The Official Carrot Thread

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I'm having carrot troubles so thought I'd post them here in the official carrot thread. I planted Danvers half long seeds in cotainers 6 weeks ago with Miracle Gro potting soil. They sprouted some time ago and the tops grew up about 3" tall within a few weeks and they just seem to of stalled out there. I decided to thin them out to see if that helped but nope, nothing going on. The root was a couple of inces long. What's even more bizarre is of the 3 pots of them I have, one pot is now totally bare. What the heck eats carrot tops? They are in the sun and adequately watered. Is this variety just a slow grower?

Danvers Half Long typically takes about 70-75 days to mature. So they're about 4 weeks after sprouting? So a third of the way there. Sometimes they do tend to stall out if the weather is warmer and I do think that danvers doesn't make huge tops to begin with. They really like well drained soil that is kept moist but not wet.

As far as what's eating the tops, well were they eaten to the base? Can you describe the situation more?

 

[Texas Fluffy Feet]

Well I have discovered half of my problem- neighborhood male cats! They are "spraying" my plants!

I'm sure that has something to do with the stunted growth- my radishes stopped growing too.

As for the eaten tops, literally the pot was bare- like nothing had ever been planted there to begin with. I dumped the whole pot and sifted the soil around looking for any kind of bug, but never saw anything. No slug trail on the ground around it either. Whatever it is, it basically took out another pot over the last 2 days. I think I will just start over with the carrot crop in another location. Can I do that now or should I wait for cooler weather? We get up in the mid 90's here now with low to mid 70's at night. Soon we will start topping 100. Carrots like it cooler don't they?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Can I do that now or should I wait for cooler weather? We get up in the mid 90's here now with low to mid 70's at night. Soon we will start topping 100. Carrots like it cooler don't they?

They do best in cooler weather, it makes them sweeter and more tender. You might be able to squeeze a crop in. If not, then I guess you'll be having a nice fall crop!

 

[Buff Shallots]

Ahem, I'm not sure if I'm going to jinx myself, but I THINK I might have seen a sprout in the general vicinity of where I have sowed exactly five packets of seed approximately every-other-week since March....




Shhhh,,, it MIGHT be a carrot seedling!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Ahem, I'm not sure if I'm going to jinx myself, but I THINK I might have seen a sprout in the general vicinity of where I have sowed exactly five packets of seed approximately every-other-week since March....




Shhhh,,, it MIGHT be a carrot seedling!

It would be great if all 5 packets came up all of a sudden!

Let's watch and see.

 

[Buff Shallots]

Well, the final result is that I have about 25 viable carrot seedlings at the very first leaf stage here on June 14 (after thinning) in two rows. This is after giving up on having six rows of carrots. I have now devoted the other row space to leftover squash and basil seedlings.

Here's a pic of the original, six-row carrot bed (the bare patch in the foreground):

Just to prove that I have successfully grown carrots in the past, here's last year's winners (next to Buddy for scale):

 

[ShellieESterling]

I have no idea what kind of carrots I planted, to be honest. But I directly sowed them to the planter box and they all took. Their stems are getting huge... I'll take a picture when I can.

Good luck carrot growers!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Well, the final result is that I have about 25 viable carrot seedlings at the very first leaf stage here on June 14 (after thinning) in two rows. This is after giving up on having six rows of carrots.

Well at least you have 25 seedlings. I wonder why no others came up. Good luck with what you have. And remember to plant a fall crop! You might have better luck then.

I have no idea what kind of carrots I planted, to be honest. But I directly sowed them to the planter box and they all took. Their stems are getting huge... I'll take a picture when I can.

Good luck carrot growers!

I'm sure they'll be fine as long as they have room to grow. Pull one up and see! You can always just have a taste now to see what they are.

Good luck to you too.

 

[Sarah_Mom2Four]

Is it too late to get my carrots in the ground in zone 4, I bought a packet of beautiful looking rainbow carrot seeds I would love to give a go. I know we are set to frost over in mid-sept, but I just have this feeling we'll have an indian summer like last year where it's warm through October! I notice I'm a big "is it too late" question asker lol maybe i need to stop procrastinating! I hope this is the right place to post this since it's the "Official Carrot Thread" If not feel free to delete.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Is it too late to get my carrots in the ground in zone 4, I bought a packet of beautiful looking rainbow carrot seeds I would love to give a go. I know we are set to frost over in mid-sept, but I just have this feeling we'll have an indian summer like last year where it's warm through October! I notice I'm a big "is it too late" question asker lol maybe i need to stop procrastinating! I hope this is the right place to post this since it's the "Official Carrot Thread" If not feel free to delete.

Carrots usually need warmer weather to germinate, so I'm guessing yes, this should be fine. Do summers get terribly hot there? If so, then they might not be the best thing to do now, I'd wait until about July to plant them that way you could get a fall crop by September.

As long as summers are too warm you should be fine. Sometimes prolonged hot weather can give carrots a bitter taste.