carrot issues :(

[JerseyJimbo]

Hi all, i have been pulling my carrots for about the last month or so with wildly varying results, some carrots are smaller than the end of my little finger others are much larger, up to 10" long and 6"in diameter? The small ones are tasty and sweet, the larger are bland, almost soapy in flavour when eaten raw, but seem ok in stew's etc...

How, if poss, can i regulate the size of my crop a little better?

Also i seem to be having an issue with the dreaded carrot fly, and aphids affecting about 50-60% of my crop, i am very reluctant to use any non-organic pesticides (if these would even work) but have been told by one of the older gents i share the allotment with, to use a copper based spray that he seems to think is only available in France, unfortunately i havent seen him for ages and the name of the spray now eludes me?

Any other suggestions would be more than welcome...

[bobleponge]

Second question first JJ, carrot fly. I think the general verdict is that enviromesh is the way forward, although I dont use it myself.
Try doing any thinning late in the evenings when the little rascals are tucked up in bed.
I plant my carrots in between my onions whenever possible, apparently the smell is supposed to disguise the carrot.
Also, they cant fly very high at all, so if you have a raised bed, try growing them in there, or putting some form of framework around them.
The copper based spray??? Not heard of it.

Size is important, especially if you are growing F1 carrots, as they are supposed to be uniform. Think about when you sowed them though, millions of the little things, even with F1 carrots its going to be difficult for the manufacturer to guarantee all of them will be exactly the same size shape etc.
If not using F1 then the differences are only going to be more noticeable.
I grew several varieties this year, not one F1, and there were real differences in them.
My jaune obtuse carrots grew pretty well, and had several reasonable sized ones as well as some fingerlings, and one that needed me and both my granddaughters to pull it out.

I think F1 is the only way if you want uniform cropping, and even then with carrots you will have to accept differences.

[Snadger]

Six inches diameter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SarzWix]

The trouble is, that they don't all germinate at once, so the ones that grow first will be bigger than the ones that come up 2 weeks later. The answer is to keep checking them, and ones that look like they have decent sized foliage, scrape back a little bit of soil and check how big they look. If they're big enough, pull them up carefully, then firm the soil back down round the others and water them, then leave 'em to grow for a bit longer.

Carrot fly - Enviromesh. I've had 3 years of ruined carrots, this year the whole bed has been covered in insect-proof mesh over cloche hoops and the carrots are superb

[Alison]

Mine are different sizes but they all seem to taste pretty similar (Autumn King and John's Purple from the Heritage Seed Library). I just pull the ones I want and leave the others to grow a bit more which I like as it means I can have them as I want. I just used a simple fleece barrier this year, about 2.5' high, supported by canes around the bed. Had to be rescued a couple of times and is a bit of a pain when weeding but it seems to have worked as my carrots are undamaged. However, it's got a bit ripped over the season so am thinking of making something more substantial out of some spare offcuts of wondermesh I have for next year in the hope that I can reuse for years.

[JerseyJimbo]

Thanx for the answers, any suggestions as to where to source this mesh, i live in Jersey, would it be something B&Q might sell or would i wanna try a regular garden centre?

I am unsure of the variety of carrot i planted as i did not keep the packet (lesson learned) so i couldn't tell you if it was an F1 or not, i have been making a diary so i will take note for next year. And i will try a little more soil preparation next year to...

And Snadger i may of made a small maths error and got my diameter mixed up with my circumference...

[Snadger]

........................And Snadger i may of made a small maths error and got my diameter mixed up with my circumference...

I figured as much, but just thought I'd wind you up!!!!!!

I got my mesh from the local garden centre. It cost about £1.50 a square metre.

[ladylottie]

Hi all, i have been pulling my carrots for about the last month or so with wildly varying results, some carrots are smaller than the end of my little finger others are much larger, up to 10" long and 6"in diameter? The small ones are tasty and sweet, the larger are bland, almost soapy in flavour when eaten raw, but seem ok in stew's etc...

I've been getting that same soapy taste with carrots (I was calling it bitter, but soapy would be it) and asked the question what was causing it on the forum a while back. No-one seemed to know. And no-one is giving you a reason either.....

[SarzWix]

I've never noticed a 'soapy' taste in carrots, so I'm afraid I don't really know what you mean? Maybe try a different variety next year? Or eat them smaller? If it's something to do with soil type, you could try them in containers?

[Two_Sheds]

Carrots can taste soapy or bitter -
Two ingredients determine a carrot's flavour: sugars and terpenoids (volatile compounds that impart the carrot flavour).
Some varieties are naturally high in terpenoids, which make the carrots taste bitter or soapy.
Because terpenoids develop earlier than sugars, a carrot that is harvested too young might taste bitter. Growing Carrots - Carrot Cultivation Guidance, hints and tips

[basketcase]

There's a World Carrot Museum??!!

[JerseyJimbo]

.
Because terpenoids develop earlier than sugars, a carrot that is harvested too young might taste bitter.

Tbh id say it was the older and more mature carrot that had this soapy taste to it, the smaller ones are sweeter. As i said once cooked this soapy flavour seems to go? Not so useful if im planning a salad, having to try each carrot before use, not that its a hardship mind...

[ladylottie]

Yes, JJ, I found that it was the older carrots that had this bitter/soapy taste. The younger ones were ok. I've grown Chantenay Red Cored and Flyaway last year and this year. Same problem with both. Strange because I've grown CRC before (not on my lottie) and they've been perfect. The strange taste seems to be at the lottie - perhaps the answer is to grow them in containers at home next year and see what happens.....!

[JerseyJimbo]

i live in a top floor flat in the middle of the 'burbs and unfortunately only have a 50cm x 150cm balcony, and that is fully occupied with herb pots etc...

so i will have to try something else at the 'lottie' next year, maybe mix in some compost with the soil and see what happens...

[SarzWix]

Try some different varieties as well, I've got about 5 different colours of carrot this year and they all taste different to each other, grown in the same bed.