Rubbish with roots

[deathbysnails]

I guess it's too late to help me this year, but does anyone have any idea why I might be so appallingly useless at growing root vegetables? So far this year I've tried growing carrots, beetroots and radish. these are all supposed to be so easy yet i'm having little success. Radishes produced no root at all after 2 months, just lots of lush leaves. The carrots and beetroot have been going for almost 4 months and are SO tiny they're almost insignificant. The carrots were supposed to be small (those little round ones for growing in troughs), but the pack said they'd be as big as golf balls. Mine are as big as marbles. The beetroot has hit golfball size. All in all a bit disappointing.
Might I be overwatering do you think? Or is just that I am rubbish and should give up this gardening lark forever? Any thoughts welcome...
DBS

[lynda66]

it's the weather i reckon, i have leaves all over the place, but other than some miniature turnips, have nothing anywhere near looking ready ....... in fact most of them have put more growth on in the last weeks sunshine, than they had since they were planted..... don't give up, i'm sure they will get there eventually.

[deathbysnails]

Well it's good to know others are suffering too, i guess - but I can't help going green with envy when I see the pics of people's perfect carrots or whatever. Of course, the great thing about this gardening lark is that if all else fails I can just blame the weather!

[zazen999]

Hi
It sounds like you need more phosphorous and less nitrogen in your soil.
Carrots and beetroot usually taken much longer than radish, but radish should be ready in 6 weeks.
Have you tried the onion and root veg fertiliser [put it in a search engine].
Are any other crops doing well?

[Snadger]

Just to be pedantic......the radish is actually a brassica!

Sounds to me like you've got 'chicken pellet fever' at a guess and they've been overdosed with nitro!

Appologies if not, but I think it sounds like either too much nitro or growing in a shadey area?

PS Beetroot is nicest when it is golf ball size!

[lynda66]

mine have only had a general fertilizer once when they were planted, and then about once a month since, and i added compost to the soil, on planting so i don't think i've overdosed them, especially as everything was just at a standstill till we got some sunshine, now everything is sprouting all over the place. and i haven't got a shady area when the sun's out.

the only other things that have grown really well are the spuds ...... they are huge, and flowering now.

[ailsasyl]

my carrots did nothing reckon it has more to do with the being to near the big tree at the bottom of the garden

[Snadger]

mine have only had a general fertilizer once when they were planted, and then about once a month since, and i added compost to the soil, on planting so i don't think i've overdosed them, especially as everything was just at a standstill till we got some sunshine, now everything is sprouting all over the place. and i haven't got a shady area when the sun's out.

the only other things that have grown really well are the spuds ...... they are huge, and flowering now.

There's your shady area then.......stand under the spud foliage!

I wonder what your 'general fertilizers' NPK was and still think fertilsing at once per month is overdosing!

[lynda66]

There's your shady area then.......stand under the spud foliage!

I wonder what your 'general fertilizers' NPK was and still think fertilsing at once per month is overdosing!

oh yeah lol ...... but i have a south west facing garden, so when the suns out it is on most of the garden from around 7am till 6pm, and the bottom of the garden gets sun till about 9pm, and theres nothing in the shade of the potatoes, other than more potatoes

actaully thinking on, i planted end of may/june, and gave them some more fertilizer end of july, they haven't had a feed this month yet, and my soil isn't the best in the front garden, which is why i added some fertilizer. yet the ones in there (other than the potatoes) are all doing better than the ones in the back garden, so i'm quite confused, the back garden has had more home made compost in the last 4 years and has only been growing a few weeds, the front garden was a lawn till i dug it up.

everything is getting there, but just very slowly. shall go and look at a packet next time i'm in town and see the NPK lol

[Two_Sheds]

Carrots don't need a lot of watering. Neither do beetroot. I don't feed them either, and have had lots of both

Radishes do, as they need to grow fast to stay succulent (& damp soil deters flea beetle). My early radishes were excellent, but every crop since about June has been rubbish: woody, scabby and sluggy.

[Eyren]

I haven't fed or watered my carrots or beetroot, and they've been fine - not that much has needed watering this year! Carrots are definitely slow to grow, though, especially in dull wet years - I sowed my Early Nantes at the beginning of February (under coke-bottle cloches) and I'm still harvesting small-to-medium-sized carrots!

[deathbysnails]

Well my whole garden's a bit shady, being a North-facing affair. But other plants are doing well: broad and runner beans are enormous; my potato plants appear to be about 5 foot tall (in compost bags) and i've got some amazingly hot purple chillis in a pot outside. That said, I also appear to be far better at growing pumpkin leaves than pumpkins. Getting in trouble for taking over the garden with them!

I'm not certain about the Nitrogen and Phosphorous stuff - perhaps i'll invest in some root veg fertilizer. And perhaps I should learn to love my small but tasty beetroots. Not certain what use the carrots will be though!

[lynda66]

well at least you have beans and mahoosive potatoes ..... i have 3 very sickly looking bean plants that are all less than 6 inches

[burnie]

Just to be pedantic......the radish is actually a brassica!

Sounds to me like you've got 'chicken pellet fever' at a guess and they've been overdosed with nitro!

Appologies if not, but I think it sounds like either too much nitro or growing in a shadey area?

PS Beetroot is nicest when it is golf ball size!

I think I've had a touch of that fever on my Beetroots lots of tops and no roots,still growing so I might get some marble sized ones.

[Two_Sheds]

broad and runner beans are enormous; my potato plants appear to be about 5 foot tall (in compost bags) and i've got some amazingly hot purple chillis in a pot outside. That said, I also appear to be far better at growing pumpkin leaves than pumpkins.

It sounds like you're very good at growing leaves (nitrogen) and less good at roots/fruits (potash)
Don't use any nitrogen feed on your plants - you'll get green growth at the expense of fruit. You could sprinkle in something like Blood, Fish & Bone (it's organic) when you plant.