too.
Hi Helen, I could taste the goodness in every bite! love the Helen Davies floral keyboard and mouse at http://www.johnlewis.com/231725662/Product.aspx you wrote about. Tempting ……
Brilliant in every way.
Indeed!
I never would have believed you could grow carrots that way! Yours look so much better than the ones I saw at the farmers market yesterday!!
Thanks Jayne! Couldn’t believe how good they looked myself! I have also grown some at my allotment, so will dig them up soon, but a bit fearful that they may have been got at by carrot fly…..
Wow. these are beautiful!
I’m now tempted to try “carrots in a bucket” in my back yard.. 🙂
Hi Under Gardener, try and find the biggest bucket/container you can lay your hands on and I’m sure you’ll have loads of these gorgeous roots. I used John Innes compost to keep them nice and moist and was delighted with my efforts. Good luck for next year!
Lovely! I’ve never grown carrots, but I’m sure I’d get the same thrill from pulling these up as I do from potatoes! x
Hi Veronica, I’m sure you would! I was amazed by the success of these veg and think they’re definitely one for a balcony or wide window sill if you can find a deep enough container.
Rainbow mix has been the best carrot we have ever grown, hands down. Rainbow Chard also the best.
Your photos look fantastic. Really enjoying your blog!
Thanks Gardeningbren! This carrot mix was a revelation as not only did they look so good, but they were incredibly sweet too. I also grew Paris Market this year in window boxes, and these were greatfor such a confined space, but not quite matching the sweetness (or the multi-coloured glory) of the rainbow mix.
That’s exactly how I feel about digging up potatoes! Reminds me of when I was a kid, and we used to do treasure hunts in the garden. Fun times. One of my favourite jobs on the plots, I suspect its a great one to do with kids as well.
I love those carrots too. I’ve grown parsnips in florist buckets for the last couple of years and they’ve done well. Not huge specimens, but nice and sweet, and better than the stumpy ones I get out of my stoney ground.
Hi Jono, Think I might have been inspired by your parsnip success to have a go at carrots in pots. You’re right, they weren’t particularly large, but their sweetness was astounding.
[…] for the space and time they occupied. I loved experimenting with ‘no dig’ potatoes and rainbow carrots in pots-they were a true delight to unearth-but it was the lettuces that kept me in dinners all summer […]