The UK carrot season is continuing without any major dramas, and so far, the 2024-25 crop has been good.
"The crop is in good shape," according to Rodger Hobson, grower and Chairman of the British Carrot Grower's Association. "Here in the North of England, we did see a bit of winter frost, which caused a bit of damage but not much. Overall, the crop is in good shape, and this seems to be the same country-wide. Yields are good and we should get right through to June with the later crop in Scotland, taking us up to when the new crop starts in the south. This means we won't need to import much this year."
"Planting of the 2025-26 carrot crop has already started and is well on track; this time last year, we were miles behind due to heavy rain," said Rodger. "My only concern is that it is quite dry. We had below-average rainfall in January, February, and March, and there is nothing forecast for the next 10-14 days. If we don't get rain, then the seeds won't germinate evenly, and growers will have a very uneven crop. The retailers want the nice mid-sized carrots for packing."
Rodger said there is talk of starting to irrigate already, which is pretty much unheard of in April.
For more information:
Rodger Hobson
British Carrot Grower's Association
rodger.hobson@farmline.com