Crop type: Carrots
Daucus carota ‘Marion’
Common name: Carrot ‘Marion’
Crop slug: carrots
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile. Check the source and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Marion’ produces rich orange carrots with blunt tips, reaching about 15cm long. The roots overwinter successfully in the ground in all but the coldest regions, extending harvest from August right through to March.
This unusually long lifting window explains the parent crop guide’s description of ‘Marion’ as suitable for year-round growing. Its good flavour and ability to remain usable in winter make it a practical main-season cultivar for harvesting as required.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
The plant completes root growth in its first season. The edible blunt-tipped roots are separately described as reaching around 15cm long and may then remain in suitable ground through winter.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Loam and sand
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral or alkaline
‘Marion’ accepts the full listed pH range but is specifically associated with loam and sand. Deep, fertile and freely drained ground supports its root length and is especially important when carrots are left in place during winter.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H3 — hardy in coastal and relatively mild UK conditions, matching its ability to overwinter in the ground outside the coldest regions
Choose a sunny, sheltered site with reliable winter drainage. Where conditions are colder or the soil becomes waterlogged, lift roots rather than relying on their in-ground storage period.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
No colours are assigned in the seasonal table. The cultivar’s principal visual traits are rich orange roots about 15cm long with distinctly blunt tips, together with the finely divided green foliage typical of carrots.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump-forming
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Daucus includes mainly biennial herbaceous plants commonly known as wild carrots. Their triangular leaves are finely divided and lacy. Pink buds open into small white flowers gathered in dense umbels, followed by small, hairy and irregular fruits.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow ‘Marion’ in full sun in deep, fertile and well-drained soil. Prepare the seedbed thoroughly so the 15cm roots develop without forking. Begin harvesting in August; in all but the coldest regions, sound roots can remain in the ground and be lifted when required through March.
Propagation
Propagate by seed, sown directly in the final growing position so the taproot is not disturbed.
Suggested locations
- Cottage and informal gardens
- Wildlife gardens
Pruning
No pruning is required.
Pests
‘Marion’ may be susceptible to carrot root fly and aphids. Use crop rotation and fine insect-proof mesh to protect the root crop, and inspect foliage for aphid colonies.
Diseases
The profile records the cultivar as generally disease-free.