Should you ever fertilise a bed for carrots?

[bario1]

I know adding manure shortly before sowing carrots isn't advised, as it might make the soil too rich for them and cause them to fork. But as I grow my carrots in the same bed every year, it never gets fertilised - so what exactly are the carrots using for food? Fresh air, sunlight and water? Should I add some well rotted manure now, so that it has time to 'mellow' over winter? Or, if I just keep depleting and depleting the soil, will that actually make it better for growing carrots?

[Greenleaves]

I only use BFB where I grow carrots

[Thelma Sanders]

I always understood it was the lumpy nature of manure (same thing happens on stony soil) that causes the forking, rather than the 'richness'.
So, I've always thought that you can add fertiliser but you shouldn't add manure.

[Florence Fennel]

I just add another layer of compost every year

[fishpond]

Sow the carrots in toilet roll tubes or equivalent.
Pile the manure/compost on the bed but do not dig it in.
As soon as proper leaves on carrots are showing,plant out--including tubes.
The roots start off below the manure, the manure keeps moisture in the ground, the goodness in manure is not water soluble unlike man made ferts, so it does not get washed out of the soil and the manure is slowly worked in by the worms, insects and bacteria.----this works with Snips as well----throw the spade and fork away.
Result.
Your Carrots will be the biggest and best you have ever grown.
P.S Don't tell anyone
If I have time/remember, I will take some phots tomorrow.

[bario1]

Your Carrots will be the biggest and best you have ever grown.
P.S Don't tell anyone
If I have time/remember, I will take some phots tomorrow.

Yes please!

[fishpond]

I will probably forget tomorrow, so I have just taken some phots.
The one that was pulled weighed in at 1lb 3oz. There are some huge ones in there which make this one look like a little finger
These are not "special carrots" They are bog standard eat every day carrots, available from pretty well every where that sells seed.
Bario---This also works for beetroot.
Anyway here are the phots-----


And somemore following

[fishpond]

[Ms-T]

What a good idea. thanks.

[burnie]

I never grow things in the same place twice, not rotating crops is a recipe for disaster and I have seen evidence of this both in amateurs plots and in farmers fields. I put manure in 2 of the 3 raised beds, then compost in the one that will have roots. So my carrots next year will be in a bed that was manured this time last year and then had onions, leeks, peas and broad beans in it this year.

[geepee]

I only started my raised beds last year and added 7.7.7 as I filled them, so thought the soil might be a bit 'Hot ' for carots, however, I did Transplant some Autumn King that I started in paper tubes circa Jan/feb last year in the propogator,( cos was eager) planted out door in March ?april, now Oct they look like being proper carrots for the pot thro the winter months ie 6/7'' long and about 1.5'' dia,
I did that thinking they would have a long growing season so therefore not want to race on to maturity, looks like its working, I took some thinning s thro the season and there was no sign of Fang or deformity
The rest of my carrot crop has been in 10'' pots(ex Morrison flower tubs) see my post in 'Show us your raised beds ) Carrots will NOT grow on compost, water and sun alone, bt neither will they thrive on fresh FYM,
A neutral PH mix of compost with sufficient P&K ,trace elements in finely sieved/graded medium should be perfect.
Try taking a 'Tabloid' newspaper, tear it into 4 squares per single page. roll it around a broom handle ,approx 1'' dia, secure it with a very small piece of masking tape ,
Fill with fine graded compost , add 1or 3/4 carrot seeds to top,stand tubes in a suitable container( to keep upright and fit into your propogator) , Stand container in a seed tray or simialar and allow tubes to soak up as much water as they need to top.
Place container full of tubes into incubator and wait for germination , usually 10/14 days, remove from inc and harden off, then transplant to eventual location.......be surprised if you do'nt get earliest,straightest , sweetest carrots ever.
Use early varieties first .
Gee

[bario1]

Thanks for the replies! I did tell myself that I'd never bother starting off carrots indoors again, due to the faff.... but now I'm tempted to give it another go.

[Snadger]

I water mine with comfrey tea.

[Snoop Puss]

Love all these ideas, especially the loo roll and paper pots idea. But realistically, I'll probably go with Snadger's idea. A bit easier and I know what I'm like... anything for an easy life.

[burnie]

My best crop of carrots this year came from a packet of seed I got for free and had nowhere to sow them in the "roots bed". So I just scattered them amongst the brassicas, lovely they are too.