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Nantes or Chantenay carrots

Updated: October 2026

You are choosing a packet for a British bed that is either deep and stone-free or a heavy soil where the fork stops early, and both orange pictures look the same. Nantes or Chantenay carrots is a shape decision: a blunt early root when you can give it depth, or a stump root when the workable soil is shallow, stony, or clay. The [carrot seed comparison](/hub/root-vegetables/carrot-seeds) prices the packets. This page says when to buy which shape. The Products Compared editorial team used the seller lines on the two Meldon listings from 15 October 2026 and the RHS notes on forking. We did not weigh a crop.

You are choosing a packet for a British bed that is either deep and stone-free or a heavy soil where the fork stops early, and both orange pictures look the same.

Our top picks

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored

Best overall

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored
9.2/10about £2.95
View offer
Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Early Nantes

Rank 2

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Early Nantes
9.0/10about £3.10
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The shapes are a blunt root and a stump
  2. 2.Soil picks the shape
  3. 3.The two packets in this set
  4. 4.When to sow both

The shapes are a blunt root and a stump

Nantes, on the Meldon Early Nantes packet, is sold as a blunt root with a small core. The seller’s line is 65–75 days, and a bullet puts the root at about 2 inches across. That figure is the seller’s description, not a root we pulled. Kings describes its Early Nantes 2 as a blunt cylinder with a small core. Chantenay Red Cored is sold as a stump of about 1.5 inches in about 80 days. Both Meldon bullets say to cover seed with about 3 cm, so the cover is not a reason to prefer one variety. Sowing depth, where the RHS figure is about 1 cm, is on how to sow carrot seeds.

Soil picks the shape

The RHS states that long roots fork in stones, in shallow soil, and in clay, and that short-rooted types cope better. If your soil pans at 15 cm, or it is full of flint, the stump is the one that finishes. If you have a deep, sandy, stone-free bed, the blunt Nantes root is the one the extra depth is for. Fresh manure forks both shapes. Suttons tells growers not to sow Nantes into freshly manured ground, and the same rich pocket will split a Chantenay. Containers change the rule only by changing the depth you can offer. A deep pot can take Nantes if you let it size, or you pull it young. A trough near 20 cm is Chantenay ground. That pot decision is on carrot seeds for pots.
Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored

Testsieger

Meldon Seeds Meldon Seeds Chantenay Red Cored
9.2/10about £2.95
View offer

The two packets in this set

On 15 October 2026 the Early Nantes single was £3.10 with 4.3 from 267 reviews. The title says 1,000 seeds and the pieces line says 2,000, so the sample is large and the count is not settled. The listing does say the seed suits pots, troughs, or beds, without a pot depth. Chantenay Red Cored was £2.95 with 4.4 from 170 reviews. Other reviews report no roots, five weeks with nothing showing, or goosefoot where the row should have been. The 4.4 does not prove a sweeter carrot than the 4.3. The buying guide is where you put those count and wording checks in order before you add either ASIN.

When to sow both

Sow Chantenay where the soil is shallow, stony, or heavy, and sow Nantes only where the tilth is deep or a deep pot stands in for it. It is not a storage plan. Autumn King 2, at £2.34, is the tapering maincrop linked to keeping, and it sits outside this choice. If the first Nantes row forks, switch that ground to the stump rather than covering the same blunt seed more deeply. Choose Chantenay when you cannot offer a clear 20 cm of workable soil. Choose Nantes when you can, or when you will pull it young from a deep pot. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Common questions

What is the difference between Nantes and Chantenay?
Nantes is sold as a blunt, cylindrical root with a small core. On the Meldon packet the seller says about 2 inches across and 65–75 days. Chantenay is sold as a stump, about 1.5 inches across and about 80 days on that listing. The practical difference is the soil each shape can finish, not a lab score of flavour.
Which is better in clay?
Chantenay. The RHS says long roots fork in clay, stones, and shallow soil, and that shorter roots cope better. A blunt Nantes root still wants a clear run. If your clay pans shallow, the stump packet at £2.95 is the closer match. Neither shape enjoys freshly manured ground, so changing the packet does not cancel last month’s muck.
Can both go in pots?
Yes, with different depths. Both Meldon listings say pots, troughs, or beds. Nantes needs a deep pot or an early pull. Chantenay is the stump for a trough nearer the RHS baby-carrot depth of more than 20 cm. Neither listing states that depth itself.
Which tastes sweeter?
These pages do not show that. Some Chantenay reviewers say the roots were sweet, and Dobies uses traditionally thought for a Chantenay cultivar in its catalogue. That is not a sugar test, and the Meldon review texts are not a blind tasting. Buy the stump for shallow soil, not for a sweetness claim.
Is Chantenay a storage carrot?
Not in the way Autumn King is sold. The Meldon Chantenay line is a stump in about 80 days, and Dobies calls a similar cultivar an early maincrop. Storage in this set is the claim on Autumn King 2, a tapering root at £2.34, which is a different packet and a different soil demand. Do not treat it as a winter keeper because the stump sounds sturdy.
How do the two Meldon packets compare on price and reviews?
On 15 October 2026 Early Nantes was £3.10 with 4.3 from 267 reviews, and Chantenay was £2.95 with 4.4 from 170. Nantes has the larger sample and a count conflict of 1,000 against 2,000. Chantenay is slightly cheaper, with its own reports of rows that never appeared. Price does not pick the shape. The soil does.

Related pages

Forked carrot roots

Carrot seeds

Best carrot seeds: top pick, best value, and skips

Carrot seeds buying guide for shape, count and price

Carrot seeds for pots: UK depth, compost and variety

How to sow carrot seeds: depth, timing and thinning

Sources

Public UK sources, checked with the amazon.co.uk listings of 15 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures in the display file. Specialist catalogue prices are before postage.

  1. RHS: How to grow carrots (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. RHS: Carrot fly (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Seed Marketing Regulations 2011 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: Apply to have seeds certified (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Seed Marketing Regulations 2011, explanatory memorandum (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Gardeners’ World: How to grow carrots (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Kings Seeds: Carrot Early Nantes 2 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Suttons: Carrot Early Nantes 5 (retrieved 15 October 2026)