Carrots you sow once and eat until spring. Opus F1 is a hybrid carrot variety intended for storage: the roots are intensely orange, uniform, with smooth skin and a small core, and are rich in carotene and sugars. Sown in April or May, it matures in autumn and stores easily in the cellar until spring without losing its juiciness.

In brief

• Type: late hybrid variety (F1), suitable for storage
• Roots: orange, smooth, uniform
• Direct sowing: April–May
• Harvest: September–October
• Position: sunny, light, deeply loosened soil
• Difficulty: easy – a variety for beginners
• Number of seeds per packet: approx. 2,400 (3 g)

What makes this variety stand out

Hybrid carrot varieties such as Opus F1 offer what old open-pollinated varieties lack: uniformity. The roots are similar in length and thickness, smooth, without forking or green shoulders, making them easier to wash, peel and sort for storage. The skin is thin, while the flesh is uniformly orange all the way to the centre, sweet and juicy – excellent both raw in salads and for juicing.

The producer recommends Opus as a storage carrot, meaning a variety from the later group: it takes longer to mature, but develops a firm, well-coloured root that keeps for many months in a cool cellar or clamp without wilting or rotting.

Growing step by step

Sowing (April–May, directly outdoors): sow storage carrots from mid-April to mid-May – later sowing produces roots that do not become overgrown and keep better through winter. Sow the seeds in rows 25–30 cm apart, 1–1.5 cm deep, in deeply loosened soil free of stones and fresh manure. Germination takes 2–3 weeks; keep the soil moist until emergence.

Thinning: when the seedlings are 3–4 cm tall, thin them to 3–5 cm apart in the row; repeat after 3–4 weeks, leaving the final spacing of 5–7 cm. Thin in the evening or after rain, and immediately cover the rows with soil – the scent of disturbed foliage attracts the carrot fly.

Care between the rows: weed by hand and shallowly loosen the soil between the rows until the foliage closes over. Water evenly, especially in July and August, when the root grows rapidly – irregular watering causes splitting. Cover any shoulders protruding above the soil so they do not turn green.

Harvesting and storage (September–October): dig up the carrots on a dry day before severe frosts, cut off the foliage just above the shoulder and do not wash them. Store them in crates filled with damp sand, in a cellar at 0–4°C with high humidity, or in a clamp. Properly stored carrots keep until March or April.

Uses

A versatile kitchen carrot: for salads (sweet, crunchy and easy to grate), for juicing (plenty of juice and an intense colour), as well as for cooking, soups, roasting and preserving – pickles, jarred salads and pasteurised juices. Its main advantage, however, is storage: the autumn harvest lasts throughout the winter. In the garden, carrots are good companions for onions and leeks – they help repel each other’s pests.

Gardener’s tip

Specifications