75 days. An esteemed Japanese treasure, Red Samurai is watermelon-red with a unique, 11" long, slim-tapered shape and sweet, pinkish-rose flesh. We love the fact that its special color holds up to cooking, when its bold sweet flavor is even more notable. (OP.) One packet of about 1,200 seeds $3.95. kitchengardenseeds

Red Samurai Carrots
75 days. We've searched worldwide for a great tasting, true red carrot, and finally found it! Its bold, sweet flavor synchronizes flawlessly with the crisp, bright, rosy flesh. Red Samurai adds panache to salads, and even retains its distinctive color when steamed. The slim, tapered roots reach 11 inches. Imperator type. Open Pollinated.
Review addendum Oct 12, 2018 | By Shannon Lillevold
-This is an edit to my original review. I'd also planted some of these carrots in a row in our raised beds. They had been overgrown by some of our tomato bushes so I wasn't expecting much from them. When I pulled the tomato bushes, the carrots were still growing and looked very healthy. When I pulled them up, they were some of the biggest carrots I've grown this year. Easily 6 inches long and about 1 inch wide. Eaten raw, they were slightly woodier than their orange counterparts, but still very tasty. There were only 8 or 9 of them, so the germination rate was still not great, but the one's that did grow, I was pleasantly surprised by, as I wasn't expecting to harvest any of these, based on the ones I'd planted in a fabric pot. Perhaps these need partial shade, or just can't handle high temperatures. Definitely not a beginner carrot.
Disappointment Jul 24, 2018 | By Shannon Lillevold
Grew these in a fabric pot alongside a couple different varieties. The few that germinated ended up bolting and never produced thin roots longer than and inch or two. The other carrots planted in the same area did wonderfully so I don't think this one was user error.
Went to seed! Jul 22, 2018 | By Vicki
I noticed mid-July that some of my carrots were going to seed! Since carrots are supposed to be biennial, I was baffled! Turns out it was the Red Samurai. Not sure why they went to seed. I tried eating some and they were woody eaten fresh. Tried cooking some and they were edible cooked, but not amazing. I'm guessing they would have been better before going to seed, but that happened so fast. I wanted to try these because I like a variety of carrot colors. I may try these again (especially since I have lots of seeds now) but will be looking for another red carrot.
No Germination Aug 19, 2017 | By Virginia Payne
Yes, Samurai was disappointing. None of the seeds germinated. All of the other varieties I purchased from you germinated and produced wonderful, delicious carrots.
Disappointment Aug 1, 2017 | By Lynn Riley
About 70% of my Red Samurai carrots went to seed in July. I've been growing carrots for tens of years and have never had this happen. Will go back to my old standards next year. territorialseed

Carrot 'Red Samurai'
Maincrop, reddish skinned, long spear roots. Companion planting: Try growing carrots with spring onions, leeks and mint, whose aromatic leaves deter carrot root fly. Ideal For Kitchen Garden. Hardiness Hardy. Position In Full sun.
08 Feb 2019 Try something new. Thank you for your rating :) ~ Sam F
17 Jan 2019 Excellent Thank you for your 5 star review! ~ Kind regards, Owen
30 Nov 2017 Excellent Thanks for the review, Steve
thompson-morgan

SHAPE:Tapered
DAYS TO MATURITY:75 days
DAYS TO GERMINATION:6-21 days @ 50-75F
PLANT SPACING:1-2"
LIGHT PREFERENCE:Full sun
SOIL REQUIREMENTS:Light, sandy or humus, well drained soil
STATUS:Heirloom, Non-Hybrid, Non-GMO seeds
Red Samurai Carrot - Sweet Japanese treasure
An eye-catching great tasting, true red carrot with a bold, sweet flavor, Red Samurai is a Japanese-bred treasure for your garden. Has a sweeter flavor than orange varieties due to its large, sugary core. The red color is due to a high lycopene content, the same antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red coloring. Retains its flavor after cooking, which makes the lycopene more bio-available.

The roots are long and slender, tapering at the end, growing to 11” in loose rich soil. Faster maturing than most other full-sized carrot varieties.
History
Carrots, as we know them today, seem to have originated in Afghanistan prior to the 900s and were yellow and purple colored. Seeds spread through trade towards the East and West, gaining differing characteristics along the way. Eastern carrots spread to central and northern Asia including India, then into Japan, with red varieties predominately preferred and grown. Western carrots were initially mostly yellow, with the more familiar orange color bred by Dutch growers in the 15th through 17th century. They were widely cultivated in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries and were first brought over to North America during this same general time period.

Orange carrots are still the most familiar to most European and American gardeners, but the different colors are becoming more popular as more gardeners taste the different flavors.
Uses
Coarsely or finely grated carrots are eaten raw as a salad. They are one of the most widely used vegetables they are cut, sliced, diced, cooked, steamed or juiced. Carrots are included in soups and stews and used in sauces and stocks.
Harvest Tip
Give carrots a good twist when you pull them up so that the leaves do not break off in your hand, but once they are up, cut off the leaves right away. Carrot tops may look pretty, but they keep growing and draw moisture and nourishment out of the roots, leaving them limp, wrinkled and tasteless. underwoodgardens