Has anyone given up on carrots?

[desertgirl]

Afetr all of that work (and water!), the largest of my "carrots" was a mutant orange 2 inch monstrosity. I've read about others having no luck with carrots either. Should I even bother? Has anyone had any luck?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I think growing carrots is one of those situations where persistence pays off.

The first time I grew carrots I didn't have any problems, they just took a long time to grow.

Last year my spring-planted carrots were slow to come up and slow to grow and I ended up harvesting some decent ones from that batch this spring and early summer!

This spring only a few of my carrots came up and then they were eaten by a slug (as far as I can tell -- they disappeared). The only carrots I have this year are ones that self-seeded in my paths.

My best carrots seem to be the summer sown carrots for fall/winter harvest. Maybe try that? This summer I am covering my carrot patch with burlap, because that is supposed to help keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate.

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

After all of that work (and water!), the largest of my "carrots" was a mutant orange 2 inch monstrosity.

I posted a thread here earlier about my failure with carrots.

I've read that if you plant radishes in the same row with the carrots, they loosen up the soil for the carrots, and then you just pick the radishes when they mature.

 

[sparkles2307]

I am noticing that altho we have TONS of carrots and a lot of them are nice long straight ones, a lot are also all gnarled up and stubby. I am going to have DH till twice as deep next year and add more straw compost to the carrot bed.

 

[Ron]

You might want to re-think that compost thing. Carrots need a very consistent soil structure to prevent forking and fresh compost unless screened very finely might cause problems.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

You could always add compost to the top of the soil after you have planted.

 

[digitS']

Root Knot Nematodes . . . ?

I find the carrot monstrosities they cause, terribly frustrating. You can see in that Cornell link that you don't have many choices in dealing with the critters other than crop rotation. With over 500 hosts including both veggies and weeds, it is hard to keep the carrots away from them in most gardens.

The prospect of raising corn first on the ground and then carrots probably makes the most sense for us easy gardeners. My problem there is that I usually don't grow these crops in the same gardens . . . . but, maybe I should.

The salad garden where I "try" to grow carrots obviously has a problem with the namatodes. (These critters are too small to see so it is the damage they cause that identifies them.) Mostly, I "try" to grow tiny carrots (babies & small Nantes) because it seems to me that they are much less of a problem if I don't leave the carrots in the ground for months & months. I try to grow the little guys but my DW loves, loves nice long carrots. I'll let you know about my success going back to the Sugarsnax variety in a few more weeks.

Steve

 

[davaroo]

Afetr all of that work (and water!), the largest of my "carrots" was a mutant orange 2 inch monstrosity. I've read about others having no luck with carrots either. Should I even bother? Has anyone had any luck?

I've had good "luck" with carrots in the past. My only tricks are to add sand and/or lots of loose compost - and rotate them around the garden.

They need a loose soil, so I dig mine well before the seed is set. I don't grow them in the same spot, either, which is true of most things in my little garden. Rotation cures a lot of ills.

And I pull them early. Carrots are best when young.

What sort of soil do you have? Many varieties of carrot exist, and it may be that you need one or the other to suit your conditions.

 

[Liberty7]

I also have grown carrots in the past with no problem; but this year, I mixed in bags of 'organic cow manure' into the soil of this particular bed, that I had picked up at Lowe's, and it must have been B A D stuff. Not only did my carrots not come up, but 'weeds' didn't come up either!!!!!! NOTHING grew there!!!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i am a complete and total carrot failure. i give up.

;-)