Can anyone advise me on my carrots

polly5

I have been following the veg growing threads on here this year and have grown veg for the first time and was quite pleased with the results except for my carrots which turned out all knobbly and twisted
I used the square foot gardening principle, my plot was approx 4 x 4 and about 9 inches deep, I wondered if the depth was not enough.
Can anyone please tell me where I went wrong?

Noozan

It looks like the earth was a) not deep enough and b) not fine enough. Carrots like rich, light soil free from stones etc.

polly5

Thanks Noozan
I used the square foot gardening mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat and 1/3 vermiculite, what depth do you recommend for carrots?

Morty_007

oooh, thats a stunning specimin! LOL! I used pure general purpose potting mix for mine and they were/are absolutely fine. I grew mine in containers (window box actually) though and they were only chanterey so stubby ones.

vivaladiva

My carrots are in a pot and not doing much at all. I used peat free compost which I think might have been a mistake. I've tried the square foot technique for courgettes, which are flowering starting to fruit, then rotting. Any one got any ideas why?

Perhaps we should start a gardening disasters thread.

Biddyrolo

Th first time I grew carrots on the allotment they turned out like that, and as only a handful out of a 12' row germinated they weren't cramped for space.Now, like Morty I grow them in a trough.

liz.._4

its caused by too much manure and its called 'fanging' try using less rich soil next year...still lovely though, well done!

Strepsy

Hehe, that carrot is wild. I bet they still taste yummy though.

Bizzimum wrote:

My carrots are in a pot and not doing much at all. I used peat free compost which I think might have been a mistake. I've tried the square foot technique for courgettes, which are flowering starting to fruit, then rotting. Any one got any ideas why?

Perhaps we should start a gardening disasters thread.

It sounds like the courgettes aren't being pollinated. You need to take a male flower (the one without a baby courgette behind the flower) and tickle the centre of a female one with the pollen bit that is down at the bottom of the cup of the flower. HTH. If you don't have any flowering plants nearby that maybe why bees aren't doing the job for you. It's worth using plants to attract them.

polly5

Bizzimum wrote:

My carrots are in a pot and not doing much at all. I used peat free compost which I think might have been a mistake. I've tried the square foot technique for courgettes, which are flowering starting to fruit, then rotting. Any one got any ideas why?

Perhaps we should start a gardening disasters thread.

Excuse me, I wanted my carrots to turn out like that, I just wanted to find out how I have done it then I can do it again next year :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

A gardening disaster thread is a good idea though, then we can learn from everyones mistakes

walks

Hi its a very long time since i grew vegs, but i am sure when i had this problem with my carrots i was told i had club root and was told not to grow carrots for a few yrs in the soil, i think i had to treat the soil too but not sure, i would do like other and grow in contains,sorry to put a damper on things, but then like i say it was a very looooooooooog time ago.

pip
x

Biddyrolo

I thought club root only affected brassicas...........