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Carrot Issues
Mick 2110
Posts: 15
in Fruit & veg
I've now had 3 attempts at growing Nantes carrots without success. I have followed the guidelines to grow them in loose sandy soil, thinning the seedlings out when 2 inches tall by cutting them with scissors to avoid root disturbance. 90 days pass and the plant foliage above ground looks fine but the root failed to develop on all 3 occasions. I have tried growing them in containers in the greenhouse, containers outside and in raised beds, any idea where I am going wrong?
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I wish I knew Mick and I would be doing it! I have tried everything with carrots and had minimal success, best lot were in an old recycle box with a heavy sand soil. I was told to soak them only if they were dry as root veg must be encouraged to go down for water.
Total envy for successful growers, also told last year by one such that she used a polytunnel so mine are in a mini-tunnel this year (not a lot of space you know) and we shall see.
I can't grow them either, sorry not very helpful...your pic made me LOL though...
...mine usually fork, and that's after ensuring there's no big stones in the bed...the best I've achieved was growing them in a deep pot and picking as mini veg...
I usually get some pretty good carrots from my "Early" Nantes but not until well into the autumn! They seem to take way longer to develop than it says on the packet.
I'm not giving up, I have picked out 10 of the "best" and replanted them into a sand/John Innes No2 mix and will see what happens over the next few months
Hey SG you may have read the packet wrong? Early for next year, or early for Christmas, or......
Good stuff Mick, never give up! Received wisdom is carrots don't like being moved so why not thin your bed and turn it into a race, give them something to aim for
I've been extra careful not to damage the tap root so hoping I will eventually have success
hi mick2110 took my last box of autumn kings out this morn/ that makes 4 boxes 2 earlys baby 45days ...1 nanntes and last a box of flyaway for later on if all goes well might try some for through the winter kept in g/house hoping ?? keep plugging away mick my older mate said all work in gardens is mostly trial and hoping
@michael mpc, my experiences have all been trail and hoping, I've finally manged to grow basil this year. All my other crops seem to be doing well also since I built my mini polytunnels.
Mick
Those carrots look fine - they just need longer in the ground - The seed merchant may say they take 90 days to harvest, but that's in optimal conditions - plants respond to the temperature and this spring was cold.
I would expect to see much more foliage before I thought about pulling my carrots - then with my finger I'd just clear a little of the soil away at the base of the stalks and see how wide the shoulders of the carrots are - if they're not a good size cover them up, give them some water and leave them alone a bit longer.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.