How to Grow straight Carrots.
It is difficult to grow straight carrots in heavy or stony soil.
Carrots grow best on light stone free soil, such as sand, loam and peat soils, where there is no restriction on the tap root growing straight down and therefore producing a perfect, straight carrot.
- Caroline has posted a comment about growing straight carrots:
I heard that a good way to stop carrots from ‘forking’ in rocky soil is to use the end of the rake or something long and cylindrical to make a deep narrow hole, fill it with lovely fine compost and sow the seed directly on top of the compost. Even with a bit of soil movement this should still help you have relatively normal shaped carrots.
- alternatively, on stony soils a narrow slit trench could be made with a spade & filled with sand or peat. The slit can be about 2″ wide at the top. Carrot seeds are sown in this strip so there is no restriction on tap root development.
- grow medium rooted varieties instead of long rooted carrots
- Ben has added a comment about the problems of adding manure to carrot land:
It’s also important not to plant carrots in soil that has had slow release fertilizer added or clumps of manure. The carrot root can come into contact with it and fork from the extra nutrients.
It is possible to grow straight carrots by creating the correct environment for carrots.
Great tips for straight carrots!
It’s also important not to plant carrots in soil that has had slow release fertilizer added or clumps of manure. The carrot root can come into contact with it and fork from the extra nutrients.
Comment by Ben - March 30, 2008 2:40 am
These are great tips — I watched a gardening show this weekend which showed how to grow HUGE carrots in tubing of some sort…it looked much like PVC pipe used for plumbing. They were gigantic and, of course, very straight.
Comment by Nancy Bond - March 30, 2008 2:51 pm
Thanks Ben for that useful info - I will add it to the post.
Comment by TopVeg - March 30, 2008 6:51 pm
Hi Nancy
Yes, the PVC pipes are ideal for this. The competitive show goers use drain pipes for planting carrots. They grow very long and straight in those!
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - March 30, 2008 6:53 pm
MMMM, carrots! I don’t grow carrots as a rule because of our clayey, rocky soil, though when spring finally shows up, I am rebuilding a raised bed with the thought of some fresh carrots in mind. These are great tips; reading your blog always makes me feel like I’m talking with a knowledgeable neighbour, because you encourage without being patronizing. That’s the sign of a good gardener/blogger/teacher. Two green thumbs up from me!
Comment by jodi - March 31, 2008 12:57 am
Thanks, Jodi
That was really kind. Good luck with the raised beds - they should be perfect for carrots!
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - March 31, 2008 4:00 pm