What's wrong with my carrots? Pix!

[cbar]

In general things have been going well with the garden this summer. Tomatoes, broccoli, peppers all doing great, lots of good eating!

I haven't pulled up the carrots yet, figuring they needed some more time. Today I saw the top of this one sticking up through the dirt and so I figured I'd pull it up as a test case. Low and behold this is what I saw! Can anyone tell me what's happening and if I should expect this with the rest of my carrot crop?

I'll mention that it's been very hot and dry here in southern NY State, maybe I've been over watering?

Thanks!
[img]https://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/cbar851/2010-08-17byEye-Fi/DSC_0056.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/cbar851/2010-08-17byEye-Fi/DSC_0057.jpg[/img]

[engineeredgarden]

I'm not a carrot expert, but it appears to be either rotting, or a fungal disease of some kind.......

EG

[timberjet]

How is your drainage? Do you have hard clay under your carrots? Looks like poor drainage to me, but I am no expert.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, carrots like to be very well drained, grow best in very sandy soil.

If that's not what you have, it helps to grow the shorter varieties, like half-longs and thumbelinas.

[applestar]

I think the initial damage may have been caused by wireworms.

[lorax]

That's wireworm damage - it happens all the time here with field carrots. Unfortunately, unless you're OK with using some pretty nasty chemicals, you'll just have to live with it.

[engineeredgarden]

applestar and lorax - thanks for teaching me something new today!

[harleymitebe]

either wire worms or root maggots next year try putting wood stove ashes in your seed row when you plant or spray beneficial nematodes in the soil before the carrot starts to form

[garden5]

It looks like the damage was caused first my insects, then by fungus/bacteria/rot.........eh, I'd just cut it away and eat the carrot :p .

RG is right about them liking sandy soil....they originated in the middle east.