Every time I’ve ever tried to grow carrots, I’ve ended up with stumpy, deformed messes. Above ground everything appears to be going well, but then I pull them up and this is what I get. So disappointing!
For context these were seeded late April, pulled up today. Grown in a raised bed which was forked over and fertilised with general purpose feed pellets and fish bone before planting.
What am I doing wrong?
by randem_mandem
11 Comments
What’s the soil in the bed like? And I think maybe these are also over-fed.
Wrong soil. They like light soft soil. I’m guessing your “garden soil” is clayish or stony. Also thry do better with loamy compost, so maybe the multipurpose stuff isn’t enough?
Sand, perlite, anything that the root can sink into like a hot knife through butter. Your soil is a bit too dense for them.
lol one looks like a mushroom
Definitely wrong soil. Carrots need no obstructions in the soil. Any lumps or stones in the soil cause them to grow with deformities
“Hey ChatGPT, draw me some carrots”
Would ones like this still be edible though yeh?
hehe
I’ve trialled carrot plugs this year after someone else’s recommendation. I bashed a steak into the ground, watered, topped with some seed compost and then plugged the hole.
I’ll give a review when I pull them. They went in late because the first 3 attempts were direct sow. I’m fairly sure slugs ate the sprouting carrots before I ever saw them. Either that or they just didn’t germinate 3 times.
So at least you’ve grown carrots, just not the ones you see in the supermarkets!
I have quite heavy soil and my carrots do fine (although true they prefer light soil). I was told not to manure where I grow my carrots that year because it causes split roots so maybe try again next year without the fertilisers?
Did you seed directly or in trays?
I sowed in trays and transplanted out. The soil was finely prepared and crumbled nicely, no stones.
You’d think I’d have carrots like something out of a 70s porno but no, a lot of deformation and twisting.