Kern Ridge Growers ramps up carrot production

The Kern County carrot season will pick up steam in late May for Arvin, Calif.-based Kern Ridge Growers LLC.

Rob Giragosian, spokesman and sales representative, said carrot production will cycle up to Kern County from the California desert region in May.

Kern Ridge Growers, a year-round shipper of California carrots, has a history that dates to the early 1970s, when the company started packing cello carrots under the Kern Ridge label. Today, the company also offers ready-to-eat baby peeled carrots from its facility. Most of the company’s carrots are grown in the rich, sandy loam soil near the mountain range at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, according to the firm’s website.

With acreage about the same as a year ago, production of carrots will continue strong through the year, Giragosian said. Kern Ridge Growers also is active with navel oranges through the end of May.

By early June, Kern Ridge Growers will start a six-week gap season for fresh peppers and then shift its focus to solely carrots after that, he said.