any tips for growing carrots?

[midlakefan]

Hi everyone!

Anybody got any tips for growing decent, edible carrots? i've grown various veg for years but still can't manage to grow decent carrots. This year i'm going to grow them in bags so I can have complete control over the soil. What is the best soil to grow carrots in? The problem I usually have is that the carrots have roots seem to split and make bizarre shapes that you just can't use. I've tried mixing sand in with the soil but it never seems to make a difference

[airconednightmare]

sandy loam is the best, if you get a bag of john innes or similar and add a bit more sand that should be ok. sow directly into the soil as thinly as possible to avoid the need to thin out later.

keep them a couple of foot off the ground to avoid carrot root fly and don't let the containers dry out.

[Scythe]

Have a look for a few new varieties available now which claim to be more resistant to carrot fly such as Flyaway. I've also heard that growing them in containers above ground helps

John

[johnmichael]

Carrot root fly can,and will fly as high as they wish if the wind is still,resistant varieties only work if a sacrificial crop of none resistant varieties are sown near by,and are tasteless anyway.Covering with mesh is the safest bet.

[solway cropper]

I agree about the carrot fly being able to get up a height. The old idea that they don't go above about 18 inches is a myth. I've grown carrots in containers on a bench where the soil surface was four feet above the ground and they were still attacked. And those resistant varieties still get eaten unless, as jm says, you have a sacrificial crop nearby. If you live in an area prone to carrot fly, as I do, the only answer is enviromesh or something similar.

[Turfwars]

Originally Posted by airconednightmare

if you get a bag of john innes or similar and add a bit more sand that should be ok.

With you on that one I've found that John Innes with a touch of sand is absolutely ideal for decent carrots. Agree on mesh being the way forward vs carrot fly too. Real nuisance those things and the only thing I've found to work is a good mesh.

[johnmarsh]

Originally Posted by midlakefan

Hi everyone!

Anybody got any tips for growing decent, edible carrots? i've grown various veg for years but still can't manage to grow decent carrots. This year i'm going to grow them in bags so I can have complete control over the soil. What is the best soil to grow carrots in? The problem I usually have is that the carrots have roots seem to split and make bizarre shapes that you just can't use. I've tried mixing sand in with the soil but it never seems to make a difference

Sand Loam is best soil. It is mixture of clay and sandy soil. or you can also try topsoil as topsoil provide all the necessary nutrients to plants which helps plants to grow.

[Hammer]

midlakefan, don't use any manure in the soil for your carrots it causes them to fork and grow in weird shapes.

[claire2965]

try sifting the soil no matter what you use. i found so much rubbish in the compost (i purchased last year as the carrots i tried for the first time i might add) started to fork and grow in wierd shapes. my youngest child thought they were great mind.

[airconednightmare]

smallish hard objects shouldn't make too much difference provided the soil has a decent crumb structure, generic 'compost' probably isn't the best choice. and yeah adding manure makes them fork, no idea why, it just does...