No luck with carrots

[Bird1961]

I've tried carrots a couple of times and never have success. They sprout, but no roots develop. My local garden adviser says carrots don't like the soil around here. I didn't ask her, but now I wonder what kind of soil do they like, and could there be other factors?

[rainbowgardener]

The soil for growing carrots needs to be deep, very loose, well drained but also rich enough to hold some moisture. And they don't like acid soils. They don't like to have to try and push through hard, clay-ey soils.

If the soil is the problem, along with amending it, try growing the shorter rounder carrot varieties like Thumbelina.

Of course there could always be other factors, over- or under- watering or temps. You didn't say where you are or what time of year you planted your carrots. Once well started, carrots will grow all through the summer, but they start better when it is cool. They are one of the crops that say "plant as soon as the soil can be worked," which for me is about now.

[Avonnow]

I have tried carrots at least 4 times and now I am done. I had raised beds, brought in soil and still they produced "crappy" I even tried those small ones and unless you can plant alot, it is along time to wait to pull them up and well maybe get a meal or two out of them. Carrots to me are a junk shoot, you can't see them (like tomato, peppers and beans) so after months of waiting you may or may not have anything worthwhile. So I have reserved myself to buying organic carrots at the store, because they take longer to grow and they take up precious space in the garden, and are not worth the aggrevation. Buttttttttttttttt Baker creek did just send me a "free sample" (hurray) of some small ones, will curiosity get the best of me, will I do it again, Believe it or not, I am sure I will as I keep thinking this may be the one!!!!!!

[TWC015]

If you give us your location, we can probably give more information as to when they need to be planted.

My soil is mostly clay and there are lots of rocks under the topsoil. I can still grow good carrots. I grow the shorter, thicker ones that only grow about 5 to 6 inches deep. The soil test pH was 6.4

Your problem may be planting time. They need to be started early and need to mature before the 80s and 90s get here daily. They will tolerate heat, but I find they do better in the cool weather. Frost or freeze won't harm them. Also, be sure to keep them moist, especially if it is warm. I usually find lack of adequate water to be the main limiting factor in vegetable growth, especially in plants such as carrots that do not grow a large, spreading root system in their first year.

If you want to grow carrots in Florida, you need to plant them ASAP. Early February or late January is probably even better.

Unless you sow your carrot seeds perfectly spaced, you want to be sure you thin them early. For me, not thinning early enough has had an effect on their growth.

[gixxerific]

Baker creek did just send me a "free sample" (hurray) of some small ones, will curiosity get the best of me, will I do it again, Believe it or not, I am sure I will as I keep thinking this may be the one!!!!!!

You better or I'm gonna come and spank you. What have you got to lose.

To the OP carrots are a pain for many of us (Jal_ut no included ) But keep trying with loose soil. Keep amending it. What I did last year was dig a DEEP furrow and loosened it all up they came out pretty good. I can tell you that last year was the best year for carrots I have ever had. The best ones came from 8 - 10 gallon nursery pots I planted seed in. They didn't have to deal with the clay and rock I have and the likely less than perfect soil for them in the garden. So just saying keep trying and keep learning and eventually it will all come out right.

[alaskagold]

Carrots are just cold natured little guys. They hate heat and even if the packet of seeds calls for sun, use more shade in the evening for them.

I would also go and grab a bag of the Starbucks "Ground for my Garden" and add if to your soil as it will help with drainage of your water and carrots don't seem to mind it. Carrots hate sandy soil do be careful what you use.

also, carrots love to be watered with really cold water.

[Gary350]

Carrots require 3 weeks of cold weather before the seeds will sprout. If it is not cold enough seeds will never germinate.

Plant seeds when it is still cold. When it warms up seeds will grow.

[lorax]

Carrots hate sandy soil? That's news to me! I grow them in what is substantially decayed sandstone and volcanic ash, with a bit of worm compost thrown in.

Here are 2 cents from the tropics, where it's technically "too hot" to grow carrots. Pair them up with your tomatoes and let them grow in that shade - the carrots will improve water delivery to the 'maters, and the 'mater roots keep the soil nice and loose for the carrots. I take crops off every 4 months, and generally they're nice and big but not so big that they get woody.

To get around the whole cold-stratification thing, I keep my seeds in the fridge.

[alaskagold]

lorax, you have perilite in your ash and you also have a clay that is mostly made up of plant matter called epipedon. There is a reason why you can grow almost everything.

Florida "sand" is a mish mash of various things, and quite a bit of crushed shell.

[jal_ut]

Bird1961,
If you will let us know your location and soil type, we could offer better suggestions. Here are some general things on carrots:

Soil, ph of 6.5 is about right. Do not put too much compost or fertilizer on them. The soil needs to be fairly deep without rocks or hard spots.

Plant early. This is probably the number one most important thing in carrot culture. As others have said, it will take three weeks for germination. They do have frost resistance.

Be careful to not plant too thick. Thinning may be nesessary. They need some room to make a root.

I highly recommend the Chantenay carrots. They are vigorous and have great carrot flavor.

[wordwiz]

Carrots require 3 weeks of cold weather before the seeds will sprout. If it is not cold enough seeds will never germinate.

Plant seeds when it is still cold. When it warms up seeds will grow.

This part was news to me! I always end up planting them in late May when the temps are in the 80s and it never frosts.

Mike

[lorax]

lorax, you have perilite in your ash and you also have a clay that is mostly made up of plant matter called epipedon. There is a reason why you can grow almost everything.

Florida "sand" is a mish mash of various things, and quite a bit of crushed shell.

Have you been to Ambato, AKgold? There is absolutely nothing claylike about the soils here, even to a depth of several meters. The city is built on mixed limestone and sandstone cliffs. I'd buy Epipedon for the Amazon soils, but I live in a high-altitude desert that's been a desert for at least the last 2,000 years.

Ash from Volcan Tungurahua, which is what the area receives, is predominantly magnetic ferrous compounds (I use a big electromagnet to clean up the garden and my sidewalks after particularly vigorous ashfalls), not perilite, and the remainder is andesitic and dacitic compounds with a fairly high percentage of olivine decay biproducts. If I want Perilite or Zeolite, I have to go to the next province and dig up decayed ash products from the last eruption of Volcan Cotopaxi.

Sorry, that was a bit off topic. My point about being able to grow almost anything here has more to do with my garden's situation and the average temperatures I receive than it does my soil composition, although the soil composition does help. I had to amend my garden's soils quite heavily in order to grow anything at all - water simply didn't stay in them at all.

[Bird1961]

Thanks for the replies. I live in Southern Maryland near the western shore of the bay. We had record heat last year, as did many other regions. I'm thinking of putting them in the shadier of my plots where they'll get 4 to 7 hours of direct sun a day. So I need to plant soon, keep them watered and thin them out.

[rainbowgardener]

Carrots require 3 weeks of cold weather before the seeds will sprout. If it is not cold enough seeds will never germinate.

Plant seeds when it is still cold. When it warms up seeds will grow.

This part was news to me! I always end up planting them in late May when the temps are in the 80s and it never frosts.

Mike

Well I'm in Cincinnati too, and I plant mine in mid March!

[DeborahL]

I couldn't get carrots either. I know I'd freak out to see actual orange shoulders ! You all wouldn't believe how many times I'm drooling with envy reading your posts.
I get the organic carrots too.

[alaskagold]

No lorax, I am a just a little dirt and rock hound from a land concidered the last frontier.

No worries, but then I don't assume with everyone on what is in their soil and what they can and can't grow.

[lorax]

No worries either - I come across prickly but I'm actually very hard to offend.

I'm a dirt and rock hound as well, which is why I even know those things about my soils. I probably should have mentioned that the volcanic ash I grow in is fairly fresh, geologically speaking.

[jal_ut]

Bird1961, Can you check your soil ph? If your soil tends toward acidic, you may benefit with the application of lime. I would try planting anytime now that the soil and weather permits.

I plant carrots six to eight weeks before I would dare plant tomatoes out in the garden. This should give you an idea of how early you can plant them. Plant spinach, peas and the cole crops at the same time.

[sheeshshe]

I just wanted to say, this is all really great discussion and I am learning a lot, thanks guys!

[ozark_rocks]

Carrots hate sandy soil do be careful what you use.

I raised beautiful carrots in sandy, loamy soil last year. Carrots don't do well in rocky or hard packed soil.

[alaskagold]

Ozark, supposedly they do not like limestoney clay or basalt volcanic ash or a conglomerate soils and I have grown huge carrots in all.

Maybe we just have a green thumb?

[ozark_rocks]

Maybe we just have a green thumb?

Yes, I think that is it. I've learned that gardening is not strictly "by the book". Two people can do exactly the same thing and get different results. Each piece of land is unique. My garden has three different soil types, and a gentle slope. I have to use different growing techniques in each section, to get the same results. Having a green thumb makes it work.

[alaskagold]

I completely agree.

I just bought a new house... and let me tell you I have an acre of who knows what kind of soil under the snow, other than downed trees from the wind storms. It is going to be an adventure to garden this year for sure!

[jal_ut]

My soil is a silt loam originating from decomposed limestone. It leans toward the alkaline side in ph. Carrots do very well in this soil if planted early. I try to hit the first week of April, if conditions permit. Carrots will grow all season here, and get quite large.

If I plant carots later when it is warm they never want to germinate. It may be because the top inch of soil dries out so fast. Carrots are planted quite shallow like 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. If the soil dries before they get a root down, they will die. Someone told me to lay a board over the row to hold the moisture, then watch and remove it as soon as some emerging seedlings are spotted. I have never tried this trick, but it sounds good. I have good luck planting early and don't need any more later. I guess if I wanted some smaller carrots later in the season, I would try this.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/carrots_09_2.jpg[/img]

These are Royal Chantenay variety. Some of the larger ones will weigh two pounds each. They are still crisp and flavorful even at this large size.

loam def. = A friable soil consisting of sand, silt and clay.

[Ozark Lady]

Carrots, beets, turnips and onions (not Egyptians) are simply crops that I have given up on, and buy at the store.

I am going to try container growing them this time.

I can grow sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, garlic, radishes and parsnips, all other root crops fail.
Is it the acidity factor? My soil pH tests out as just barely acidic.

[alaskagold]

jal, I am so wishing for warmer weather, you pictures is beautiful.

OL, my own personal exerience, where ever potatoes grew the year before, is where I plant my carrots onions, etc. I constantly rotate my garden and the potatoes love acid soil (as I am sure you know) so I know that the next year the carrots will grow in that area where my potatoes are.

Cabbage is an exception, they hate potatoes and won't even try to grow around them.

[jal_ut]

Ozark Lady,

I don't know. It may be the planting time. All of those crops you mention should be planted early. Now, if your soil is so you can do it. It is going to be another month here, but at lower elevations and more southerly latitudes, March is probably a good time to plant these early crops.

[jal_ut]

ozark_rocks,
When do you plant your carrots?

Do you grow onions? What variety and when do you plant them?

I know we garden a world apart. Just wondering what your planting times are there in Arkansas?

[rainbowgardener]

I don't have trouble with carrots, which grow well for me, but I grow them in a raised bed, so it is very enriched loose topsoil 2' deep, that was all trucked in (and then amended) and added in the bed. I doubt they would grow if I tried to plant them in my natural ground which is all clay and rock.

[DeborahL]

James, quit torturing me ! Look at that bounty ! Argh !

[ozark_rocks]

ozark_rocks,
When do you plant your carrots?

Do you grow onions? What variety and when do you plant them?

I know we garden a world apart. Just wondering what your planting times are there in Arkansas?

Jal_ut, I will plant my carrots and onions just as soon as the ground dries out a little. I would have planted Saturday, but we've had lots of rain here. I already have carrots and radish up in my little greenhouse. They are sort of a experiment, as this is my first year with a greenhouse.

I'm growing Yellow Granex, Red Burgandy, Crystle White Bermuda, TX Super Sweet from little plants for onions, and 2lbs of unnamed bulbs from the feed store for green onions .

Wow, like you said garden worlds apart.You plant carrots in april, I and plant corn! When do you plant your corn?

[gixxerific]

James, quit torturing me ! Look at that bounty ! Argh !

I said earlier in this post James has a green thumb for sure. He probably has a shorter season than almost all of us yet never ceases to amaze. :bowdown:

Time for me to start all of this stuff, but it's too wet or snowy to get out in the garden. This week is the week I HAVE to do something, it is going to rain all weekend again, go figure.

Just had several inches of rain last night with severe thunderstorms. sorry just crying in my wheaties here.

[jal_ut]

I plant corn May 5 or as soon thereafter as possible. I will usually make three plantings spaced three weeks apart. Beans and melons May 15, cucumbers June 1.

[ruggr10]

Carrots hate sandy soil???!!!!???

I added sand (childrens play sand) to loosen up one raised bed for carrots and they loved it. The bed without sand didn't do as well. Maybe I got lucky.