Mini Carrots

[vron]

Hi everyone, are you all as fed up with the rain as we are, never seem to be able to get on the lotte for very long, the garden is looking like it could host lions and tigers the grass is so long and to wet to cut.

We have early Nante carrots in a very large tub in the garden, they were sown about 12 weeks ago, the folliage is a good 12"-14" tall and well established, but the carrots are only about an 1" long and plump, any idea whats gone wrong, should they be ready for picking yet.

We did exactly the same last year and the crop was superb.

This weather is so hindering the crop growth, oh for a little bit of sunshine to nurse the veg along.

[PJB]

That sounds exactly like our carrots! My 3 year old took such pride in sowing the seeds and thinning them out. Now the foliage is huge but when I tried one yesterday I also discovered a very small root. All a bit disappointing. Mine are in a big pot too this year and successful carrots before were grown in really good soil. Not sure if that has anything to do with it?!?! PJB

[SarzWix]

Having the same problem with my carrots in pots... May be because they're getting too much water from above (rain )? I'm trying an experiment - I've put a kind of shelter over one pot, and stood it in a saucer so that the water is below the roots and they have to reach down for it. Might work??

[Alice]

Hello Vron, I think you're right that the problem is the weather - cold, wet and windy.
Last year I grew Early Nantes in containers and they were superb. This year they are ... well.. not disastrous, but less than I was looking for. I'm blaming the weather.
I've got some Autumn King in the ground, so I'll see how they go.
This is my Early Nantes so far.

The potatoes are Charlotte grown in a bucket. Again, not disastrous, but not as good as last year when the weather was much better.
I do hope your carrots come on.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Your produce looks wonderful as ever, MOM!

I've not much to compare, of course, but here is my experience - in troughs at home I've Parmax (thank you PW) and early nantes at the Hill.

THe parmax which are little golf ball stump rooted carrots - mine haven't been quite that big - more like big gobstoppers, and the nantes look rather like Alices.

I think that I may have to feed the trough sown carrots better next time to get them a bit bigger - and they also have some carrot fly damage (where DO they come from?? There are no veg growers for MILES around my house - I have a courtyard garden and next door are all decking/gravel and the other side have a 10' wall...???

The nantes at the Hill may well have grown bigger if I'd had a bit more patience..........they taste nice tho'!

[Cutecumber]

Keeping them on the dry side has always given me bigger roots, in containers. Mine are doing OK this year - but I am constantly tempted to pull them too early!

[moggssue]

Do you think it would help if pots of carrots were put into a coldframe or similar to shelter them and keep them warmer, or would that just encourage even more lush top growth? Mine are just about matchsticks so far, not even big enough for a mouthful

[Cutecumber]

It might help if they are too wet.

How long have they been growing? How dense are they? Thinning will help some grow bigger.

[moggssue]

I thinned last night, they were pretty crowded. they're Amsterdam Forcing and about 8/9 weeks old from memory. There's lots of top growth which is why I was wondering if all their energy was going into that instead of the roots. I have space in a cold frame for two of the pots (next to my baby caulis), I guess I could do a mini experiment!