The Carrot Challenge - Grow carrots with me in 2016!!

[SusieG]

They look smashing, SP..! . Me, jealous .......

Mine seem to have come to a standstill, growth wise ....
I've started two more lots outside in my SFG beds - so I'll see how they fare ....

[vixylix]

Mine need thinning too SP - I'm trying to make sure they are big enough to eat them as baby carrots first!

[Small pumpkin]

Harvested bucket number 4, sweet candle sown 03.04.16. They probably could have stayed a bit longer but I still got nearly 1lb of carrots.
Also bucket number 5, purple haze sown 14.04.16. Again could have stayed longer but still good sized carrots.
I do get carried away pulling carrots, it's exciting to see how big or what funny shapes you're going to pull out of the ground ( I'm the same with spuds ). Is it just me

[Nannysally99]

I have carrots in buckets and containers. Used seed tape and it's been very successful. Much better than in the earth

[KevinM67]

Can't believe this thread is on the 2nd page.

Anyway, I think I'll empty my first bucket this weekend.

A quick question though - I've had a little check on the tops of some that have been growing for about 3 months - fantastic leaf growth, but a few seemed a bit skinny.

Would they fatten up a bit if I left them longer - or after that amount of time, is that as good as they'll get ?

[Small pumpkin]

I try thinning out (take the big, leaving the skinny) but I don't leave them long enough. I getting inpatient with half bucket sat taking up valuable space .
So basically........I don't know

I've rescued this thread from page 2 once or twice

[Penellype]

Can't believe this thread is on the 2nd page.

Anyway, I think I'll empty my first bucket this weekend.

A quick question though - I've had a little check on the tops of some that have been growing for about 3 months - fantastic leaf growth, but a few seemed a bit skinny.

Would they fatten up a bit if I left them longer - or after that amount of time, is that as good as they'll get ?

Carrots are biennial plants which means that they spend the first year growing leaves and then storing the food made from those leaves in a swollen tap root. The following year (earlier if stressed) they use up the stored food to make flowers and seeds.

From the point of view of the actual carrot, it starts of small and continues to swell until the foliage starts to die down. While it is young the root is very sweet and tender because most of the food is in the form of sugars. These gradually turn to starch as the root gets bigger and older so large carrots are less sweet. Once new growth starts and a flower spike starts to form the food in the root is used up and the root itself becomes tough and hard and is not nice to eat.

As a general rule, a carrot will keep on getting bigger until there are signs of a flower spike appearing - the leaves in the centre start to look different and it produces a shoot that is clearly going to grow quite tall.

So as long as your carrots are not showing signs of flowering they should continue to get bigger as long as they are not stressed eg by being too close together, having insufficient water or being flooded or attacked by pests.

[KevinM67]

Penellype as ever, fantastic advice.

I've never had success with carrots - I would really like some sweet ones.

Time to reveal some then.

I can't wait till tomorrow.

[Small pumpkin]

I've just emptied my last 3 buckets of carrots.
On the whole I've found this to be a very successful experiment. Thank VC for yet another wonderful idea .
I will do it again next year. Probably not as many buckets ( 10 took up a lot of space and compost ) and leave 3 weeks between sowing. Hopefully that will extend my carrots season even more.
I still have half a carrot bed still to harvest

[muddled]

yep...same here!
Definitely my most successful year ever for carrots so mega thanks to VC

I used the compost from last years tomato and chilli buckets so there was no expense at all and once they were growing well, all the buckets were dumped outside to fill gaps in flower beds and such with their lovey 'frondy' leaves.

I will be growing them like this from now on, they're coming out straight, clean and generally awesome

[Small pumpkin]

I was considering bagging up the compost from my carrot buckets and saving it for next years carrots. Just use a bit of fresh compost on the top 3" or 4" for the seeds to germinate in. Do you think that would work ?

[Penellype]

I was considering bagging up the compost from my carrot buckets and saving it for next years carrots. Just use a bit of fresh compost on the top 3" or 4" for the seeds to germinate in. Do you think that would work ?

Providing that you haven't had any pests or diseases you should be ok doing this. I wouldn't if you have had carrot fly though.

[Penellype]

A couple of my carrots have bolted, which I think is probably due to them getting too hot or dry. I caught them in time for them still to be edible, luckily.

[veggiechicken]

I'm proud of you all, taking on the Carrot Challenge and embarrassed by my lack of commitment
I did sow a few buckets but nothing like the one a week I said I would
The good news is - I know it works and will grow all my carrots this way now.

Now................what will be the next Challenge?
We've done radishes and carrots..........

[bramble]

V.C, did you harvest any of yours yet? Do you have any pics and which one did best for you?