Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In my new place, I had to plow over years of established pasture for my veggie garden. I've had terrible results with carrots for the past two seasons and came across this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1nLgT1s1Q
The guy also started a new plot in what had been grass. He thinks the problem is that the turned over turf hasn't had time to decompose and presents a barrier to the carrots' tap roots. He also has a problem with bifurcating roots like I do and thinks it's due to the growing root encountering a rock or a lump of manure not deteriorated enough and representing too much N- no need to grow deeper & bigger. I till in copious horse manure- not all of it completely composted just yet.
I've grown carrots and other root vegetables in raised beds....you have control of depth, what type soil, easier to till or turn by hand, easier to harvest....
Guido, you could try growing Daikon radishes there for a season or two then switch over to carrots. Daikons are notable for breaking up and conditioning the soil to the required depth and softer, more crumbly consistency to make it more suitable for carrots to penetrate down into the soil.
PS - I didn't like the looks of his soil. Way too hard and clumpy, too much compacted clay, not enough sand, not black enough colour to it.
Thanks for the replies....I don't think I can build a raised bed big enough to fit my tractor.
I've got great soil-- bottom land with high water table-- garden hardly needs any tending and no watering in this location. Potatoes, peas, beans, peppers, tomatoes, onions & sweet corn all do well.
I have a cold frame (on higher ground) that I get an early jump on things. Radishes and lettuce do quite well-- but even there the carrots grows poorly. I've used both saved seeds from good years at another location and newly purchased seeds-- same lousy result. …
I'm thinking maybe that horse manure is too strong. A tap root is intended to go deep, and with so much N, it doesn't have to. (??)
I would think that a soil with very high organic matter would be best. For example an old turf farm which had been cultivated for years with green manure tilled in every spring. Mid west soils would be good too. And like one person above said, an artificial soil with a lot of sand or even a sandy soil as long as you could water it. That said, pH must also play a role and I would guess they would prefer slightly acidic soils, mainly because you don't see a lot of production for carrots in the desert.
In my new place, I had to plow over years of established pasture for my veggie garden. I've had terrible results with carrots for the past two seasons and came across this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1nLgT1s1Q
The guy also started a new plot in what had been grass. He thinks the problem is that the turned over turf hasn't had time to decompose and presents a barrier to the carrots' tap roots. He also has a problem with bifurcating roots like I do and thinks it's due to the growing root encountering a rock or a lump of manure not deteriorated enough and representing too much N- no need to grow deeper & bigger. I till in copious horse manure- not all of it completely composted just yet.
Any thoughts, experiences or tips?
We used to grow carrots and parsnips, and used this trick: For each plant, with a crowbar, create a hole in your soil approximately the size of a fullgrown carrot and fill it with sand. Plant a couple seeds in each sand-filled hole and thin the weaker seedlings. It really worked.
I have a few "raised beds" (AKA redneck beds, AKA old tires) full of permanent things like asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, specific herbs, and one for carrots.(Every tire has a different plant) It's a HUGE (15" deep) old muddin' tire and I filled it with a mix of sand, soil, peat, pebbles, vermiculite, and compost. Have no troubles growing carrots long and straight in it.
Maybe a raised bed, or a super deep tiller would help.
In my new place, I had to plow over years of established pasture for my veggie garden. I've had terrible results with carrots for the past two seasons and came across this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1nLgT1s1Q
The guy also started a new plot in what had been grass. He thinks the problem is that the turned over turf hasn't had time to decompose and presents a barrier to the carrots' tap roots. He also has a problem with bifurcating roots like I do and thinks it's due to the growing root encountering a rock or a lump of manure not deteriorated enough and representing too much N- no need to grow deeper & bigger. I till in copious horse manure- not all of it completely composted just yet.
Any thoughts, experiences or tips?
Only use gardening information from a reputable source- websites which ends with.edu
Test the pH of your soil- use your local University Extension-$10-15.
Sometimes Master Gardeners can test for free. Add limestone as recommended. May take a couple of years of repeated applications. ( Preferably do not use dolomitic lime)
If you live in the West, SW- still test your soil, but check for salts - EC test as well. You may need gypsum
In short: read this( will explain why the guy in a video failed)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
