Green Talk®

Whole Body, Healthy Home, and Sustainable Garden Inspiration

  • About
    • Press
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
  • New Here?
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Hire Me
  • 5 Reasons to Subscribe!
  • Build Green
  • Gardening
  • Green Business
  • Green Living
  • Green Home
  • Recycling
  • Tech

Holy Carrot!

August 18, 2009 By: Anna8 Comments

Distorted Carrots

If  Robin saw the above carrot, he would say, “holy carrot, Batman!”  In my previous carrot disaster article, I asked my readers what the heck is going on.  Although the carrot on my previous post just looked like a bunch of roots, this carrot looks like a bunch of regular carrots! Talk about a bang for your buck.

I sow my carrots inside and then transplant them to the garden.  Carrot seeds are so small that I have had rotten luck directly sowing them.

So what did my readers tell me?

Farmer’s Daughter told me that

“Life is too good for your carrots. I would guess that there are too many nutrients, which is what causes them to split. You can remedy that by not amending the soil, like not adding in compost or manure before you plant them, and also by mixing in sand, which will help them to grow straighter, too.”

Another reader, Terry replied,

“Your carrots look like they are suffering because you are transplanting them. The carrot itself is branching like crazy and transplanting a carrot promotes the branching you see there. Although your carrots may seem to be doing better when you start them, once you move them into your garden they start branching and continue to do so. Try starting carrots from seed in your garden to avoid this……. yeah – not what you wanted to hear….. Oh – yes – as Farmer’s Daughter mentioned – do not amend the soil – unless it is to correct for acidity.”

Even my friend, Karen aka of Best of Mother Earth said

“I had a three year similar carrot project once and found that peat moss made for a terrific loose soil mixture …i added peat after year one and two and by year three i had straight carrots.”

Here are my questions:

  • Can I leave the carrots in until I need them?
  • Will they continue to grow like a bunch?
  • Do you have any sage carrot advice?
  • Has anything like this happened to you.

Let me tell you at a party when I pull one of those babies out, it really is a conversation piece.

Now that Fall is approaching, I am ready to plant my Fall garden.  I am absolutely going to heed everyone’s advice.  As I indicated before, I am a little fearful to direct sow carrots since I have not been very successful in the past.  Organic Gardening, which is one of my favorite magazines, provides an easy tip on how to make your own seed tape, which will insure that my carrots will be off to a good start. Have you tried this method?

Wish me luck. To straighter, single digit carrots?

Similar Posts:

  • Why Do My Carrots look like Spiders?
  • Fall Vegetable Gardening. Starts at the Beginning of Summer
  • Carrot Ginger Soup: Health Benefits in Each Warm Slurp
  • Does Summer Gardening Really Need to End?
  • Growing Onions from Onion Sets

Grow From Seed Mini Course

Grow From Seed Mini Course

About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 1

    Farmer's Daughter says

    August 18, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    I have a couple answers for your questions. I agree, carrots don’t transplant well. I’ve always been successful direct seeding them, as long as I thin them out to about 1 1/2″ to 2″ apart.

    I wouldn’t leave the carrots that have grown in your garden all summer in the ground, as they’ll continue to grow during the growing season and will get big, tough, and tasteless. I pulled all mine and froze the extras. You could can them, too.

    However, if you’re planting some now for a fall crop, you can leave them in the ground until you need them. The shorter, colder days (if you live in a climate like mine… New England) will keep them from growing, just like being in cold storage. Additionally, some of those complex carbs stored during the growing season will convert back into simple sugars and the carrots will taste sweeter. I pulled carrots out of my garden until December last year, and I have a friend in Maine who pulls them as needed all winter long.
    .-= Farmer’s Daughter´s last blog ..My Students Need Your Help! =-.

    Reply
    • 2

      Green Talk says

      August 18, 2009 at 9:44 pm

      Farmer’s Daughter, they are so big right now. How large should their diameter be before I pull them? If they are tough, any ideas on how to make them sweet again? Cook them?

      Reply
  2. 3

    Renewable Ray says

    September 2, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    I can sympathize, we are so excited in the spring time when we are sprinkling seeds since we want to do a “good” job.

    Great picture!
    .-= Renewable Ray´s last blog ..Energy Expert Tinkers Up An Ultra Green Home =-.

    Reply
  3. 4

    Norm Steele says

    October 16, 2009 at 10:06 am

    Anything that damages a carrot’s taproot will cause branching. I raise carrots in 15″ wide raised beds using paper towel seed tapes. I use gelatin to glue the seeds to the paper towel at 1-1/2″ intervals. The raised beds are 2 X 6s and the prepared soil which extends to a depth of 12″ contains compost and 15% perlite; 15% vermiculite. No fertilizer is used. The carrots love this set-up, but unfortunately, the moles also love it. They tunnel through in their never ending pursuit of earthworms all the while damaging taproots and causing the carrots to branch. I have tried several strategies to control the moles but so far have been unsuccessful.

    Reply
    • 5

      Green Talk says

      October 17, 2009 at 11:21 am

      Norm, how about putting chicken wire on the bottom of your beds so they can’t get through? I really did not think I was damaging my carrots since I was plopping them into the soil from their little seed starter container. I tried the glue/paper idea with my carrots but the paper just dried out too quickly. Nothing grew. (Sign) Anna

      Reply
  4. 6

    kimberlee says

    December 2, 2011 at 2:40 am

    I just laughed my head off at that carrot!! I can’t wait to show my carrot-loving daughter this picure. We grew some for the first time in a big barrel. One of those plastic barrels pickles and donut frosting come in. The donut shop sells them for $1. I knew I’d need one for harvesting…never thought to grow carrots in it. Well, carrots are not as easy as I thought. Maybe 2 good ones, and a few tiny ones and I had to replant seeds at first bc something kept digging into the barrel, I assume a squirrel. The last little carrot she harvested was forked. We got a kick out of it.
    Next time, if there is one, I will use sand.
    Anna, I love your blog! You’re an amusing writer.

    Reply
    • 7

      Anna@Green Talk says

      December 4, 2011 at 10:40 pm

      Kimberlee, was your forked carrot from planting seed. Remember, I transplant them because I just can’t get the seeds to grow in dirt.

      Thanks for the compliment. I amuse myself. My kids don’t think I am funny. I am glad that I have one fan that thinks I am! My garden is my source of amusement because I can’t make these stories up. You should read my rabbit post. I guarantee you will get a kick out it. (Oh, and there is the slug one too. All true stories…)

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Does Summer Gardening Really Need to End? — Green Talk® says:
    December 11, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    […] What is this, you must be thinking?  It is my deformed carrot.  This is my second year growing carrots.  I tilled the soil about 12 inches and used alot of compost so that the carrots would be able to grow downwards.  Guess what?  I still got deformed carrots.  I think I need to make a raised bed which is 18 inches in depth just for carrots and fill it will sand and compost so the soil is light enough for the carrots to being able to push through the soil as they grow.  (See here about my issue with deformed carrots.) […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Shop from Anna’s Farm– The Naked Botanical– Farm Fresh Teas, Salts & Body Products

The Naked Botanical Click HERE

Save Money By Growing Your Plants Indoors.

Three Must Have Equipment "

Grab My Free Mini Course

Connect with Me

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • Organic Color Systems: Wash those Grays Away with a Safer Hair Color

  • Coffee Grounds in the Garden: Friend or Foe?

  • Celery Leaves: Cook or Discard them?

  • Freeze Cucumbers & Learn How to Use Them.

  • Hydrogen Peroxide + Ears = Bye to Colds. A Remedy that Works

  • Orange Peel Vinegar Cleaner. Make Your Own Green Cleaner

  • 15 Ways to Recycle or Repurpose Your Underwear

Recent Posts

  • How to Grow Grains in a Small Garden
  • Proper Lighting to Grow Seeds Indoors.
  • Gone Vegan: And Loving My New Life
  • Sleep On Latex: A Healthier Mattress to Sleep Better
  • Eco-Friendly Multi-Use Yard Living. Eat and Enjoy.

Popular Posts

  • Organic Color Systems: Wash those Grays Away with a Safer Hair Color

  • Coffee Grounds in the Garden: Friend or Foe?

  • Celery Leaves: Cook or Discard them?

RSS Green Talk TV

  • Hibiscus in the high tunnel and some discoveries I found.
  • Turmeric indoor sowing time!
  • Short snippet of creating a rose hydrosol
  • Elderberry, more uses than just for health
  • The Naked Botanical's Gift Boxes

Copyright Green Talk © 2025 · Website Designed by Clever Kiwi