Touchon

Family: Apiaceae Root Vegetable

Planting Schedule

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Sweetly fragrant, Touchon Nantes carrots mature to a graceful, tapered form with a vivid, warm orange core and a smooth, fine-grained texture that feels tender from the first bite.

Their flavor is notably balanced—brightly sweet with a gentle, earthy finish—ideal for turning simple harvests into vivid color across the garden bed. Grow Touchon for fresh snacking, roasting to caramel depth, and for silky sauces and quick pickles where their color and sweetness truly shine.

Light: Full SunMaturity: 75 DaysHabit: Taproot

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Touchon Planting Dates by USDA Zone

Estimated US hardiness-zone windows for sow, transplant, and harvest. Enter a US ZIP above for exact local dates, or open a zone below.

Zone	Start Indoors	Sow / Transplant	Harvest
Zone 1a	Protected Environment Only
Zone 1b	Protected Environment Only
Zone 2a	Direct Sow	May 25th	Aug 8th – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Direct Sow	May 15th	Jul 29th – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Direct Sow	May 15th	Jul 29th – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Direct Sow	May 19th	Aug 2nd – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Direct Sow	May 15th	Jul 29th – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Direct Sow	May 13th	Jul 27th – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Direct Sow	May 8th	Jul 22nd – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Direct Sow	May 4th	Jul 18th – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Direct Sow	May 1st	Jul 15th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Direct Sow	Apr 25th	Jul 9th – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Direct Sow	Apr 20th	Jul 4th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Direct Sow	Apr 10th	Jun 24th – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Direct Sow	Apr 1st	Jun 15th – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Direct Sow	Mar 23rd	Jun 6th – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Direct Sow	Mar 6th	May 20th – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Direct Sow	Feb 9th	Apr 25th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th
Zone 10b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th
Zone 11a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th
Zone 11b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th
Zone 12a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th
Zone 12b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th
Zone 13a	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th
Zone 13b	—	Oct 1st	Dec 15th – Feb 28th

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	75
Sun Requirements	Full Sun
Growth Habit	Taproot
Support Needed	None
Planting Depth	Surface
Germination Temp (°F)	55
Min Soil Temp (°F)	50
Min Night Temp (°F)	28
Harden Off (days)	Not Required

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Touchon Nantes carrots are built for tenderness—fine-grained and sweet enough that you can treat them lightly and they still taste complete. Their warm orange, caramel-prone sugars make them especially good for roasting and quick pickling, where the flavor stays bright instead of going muddy.

Best Uses

quick blister-roasting until edges caramelize while the centers stay tender
shaved ribbons tossed with vinaigrette and flaky salt (no soggy waiting around)
silky purees or carrot-ginger soups where they disappear into smoothness
quick refrigerator pickles for vivid color and sweet tang

Flavor Profile

sweet, juicy snap warm orange brightness fine-grained tenderness with a gentle earthy finish fragrant carrot top-note when cooked

Kitchen Pairings

ginger lime olive oil butter honey yogurt

Frequently Asked Questions

What pest or disease most commonly affects Daucus carota (carrots), and how can I prevent it?

Carrots commonly suffer from carrot rust fly, whose larvae tunnel through roots, leaving dark channels. Use floating row cover over the bed from sowing until plants are well established, and avoid planting where carrots (or other Apiaceae like celery) were grown the prior season. If you spot infested roots, remove and destroy them promptly to reduce further egg-laying and carryover.

How often should I water carrots (Daucus carota var. sativus) during peak root bulking?

During the main growing phase (after seedlings establish), keep the top 2–3 inches of soil consistently evenly moist—typically about 1 inch of water per week total, adjusted for your weather. Water more deeply rather than frequently so roots stay on track, and stop just slightly as roots near maturity to reduce splitting.

How do I know when Touchon carrots are ready to harvest?

Start checking at about 70–75 days: look for the shoulder of the root lifting above the soil and reaching the expected thickness for the variety. For best flavor, harvest when roots are fully colored and firm but still relatively slender; leaving them too long can lead to tougher, more fibrous roots. Loosen soil with a fork and pull gently to avoid snapping short roots.