I planted my carrot seeds and was pretty amazed when most of them grew. I separated them as best I could, although probably not well enough, as i seem to have clusters of 3 or so carrots growing together. Some are on their onw, but all seem to have the same problem. They from the top appear to be really big carrots, I can see big orange tops, but they are only a couple of inches long, they look quite strange.
Are they just not ready yet, or have I managed to overlook something?
2007-09-04 04:34:29 · 10 answers · asked by louloubelle 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
There are a couple of things going on here.
Check the variety of carrot that you planted, some grow longer than others.
Carrots like soil that's easy to grow in. If you have soil that's hard, next year dig down about 12 inches and replace the soil with a mixture of compost and sand, this will make it easier for the carrots to grow and make it easier to thin them.
Thin the carrots. The carrot seed is so fine that it's hard not to plant them too thickly. You can try mixing the seeds with dry sand before sowing them, this will help to distribute the seeds as they are planted. Use the baby carrots and tops in your salads. The remaining carrots will grow larger when you give them more room to grow.
Carrots are biennials, their life cycle is two years so they will winter over in the garden very nicely. Just cover the carrots with some hay bales or a good layer of mulch and you will be able to dig them up all winter long.
Visit our website for more gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/
Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
2007-09-04 06:03:07 · answer #1 · answered by Neal & Cathy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If their tops are big, but they're only a few inches long, it could be that your soil is too hard, and the carrots are having a tough time growing downwards (same thing happened to me, got a bunch of two inch-long carrots!) Next time, make sure you really dig up the soil so that it's nice and soft- they will have an easier time growing, and you'll get larger, longer carrots.
2007-09-04 04:43:37 · answer #2 · answered by darylsgirl1114 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have raised beds that have added compost and cow manure to the regular dirt I use. We till the soil every spring down about 6 inches or so, more would be probably be more beneficial. I have already pulled carrots this year that were 5-6 inches long, and have had great success every year in the past.
Check the variety you grew, just in case. Leave them in a bit longer this year.... and add some compost or manure to the dirt next year. Till it over deep!
Good luck...yum yum - fresh carrot cupcakes
2007-09-04 05:43:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes. Saving Carrot Seed: Carrot seed is fairly easy, provided you don't have any wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace') growing nearby. Here we are selecting and storing Dragon Purple Carrots for seed production. plant picture Carrots flower in their second year, so you need to dig up your carrots in Autumn. Lay them all out so you can compare them, and select the best 40 roots: Make sure you choose ones that are true-to-type: right colour, shape & size. You can even test the taste by slicing off the tip! If your area has cold winters, store them in sand or sawdust in a cool but frost-free place, and plant out in spring. (the ideal is about 5-10 C and 95% humidity, so keep them damp) Otherwise in milder areas, replant them straight away where you want them to grow. You can plant them quite close together, so 40 needn't take up much space. (The numbers are really important if you want to get good seed.) The next summer they will flower (to about 5 foot high!) MAKE SURE THERE IS NO QUEEN ANNES LACE NEARBY, THEY WILL CROSS! ... and seed is ready in autumn. Just rub the seed off when it is mostly brown. You will get huge amounts of seed: dry it well, and it will be good for 2 years. (check the site out-not for profit seeds with full instructions. amaazig quality---shop bought seeds you often cannot save becasue the buggers bred them for money, and we will starve in future if we let the companies take over and not allow us seed which can be saved--- however, real seeds is a members club, so legally, good seeds are allowed)
2016-04-03 02:50:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The need very soft loose soil. If you have hard clay-like soil They will end up growing all short and fat. I grew some this year and I didn't till deep enough either. One carrot was round like a ball. The others were 2 or 3 times as fat as they should have been and very short and stumpy.
2007-09-04 06:01:03 · answer #5 · answered by Louis G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You REALLY need to be heartless and pull out the little sprouts that are near each other. They will interfere badly unless you get it down to a single carrot every few inches. You can pull the extra ones now to use in soup. Maybe you can salvage the remaining ones.
I am assuming you are talking about small crowded ones. The other problem you can have is if you are trying to grow them in soil that has rocks and pebbles - that makes them misshapen. Rake it smooth next time.
2007-09-04 04:43:01 · answer #6 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi babe
They sound like baby carrots, You need good fertilser, rich soil which is almost black and epsom salts over the crop. My mom used the salts on her lemon tree and they are now the size of mike tyson's fist. Might sound strange but she also talks to her plants. E-mail her if you are serious about plants. Let me know...........
2007-09-04 05:56:53 · answer #7 · answered by lowlevel_interference 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to add some sand to your soil. You also need to till deep. I'm going to bet you have a very clayish soil.
2007-09-04 04:38:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are probably not ready yet, depending on when you planted and what variety they are. No worries, just wait awhile.
2007-09-04 07:36:36 · answer #9 · answered by MC 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
leave them a bit longer
2007-09-04 04:38:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋