Carrot help....

kbb964 Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:44 pm

I planted Chantenay carrot seeds April 4th. Today day 68 I have noticed that seed/flower heads have developed. Is this right???? I did a bit of ready and I am almost sure that carrots should not produce the seed flowers in the first year ! looking like I wont have any carrots under the dirt then?
any advice comments

AvaDGardner Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:51 pm

If your carrots are bolting, I'd pull and eat!

My Long Imperators were at 73 days (70 days maturity) and I pulled them this morning. They weren't bolting yet, although some of the leaves had red tips.

Except for one being short, they all had fat bases with multiple legs...funny shaped and delicious!

Is it cool enough to plant more seeds for succession harvest?

kbb964 Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:54 pm

Thanks Ava, i dont think there are any roots to pull! Will do that in the morning when it is cool. I really thought that the seeds didnt go to seed in the first year.. Sad

I have several squares already of carrots, planted at different times over the last 2 months. I will plant again late summer too.

Bit bummed....... might go check one right now .

kbb964 Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:12 pm

Miserable ! these are the 2 that went to flowers/seeds

they have been in the ground 68 days and the biggest is 1/2 wide by 2 "long and pale cream color

pfftt

I hope to god that the whole 2 squares are not like this

Carrot help.... Img_0410

FamilyGardening Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:18 pm

oh no

so sorry to see this....

we have had lots of trouble with carrots....one suggestion we are trying for the first time is some bone meal.....so far the carrots with the bone meal look really healthy.....but....green tops dont mean good eatin underneath What a Face

we shall see....

hope your other squares are doing better!!

hugs

rose

AvaDGardner Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:21 pm

Okay...check your package...how long until maturity? My carrots are all 70-77 days (I have 4 different types). Do you have carrot tops? You will have carrots...that's the root!

As for bolting, yes, anything will, given the right conditions. Plants want to reproduce (be fruitful and multiply). For most plants, that's by flowering. For most plants we don't want it to flower, because they get woody and lost their flavor. Unless they are beans or peas or squash, which need the flower to produce the part we eat.

Here's my carrots from this morning...as you can see the little one is offset, they are all silly shapes! Carrot help.... 17_car11

Some I pulled at 50 days. 1 was shaped like these, and 3 were perfect looking carrots (but smaller shoulders).

Let me know what you find...home grown carrots are even better than the organic ones in the stores!

Ava

kbb964 Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:22 pm

The carrots have had plenty good nutrition including bone meal side dressings. They look so vigorous above the ground too! nearly 3 foot tall!

I will bide my time with the other 30 plants that are growing. If they dont turn to seed then i will leave them longer.

I will be contacting the manufacturer of the seeds, that is for sure.

kbb964 Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:23 pm

The packet is in date and tells me 70 days to harvest. do i count the 70 days from planting or from sprouting? I am not concerned with how long they take just the fact that they seem to be growing no roots and going to seed. Sad

AvaDGardner Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:28 pm

kbb964 wrote:Miserable ! these are the 2 that went to flowers/seeds

they have been in the ground 68 days and the biggest is 1/2 wide by 2 "long and pale cream color

pfftt

I hope to god that the whole 2 squares are not like this

Kay...what variety are they? 70 days from seedlings. Sowing to seedlings is 'days germination.'

Your root looks like my icicle radish that I let go too long. Instead of being smooth it had roots sticking out of the sides and was woody and unedible.

See the thick bud above the long root? That's a sure sign your plant has bolted. My celery looks like that when it bolts...and most of the plant is then unedible.

Time to harvest...and hope you have something you can eat!

Are you having unusually hot weather?

Ava

**llama momma** Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:29 pm

I'm wondering if that is actually its weed imposter, Queen Anne's Lace. It comes up looking just like carrots and I believe the root portion stays creamy colored and small. The flower part is very wide with teeny white flowers. Unfortunately I've never seen carrot flowers so I can't compare the two. I'm having a terrible time with QA Lace this year, not sure what I am going to harvest out of the garden. We had to battle it all last year in the pasture. When I harvest mine and if it looks similar to yours I'll post a picture so we can compare. Two years ago I grew gorgeous carrots, I have a pic of it in the gallery if you want to see it.

kbb964 Wed Jun 06, 2012 8:01 pm

They are Chantenay, harvest in 70 days so my 68 days from planting makes that roughly 50-55 days. Off the top of my head I cant remember the sprouting time.

I just took a look at another in the same square and scraped back the soil and saw ORANGE!!! whoop whoop !

They didnt look like Queen annes lace, every plant is exactly the same , defo a carrot. Just must have been a couple of bad seeds i guess ?

My other 3 squares are not the same make or variety so fingers crossed . I wont be buying that make of seed again.

Juts realised that I should be harvesting my beets now...... I had got it into my head 70 days for those too but the packet said 58 haha! ... I havent got my pickling supplies ready arghhhh

Just been so busy this last week and a half with my 13 year old nephew over from the UK. and opening the pool, gardening has got a little forgotten

AvaDGardner Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:07 pm

I like beets. They push up when they are ready!

LM, I wondered if they were carrots, too. The stem didn't look right and they were terribly light. I never pulled QAL up when I was a kid (it grew everywhere). The root looked just like my bolting woody radish, but the greens were different.

I'm so glad you see orange on the other carrots!

Have fun with your family.

Ava

CharlesB Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:51 pm

Hybrids or heirlooms?

kbb964 Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:48 am

Charles I have no idea lol

**llama momma** Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:31 am

If you get a chance you may want to look up root knot nematodes in carrots. It attacks a number of plants. I believe it makes curly carrot roots and hairy ones too.

kbb964 Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:32 am

oh wow thanks!

**llama momma** Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:37 am

**llama momma** Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:49 am

I recommend this article about root knot nematodes. It also estimates that 14% of Worldwide Crop Losses are due to root knot nematodes. Lousy little soil roundworms! Marigolds produce a natural toxin to them, at least we can fight back with something natural. Carrot help.... 3170584802

http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/Nematodes/Pages/RootknotNematode.aspx

Triciasgarden Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:50 pm

AvaD those carrots are so cute. So nematodes will make them grow lots of legs LlamaMomma? I think I need to get me more marigolds. Are they ok to eat?

kbb964 Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:58 pm

I applied beneficial nemetodes and had no plant wilt whatsoever so that shouldnt be the problem but ... we shall see what the others come out like

landarch Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:42 am

bonemeal breaks down very slowly so work some into the soil to prepare for fall gardening and next year. carrots also like phosphorus...friends have convinced me to work wood ash (from an outdoor fire pit) into soil before planting carrots and beets.

AvaDGardner Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:11 am

Tricia, I don't know if it was nematodes or not that caused my multi-legged carrots. The link showed a lot more damage than what I have. It could be a lack of phosphorus. That was very low when I started working on the garden in Februrary, and it is hard to add. All the products available at the time added things besides phosphorus, and my pH, N and K were all high.

The other half of that box I let sit longer than the other areas, and when I tested it, the numbers were normal. Come fall, I'll test again.

Yes, as far as I know, they are quite edible!

**llama momma** Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:00 am

Triciasgarden wrote:AvaD those carrots are so cute. So nematodes will make them grow lots of legs LlamaMomma? I think I need to get me more marigolds. Are they ok to eat?

Apparently they are fine to eat. Haven't yet read anything contrary.

**llama momma** Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:04 am

Also keep reading on other sites that newly added fresh manure makes forked legs, but don't know if its true.

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