I built a raised bed for growing carrots in this year and filled it with compost from the garden center.
I seem to be having a problem with carrots in this raised bed as they seem to produces loads of green growth but not very large roots.
Looks like some have bolted too as the stalks are solid.
The bed is covered with enviromesh to stop carrot fly but I just don't understand this.
(http://backyard.8m.net/garden%20veg/06.07.08/IMG_2080.JPG)
(http://backyard.8m.net/garden%20veg/06.07.08/IMG_2081.JPG)
I have heard that you shouldn't grow carrots on manured soil as it can lead to forking but this is strange.
Any ideas? any help, could I try on the same soil next year?
It's not the dreaded manure issue is it, they mentioned it affects carrots on Radio 4 today. Dunno what its influence would look like mind.
I haven't heard of anyone having manure/carrot problems mainly because most folk don't manure their root beds. They haven't been mentioned by the RHS, PSD or Dow as a 'sensitive' crop.
I can't see the foliage properly in the pictures - does it have the characeristic curling deformity. If not, I doubt it's the same problem, but have no useful suggestions on what it might be, sorry :(
You can grow on manured soil but not recently manured soil.
I am no expert at carrots but They prefer a lighter free draining sandy type soil to put it simply.Pure compost is quite heavy,did you mix it with any topsoil? :)
The foliage is very healthy just there isnt any root growth.
I would concentrate on getting the correct type of soil.Maybe add top soil ,and Horticultral sand, :)
Could the sides of your raised beds be to high, so all energy is going in to making top growth.
Or could be to much Nitrogen and not enough potash.
Google NPK plant growth requirements :)
What variety? Some of my overwinter ones have started to do that now...
:-\
I think you just need to leave them a bit longer to be honest.
They don't look like they're forking at all,so I'd just wait. :)
Give them another 4/6 weeks and they'll be fine.
I had a similar thing last year. My carrots were sown in pots for the first time. Lush tops, no root. I put this down to sowing too thickly. The carrots could not fatten.
This year I individually placed each carrot seed in the container at regular intervals of about 2-3". My OH says they have all come true to harvest this year. (Still waiting for some photos though.) Could they possibly need thinning out- no pun intended
You don't need to thin to anyting more than an inch apart.
It's just patience.
Lets face it if you pulled your spuds when you had a load of top growth too early you wouldn't get any spuds.
But if you wait a few weeks you get decent spuds.
Same with carrots.
Just wait and don't be too eager,if you have decent top growth there's no reason why you won't get a decent carrot eventually :)
I grew some in a tub in february and they have a similar problem. Two of them were normal - parmex round carrots - the rest were pathetic roots. Should have been ready a while ago. The 2 that were ok were in the middle of a thick patch of them. Not sure what happened. Perhaps compst was too rich???
I'll leave them for another month and see how things go.
They were sown mid March.
Variety:
Autumn King
Flyaway
Samurai Red
Purple Dragon
Yellowstone
It just seems that they are running too seed.
I suspect that they have bolted and will be useless.
It may be because they were too dry for a while when we had the dry spells in May and June. The plants took the survival route and bolted and nw there is rain, the effort is going into seeding.
It is not too late for another sowing between the rows especially in this warm moist weather. If in 3 weeks the original ones show no sign of improvement, then pull them up giving the new ones some light and space.
Do as I have done and cover with fleece stapled to a frame the same size as your raised bed. It will keep the carrot flies away. You can see it left foreground in last years photo.
(http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/shedtop070515.jpg)
http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage.html
I have had exactly the same thing with 'Red Samurai'...I concluded they were too dry for too long and had bolted, so the were all pulled on Saturday and I've resown with another type. My 'Parmex' and 'Paris Market' did brilliantly in the same bed, so maybe it's the variety that is the problem?
Ive got the same problem with my Parmex carrots that I sowed in large tubs. Should be more than ready by now but all Ive got is loads of greenery :'(
Like Betula, I`d say that the compost from the garden centre is a bit too generous with nitrogen which will give you this bright green, soft (ie. slug food), top growth. (Too much Growmore). But that will soon leach out and the compost will be more balanced.
But hopefully the top growth will feed the root if you wait. I wouldn`t pull any more until you see a good size shoulder on the root. Keep them covered with fleece or mesh and earth up a little when the roots start becoming more visible.
Best of luck, keep us posted. Col
Ok I think I have found the problem, its due to the variety.
The Autaum King and Flyaway are looking really good.
Chris, I am growing mine in pots and they too were just growing foliage and the roots were not thickening. I had planted them very close together though and in multi purpose compost.
However, I came back from a weeks holiday on Friday and on Sunday found many of them had thickened up while I was away. I pulled out enough for three people so my advice would be to leave them in until they get bigger.
Chris I had 5 or 6 mixed in the rows like that last year, the rest were ok so I just thought they had bolted, I was going to ask on here but I guess I forgot. ;D ;D ;D