Why Are My Garden Carrots White? – Possible Causes

People get surprised when they come across white carrots! But did you know that orange carrots never existed? Now you know.

Orange carrots were created by the Dutch through a crossbreed of white and purple carrots. Apart from orange and white carrots, there are other varieties such as yellow, red, baby carrots and magenta carrots.

A carrot is a root vegetable that is grown in all corners of the world. Most gardening carrots are orange in color, which is rich in carotene. If you grow orange carrot seeds in your garden, you should harvest orange carrots. However, if your garden carrots turn white, then something may be wrong.

You’ve come to the right place if you’re curious about why your orange carrots changed to white.

Here are some of the reasons why:

Seed Mix-up

The first thing to suspect should be seed mix-up.

If you accidentally mixed-up orange carrot seeds and white carrot seeds, you may have some carrots orange and others white. Confirm with the store where you bought the carrot seeds if they did mix-up the seeds. This is a common problem that storekeepers make.

One seed may find its way in another pack if they are packed close to each other. Ensure that the storekeeper compensates if it’s their fault. Also, if you keep white carrot seeds in the house, there is a possibility that you mixed them up without knowing.

You can avoid seed mix-up by keeping the seeds separately or buying from a reliable seed store with proper organization.

Cross-pollination

Another reason may be due to cross-pollination.

If your orange garden carrots cross-pollinate with their native cousin Queen Anne’s Lace, then they will turn to white. This typically happens when they both flower at the same time. When these two get mixed-up or cross-pollinates, you will have a white carrot instead of an orange carrot.

The only way to prevent cross-pollination from happening is by getting rid of Queen Anne’s Lace from your carrot garden. Queen Anne’s Lace is also referred to as wild carrot.

The majority of the carrots that you can find today were once wild carrots. However, identifying wild carrot in the garden can be tricky as it spreads so well. Some people even confuse about weed. Also, some stores may accidentally sell you wild carrot seeds instead of orange carrot seeds.

Poor Planting Conditions

Like any other vegetable, proper care of your carrots is crucial for a bountiful harvest.

You need to ensure that your carrot grows in the right soil, receives the right fertilizer, and has the right growing conditions. If these conditions are not right, it might affect the proper growth and development of your garden carrots. If the soil is moist in some places more than others, or if the temperature is extremely high or low, your carrot may begin to change color.

Carrot roots are very sensitive to soil conditions. So, before anything else, ensure that the soil is right for your vegetable. Avoid planting your carrots in heavy, clay soils. Also, avoid excess nitrogen as it will affect how your carrot grows. Even though most plants need a lot of nitrogen to flourish, carrots don’t.

Excess nitrogen may change your carrot roots to purple or any other color. Get rid of weeds, such as wild carrots, as they may cross-pollinate and create a white carrot. This is important, especially during the growing season.

Dehydration

Dehydration can also cause your orange garden carrots to turn white.

The white appearance on dehydrated carrots is known as “white blush.” Since carrots are root vegetables, they hold a lot of water that helps to nourish the plant. Therefore, after you harvest the vegetable, it naturally discharges moisture to the surroundings.

For this reason, the carrot turns whitish. Nevertheless, the carrot can slowly regain its orange color if you put it in icy water for about 15 minutes. If you want to attain an even darker orange color, you can place it in a freezer for a few minutes. The style used to package picked garden carrots makes them turn white.

Even though the packaging design is for preserving the carrots, it does not stop them from dehydrating. Therefore, the carrot losses water and turn to a whitish color. And when frozen, it regains its orange color.

Are White Carrots Edible?

Surprisingly, Yes! They are edible.

In fact, white carrots are just as nutritious as orange ones. They are a fantastic source of potassium, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. Nonetheless, they don’t have the same taste as orange carrots, and they are quite hard. Though they lack the sweetness of their orange counterparts, they still have a delicious flavor that is excellent for incorporating into recipes.

Additionally, their mildly sweet flavor makes them ideal for blending into salad dressings or soups. On top of that, they have a bitter taste, which separates it from purple, red, or even yellow varieties. But you can make it tastier by cooking it with other vegetables.

Cooking the carrot changes its taste, and you won’t feel the bitter taste anymore. White carrots have other nutritional advantages. Antioxidants are abundant in white carrots, which have higher concentrations than other varieties.

They  guards you against the majority of diseases. These antioxidants and phytochemicals found in white carrots may aid in stabilizing blood sugar levels. They also lower the risk of breast, colon, and lung cancer, and may also help to prevent aging and boost immune function. Additionally, they contain a naturally occurring bioactive substance that interacts with nutrients and dietary fiber and can be found in plant-based foods.

Baby foods usually contain white carrot because it helps to prevent the growth of orange skin.

How To Properly Grow Carrots

Taking care of your garden carrots shouldn’t be a big deal.

First and foremost, you should plant them in the right season. Secondly, make sure that the soil and environmental conditions are right. Additionally, weed your garden during the growing season.

Watch out for pests and diseases as they are also dangerous to your carrot roots. One of the pests to watch out for is root-knot nematodes. These are plant parasites that love feeding on root tissue. If they attack your carrots, you will have to uproot the infested carrots before they spread around.

Control other common pests and diseases if you want to have a plentiful carrot harvest.

Conclusion

If you come across a white carrot in your garden, don’t be surprised. It may be due to a mix-up in the store, cross-pollination from wild carrot, or poor growing conditions. While if you have already harvested the plant, it may be due to dehydration.

Regardless of the cause, you can follow the procedures that we’ve underlined to salvage your plant. The times when gardeners independently collected seeds from their gardens are long gone. Make sure that you weed your garden and plant the carrot in the right conditions.

What’s more, buy your carrot seeds from a reliable store dealer to avoid future mix-ups. We hope that you have found the information you have been looking for.

All the best with your garden carrots!