Little Finger Carrot Seeds - (Daucus carota var. sativus)

Little Finger Carrot - Big Carrot Taste

Little Finger is more than just a carrot; it's a taste of French culinary history and a tangible lesson in how the most resilient things often come in the smallest packages. For many gardeners, the dream of pulling a long, straight carrot from the garden is thwarted by the reality of heavy, rocky, or shallow soil. This is where Little Finger’s small size becomes its greatest strength, allowing it to succeed with ease where larger varieties often fail.

Unlike the  "baby-cut" impostors in stores, which are mature carrots mechanically shaped to look small, this 19th-century French heirloom was specifically bred for performance at a miniature size. This results in a carrot with a perfectly crisp texture, a remarkably tender core, and an exceptional sweetness that commodity carrots simply cannot replicate.

We invite you to grow this piece of the past and discover for yourself how this small package delivers an outsized reward in both flavor and gardening success.

Details

Little Finger is known as a "true baby carrot," a variety specifically bred to be harvested at a miniature size for its exceptional flavor and texture. As a Nantes-type carrot, it is renowned for its nearly cylindrical shape, characteristically blunt tip, crisp texture, and sweet flavor with a very small, tender core. The roots reach their ideal harvest maturity at 3 to 4 inches long, when the flavor and texture are at their optimal quality, all while maintaining a slender, uniform shape. 

You'll notice they develop a deep, rich orange color early. The skin is smooth, and the core is very tender. One of the most significant advantages of Little Finger is its exceptional suitability for small-space cultivation and challenging soils. Its compact root system makes it a perfect solution for gardens with heavy or rocky soil where longer carrots often fail, and it is an ideal choice for growing in containers, window boxes, and raised beds. This small footprint, combined with its fast-maturing nature of 50 to 70 days, allows for high-density and succession planting. 

History

The cultivated carrot has a fascinating history. It starts not as an orange root, but as a purple, red, or yellow vegetable first domesticated in the highlands of Central Asia around the 10th century. The now-familiar bright orange carrot is a more recent development, credited to Dutch agriculturalists in the 17th century who selectively bred them for improved color and sweetness.

The specific story of Little Finger begins in 19th-century France, where it was originally bred to meet a practical industrial need: the French canning and pickling industry needed a small, uniform carrot that could be preserved whole. Its slender shape and early maturity made it the perfect candidate. That same quality prized by French canners centuries ago is what makes Little Finger an excellent choice for your own pantry today when you want to pickle or can carrots whole. While many sources attribute its development to the famed French seed house Vilmorin-Andrieux, this link, while plausible, is not definitively confirmed. It likely made its way to the United States sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries with a growing American interest in French cuisine.

Uses

The primary appeal of Little Finger lies in its excellence in the kitchen, especially when eaten fresh. The combination of a robustly sweet taste, crisp texture, and a nearly coreless, tender interior makes it an ideal carrot for you to enjoy raw as a snack, in salads, or on a vegetable platter. True to its origins, its uniform, miniature size also makes it an excellent choice for your canning or pickling projects, resulting in a visually appealing finished product. Beyond these specialized uses, it is a fine all-purpose gourmet carrot for any kind of general cooking, lending its sweet flavor to your soups, stews, and roasts.

Companion Planting

Using companion planting can help you create a healthier, more resilient patch for your carrots. The most effective strategies focus on deterring pests through scent masking, as planting strongly aromatic herbs and vegetables nearby can confuse a pest's ability to locate your crop. The most highly recommended companions are from the Allium family—onions, leeks, garlic, and chives are all excellent partners. Aromatic herbs like rosemary and sage also work well. For efficient use of your garden space, carrots grow well alongside shallow-rooted crops like lettuce and spinach.

It is generally advised to avoid planting carrots directly next to their close relatives, such as dill, parsnips, and especially fennel, which is known to inhibit carrot growth.

Planting and Growing Tips

Successfully growing Little Finger carrots begins with the soil. The single most critical requirement is a soil texture that is loose, deeply worked, and completely free of stones, clumps, or other obstructions. This allows the taproot to grow straight and unhampered, preventing the forked roots that can often frustrate gardeners. An ideal soil is sandy or loamy with good drainage. It's best to avoid using fresh manure or excess nitrogen fertilizer, as this can cause the roots to fork or develop unsightly hairy rootlets.

Because carrots do not tolerate having their taproots disturbed, you'll want to sow your seeds directly into the garden bed. You can plant your seeds in the spring, 2-4 weeks before your average last frost date, as soon as your soil can be worked. Sow the tiny seeds shallowly, about 1/4 inch deep, and be sure to keep the seedbed consistently moist. Germination can be slow, sometimes taking 1-3 weeks. A hard crust forming on the soil can prevent your seedlings from emerging; to avoid this, some gardeners cover the row with a board or burlap until the first sprouts appear. By sowing a new row every few weeks, you can ensure a continuous and substantial yield from even a minimal amount of garden space. If you are growing in containers, a pot with good drainage that is at least 10 to 12 inches deep will provide ample room for success.

Once your seedlings are 1-2 inches tall, you will need to thin them to a final spacing of 2-3 inches apart. Gardeners sometimes find this step difficult, but it is an essential step for producing well-formed carrots. To avoid disturbing the fragile roots of the plants you leave behind, it is best to snip the tops of the unwanted seedlings at the soil line with a pair of scissors.

Harvesting Tips

Little Finger is bred for you to harvest at its "baby" stage to capture the best flavor and texture, typically 50 to 70 days after sowing. The best indicator of readiness is when the "shoulders" - the very tops of the carrot roots - reach a diameter of about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. To avoid pulling up the whole crop prematurely, you can gently brush away soil from one or two carrots to check their size.

When you're ready to harvest, water the bed thoroughly the day before to loosen the soil. Grasp the foliage firmly at its base and pull straight up with steady pressure. Immediately twist or cut off the green tops to prevent them from drawing moisture and sugars out of the root, which will cause it to go limp and lose flavor. It is also important to note that carrots should be stored away from fruits like apples and pears. The natural ethylene gas these fruits release can cause your carrots to develop a bitter taste. 

Learn More

• Grow Delicious Carrots from Seed to Harvest
• Braised and Marinated Carrot Recipes
• Cool Season Vegetables to Love

From the soil to the seed to the food you eat - we'll help you grow your best garden!