Seeing as this is gardening forum thought I’d better ask a gardening question…lol.
Our carrots grow well and mostly have good shape and size, but no matter what variety we use, they never seem to be sweet like the ones we buy. They often have a slightly bitter taste. Any suggestions as to why that might be? Would it just be a result of the the hybridisation done by the commercial farmers?
AnneS said:
Seeing as this is gardening forum thought I’d better ask a gardening question…lol.Our carrots grow well and mostly have good shape and size, but no matter what variety we use, they never seem to be sweet like the ones we buy. They often have a slightly bitter taste. Any suggestions as to why that might be? Would it just be a result of the the hybridisation done by the commercial farmers?
umm – that’s unusual – normally its the store carrots i find sour.
anyrate try this checklist
- sandy, well drained soil with old fertility
- like all veges they need to grow fast – ie harvest 2-3 months after seed planting
- they like phosphate but ‘fork’ with too much nitrogen
check drainage – water should disappear quickly – any brown marks on skin will indicate soil bogginess
i’m on clay and that doesn’t grow good carrots so – if the skin is prematurely aged (wrinkled) than you will have to add sand and aged compost, grow a green manure crop, fork it in – and try planting again.
thats all i can think of for now.
AnneS said:
Seeing as this is gardening forum thought I’d better ask a gardening question…lol.Our carrots grow well and mostly have good shape and size, but no matter what variety we use, they never seem to be sweet like the ones we buy. They often have a slightly bitter taste. Any suggestions as to why that might be? Would it just be a result of the the hybridisation done by the commercial farmers?
i think its a all forum to us gardeners.
AnneS said:
Seeing as this is gardening forum thought I’d better ask a gardening question…lol.Our carrots grow well and mostly have good shape and size, but no matter what variety we use, they never seem to be sweet like the ones we buy. They often have a slightly bitter taste. Any suggestions as to why that might be? Would it just be a result of the the hybridisation done by the commercial farmers?
How long have yours been in the soil? I reckon it could be an age thing…
Can’t remember exactly, forgot to record when I planted them, but not that long
AnneS said:
Can’t remember exactly, forgot to record when I planted them, but not that long
what did they look like? Did they have a larger inner segment, you know the bit that is a bit tougher than the rest?
Carrots take around four months to grow. Radishes take four weeks.
Water is the biggest issue..
Do it properly with water and your carrots and your celery will be better than shop bought.. do it wrong and well .. try growing caltrops instead.
Someone said old fertility.. what they should have said was deep fertility.. and deep water.
Carrots are pretty much useless without water underneath them.
Nitrogen does not fork them.. availability of water is what forks them.
Potassium and phosphorus are more to the plant’s desire yes but without leaves the root is useless.. so don’t shy off on the nitrogen just because someone tells you that it forks the roots. .. it does not.
seeking water.. that’s what forks the roots..
roughbarked said:
Someone said old fertility.. what they should have said was deep fertility.. and deep water. Carrots are pretty much useless without water underneath them.
Nitrogen does not fork them.. availability of water is what forks them.
Potassium and phosphorus are more to the plant’s desire yes but without leaves the root is useless.. so don’t shy off on the nitrogen just because someone tells you that it forks the roots. .. it does not. seeking water.. that’s what forks the roots..
you wanna bet?
20 cents says that fresh fertility (with lots of nitrogen) causes forking in carrots. plant carrots into freshly fertilised ground and they will fork all over. you will get big carrots but they will be a pain to wash and less useful than smaller straight ones.
predigested soil food like compost or worm castings are ok.
(btw roughbarked i loved your photo of daughter and golden orb (?) spider.)
i’m in a position to carry out a field trial to test if nitrogen causes forking.
the carrots in the photo are 4 weeks old and (after watering) i can apply liquid pigeon poo every week to the ends of the rows closest to the camera.
my prediction is that the carrots with the liquid fert will grow much bigger (tops and bottoms) but they will fork badly under the influence of the fertiliser.
pepe said:
i’m in a position to carry out a field trial to test if nitrogen causes forking.
the carrots in the photo are 4 weeks old and (after watering) i can apply liquid pigeon poo every week to the ends of the rows closest to the camera.
my prediction is that the carrots with the liquid fert will grow much bigger (tops and bottoms) but they will fork badly under the influence of the fertiliser.
I love experiments. Go Pepe.
My carrots were all forked down one end of the bed, that end was closest to the enriched bed that I planted tomatoes in.
I figured though, the soil in the forked part was much heavier , and the soil in the ‘straights’ part was sandy.
I might do similar next time with 2 small beds of carrots. Bearing in mind the rich clay soils here.
I might try a nitrogen loaded potting mix in a wide pot and see what I get.
I love experiments. Go Pepe. My carrots were all forked down one end of the bed, that end was closest to the enriched bed that I planted tomatoes in. I figured though, the soil in the forked part was much heavier , and the soil in the ‘straights’ part was sandy.
I might do similar next time with 2 small beds of carrots. Bearing in mind the rich clay soils here.
I might try a nitrogen loaded potting mix in a wide pot and see what I get.
———————————————-
its difficult to get reliable results because of natural soil variations and because the tester (me) has certain results in mind so might be biased. even so its worth a try.
in clay its difficult to test roughbarked’s theory of water down below the roots because clay doesn’t drain to the base. sand or sandy loam might place water below the carrot taproot (?)
Thanks for everyone’s input. All our vegies are in raised beds (about 40cm) because of the natural clay soil (even though we are only 15km from the coast). The bed that they are in this year is about 3 or 4 years and has been built up with compost; manure; green manure etc and is looking pretty good..still a way to go but a vast improvement on what we started with. We do get come carrots with a hard core, but not all are like that.
We always try to grow them in beds with old fertility. The beds would have had chicken & cow added with compost for previous crops but never added phospate.
Carrots can be sweetened up with a dressing of epsom salts. (Magnesium sulphate)
To my knowledge, forking is caused by hard packed,heavy or rocky soil and /or using animal manures which are not well rotted or composted.
This is why in a crop rotation system it is recommended that root crops follow other crops with no further addition of manures.
They get the second hand, well rotted stuff.
Cultivation must be deep in soils used for growing carrots, esp if it’s heavy soil.
i have to agree about the carrots love for water, and friable soil. if the soil has bad structure, even after initial working over, it will compact over the lengthy growing period. the soil needs to be kept moist regularly so the carrots grow properly, and so the soil doesn’t compact more. Improving the soil structure, making sure all trace elements are present, and keeping the soil moisture good, will produce quick growing and tasty carrots. Some would assume that all the trace elements are there but, this may be not so in a garden bed with imported topsoil. The kind of topsoil typically added by builders to level the block is horrible silty stuff with nil organic matter. Even adding compost, manures, and seaweed, may still not be enough. I’ve seen a huge improvement in my carrot growing due to adding gypsum and bentonite in the soil (to improve water penetration and holding capacity) and adding azomite. azomite being another volcanic clay type product, which contains lots of (natural) trace elements http://www.azomite.com.au/
If you have the brown/red sodic clay, adding lots of gypsum should be enough.
Lots of compost doesn’t improve sandy soil much. Organic matter doesn’t properly mesh with sand and decompose until some clay (e.g. bentonite) is also present. So you may end up with mostly compost in the earnest tries of improving a sandy soil. But you end up with water repellent organic matter, and some sand. And it still doesn’t grow good carrots. Adding organic matter is a good thing however, it can’t be mixed en-masse with sandy soil, and adding it topically (as it should on sandy soil) will take many years to improve it. This is the case in many parts of australia where air is dry in the main growing season, i.e. Melbourne etc.
good night
Well said aquarium..
It is true all of that..
without water present all soils will deteriorate rapidly away from where carrots can be grown
roughbarked said:
Well said aquarium..
It is true all of that..
without water present all soils will deteriorate rapidly away from where carrots can be grown
True, carrots do fork because water and nutrients are at the surface rather than being beneath.
It will do no good tossing trace elements on top.
The soil needs to be friable.. Without water no soil remains friable. Digging first loosens then compacts soils unless materials which aid soil friability are dug in.. worms and water take trace elements deep enough for carrots to seek. Worms are the best soil forkers.
A high water table is bad for carrots, the water has to be deeper. So if too much water is a problem physical drainage needs to be employed.
I’m learning heaps in this thread :)
We generally deep water 2 or 3 times a week (more often in hot, windy water)..not drip irrigation as such, but from a gravity fed tank so there isn’t a lot pressure so the water trickles in. We had a bit of rain in Nov and early Dec which helped.
Although we don’t have a worm farm there are a lot of worms in the soil.
AnneS said:
We generally deep water 2 or 3 times a week (more often in hot, windy water)..not drip irrigation as such, but from a gravity fed tank so there isn’t a lot pressure so the water trickles in. We had a bit of rain in Nov and early Dec which helped.Although we don’t have a worm farm there are a lot of worms in the soil.
hot windy weather I mean…LOL
umm – it appears as tho’ everyone agrees my application of liquid fert will cause forking. ah well – i’ve started doing it and will continue for a month. i’m putting it on beetroot as well.
you started a hot topic here anne (chuckle).
at this stage your soil appears well aged and drained so maybe try a deep soaking followed by epsom salts.
you didn’t use any pre-emergent herbicide to begin with did you? that stuff makes carrots bitter.
AnneS said:
OOPS! Pressed the wrong key.
Yes there is a lot of valuable info there. I will have to follow all of the suggestions and be a lot more observant and keep better records with my next crop to pinpoint where I have gone wrong.
pepe said:
umm – it appears as tho’ everyone agrees my application of liquid fert will cause forking. ah well – i’ve started doing it and will continue for a month. i’m putting it on beetroot as well.you started a hot topic here anne (chuckle).
at this stage your soil appears well aged and drained so maybe try a deep soaking followed by epsom salts.
you didn’t use any pre-emergent herbicide to begin with did you? that stuff makes carrots bitter.
No herbicide used. Although our garden probably couldn’t be certified organic, we generally try to use organic priniciples with our gardening.
covering and shading the soil surface with organic material(between rows of carrots) will increase worm activity and help stop the water leaving the soil due to evaporative hot windy water.. er weather ;)
are carrots a full sun crop? or will they grow in dappled shade?
bluegreen said:
are carrots a full sun crop? or will they grow in dappled shade?
morning BG
at the risk of controversy my answer is both.
there are summer and winter carrots so the winter ones are ok in partial shade.
There is one other thing that could be playing a part. and that is soil Ph.
there are such things as sweet and sour.. in relation to Ph.
also to breeding.: Carrot flavor secrets
Guthrie was first turned on to flavorful carrots almost by accident. One wintry day in December 1997, Guthrie pulled some carrots out of a snow-covered bed he had planted earlier in the season. The carrots, a variety called Bolero, were exceptional. Says Guthrie, “It was my first realization of how good winter carrots could be.”
The following summer, Guthrie read an article titled “Carrot Flavor Secrets” in Organic Gardening magazine. The piece explained the physiology of carrot flavor and shared the results of a taste test comparing seven different carrot hybrids grown in upper North America. Guthrie, who still considers it the best article he’s seen on carrot production, said, “It confirmed what I already knew.”
According to the article, “A flavorful carrot variety will probably taste flavorful no matter where it is grown.” In other words, variety selection, more than anything else, is the key to tasty carrots. Guthrie, who was already growing several of the recommended varieties, felt encouraged to grow more.
As the CSA grew, Guthrie continued to raise and experiment with carrots. Soon, he realized he was starting to get a reputation. “I’d go to these conferences and people would say ‘Gary Guthrie’s carrots are the best I’ve ever eaten.’ That’s when I decided to focus more on carrot production.” http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0404/carrots/index.shtml
Also Fresh carrot-flavor, aroma, and aftertaste were associated with high total sugar to terpinolene ratios. Sweet taste and sweet aftertaste were associated with high levels of total sugar and high total sugar to terpinolene ratios. Cooked flavor and cooked aftertaste were associated with high terpinolene content. Selection of genotypes with high total sugar to terpinolene ratios should improve strained processed carrot sensory quality.
pepe said:
bluegreen said:
are carrots a full sun crop? or will they grow in dappled shade?
morning BG
at the risk of controversy my answer is both.
there are summer and winter carrots so the winter ones are ok in partial shade.
Other way around i would say.. since winter carrots most likely grow under deciduous trees rather than evergreens but yes sun is essential to both types. Also to both growth and flavour. How much sun.. well this can vary since some shade may be essential in some areas to prevent soil water loss.
roughbarked said:
There is one other thing that could be playing a part. and that is soil Ph.there are such things as sweet and sour.. in relation to Ph.
neutral ph soil is good for carrots afaik.
this has become a very nice thread, full of good info and shared experiences.
hope your next lot of carrots are sweeter AnneS. I’ve been planting a few rows of carrots about every month or so, during this growing season. haven’t had to buy carrots since winter, and i’ve been giving them away to family and feeding the rabbit with them too. soon the conditions of your soil will be more right for carrots, and you’ll never look back.
Tested the Ph of the bed we are planning to sow our next lot of carrots, even though it previously had the King Edward potatoes and so is therefore not part of a normal rotation pattern. As we suspected the Ph was between 4 1/2 and 5 so a bit of liming to do there
pepe said:
roughbarked said:
Someone said old fertility.. what they should have said was deep fertility.. and deep water. Carrots are pretty much useless without water underneath them.
Nitrogen does not fork them.. availability of water is what forks them.
Potassium and phosphorus are more to the plant’s desire yes but without leaves the root is useless.. so don’t shy off on the nitrogen just because someone tells you that it forks the roots. .. it does not. seeking water.. that’s what forks the roots..
you wanna bet?
20 cents says that fresh fertility (with lots of nitrogen) causes forking in carrots. plant carrots into freshly fertilised ground and they will fork all over. you will get big carrots but they will be a pain to wash and less useful than smaller straight ones.
predigested soil food like compost or worm castings are ok.
(btw roughbarked i loved your photo of daughter and golden orb (?) spider.)
i owe you 20 cents roughbarked.
i’ll post you half a stamp when i get your address LOL.
- so deep fertility and watering it is.
pepe said:
pepe said:
roughbarked said:
Someone said old fertility.. what they should have said was deep fertility.. and deep water. Carrots are pretty much useless without water underneath them.
Nitrogen does not fork them.. availability of water is what forks them.
Potassium and phosphorus are more to the plant’s desire yes but without leaves the root is useless.. so don’t shy off on the nitrogen just because someone tells you that it forks the roots. .. it does not. seeking water.. that’s what forks the roots..
you wanna bet?
20 cents says that fresh fertility (with lots of nitrogen) causes forking in carrots. plant carrots into freshly fertilised ground and they will fork all over. you will get big carrots but they will be a pain to wash and less useful than smaller straight ones.
predigested soil food like compost or worm castings are ok.
(btw roughbarked i loved your photo of daughter and golden orb (?) spider.)
i owe you 20 cents roughbarked.
i’ll post you half a stamp when i get your address LOL.
- so deep fertility and watering it is.
send me photo’s of your unforked carrots ;)
send me photo’s of your unforked carrots ;)
———
oh i don’t know – you drive a hard bargain.
i pull a few on the weekend and post the photo here – if that’s ok?
pepe said:
send me photo’s of your unforked carrots ;)
———
oh i don’t know – you drive a hard bargain.
i pull a few on the weekend and post the photo here – if that’s ok?
did you see this?
roughbarked said:
Someone said old fertility.. what they should have said was deep fertility.. and deep water. Carrots are pretty much useless without water underneath them.
Nitrogen does not fork them.. availability of water is what forks them.
Potassium and phosphorus are more to the plant’s desire yes but without leaves the root is useless.. so don’t shy off on the nitrogen just because someone tells you that it forks the roots. .. it does not. seeking water.. that’s what forks the roots..
Aha! That answers my question.
well roughbarked here are the carrot photos
the two on the left had pigeon poo liquid manure applied each week for 8 weeks. the two on the right had maxicrop seaweed applied at the same time instead of the pigeon poo. same soil, same seed and all of them 10 weeks old. very difficult to tell any difference IMHO
pepe said:
well roughbarked here are the carrot photos
the two on the left had pigeon poo liquid manure applied each week for 8 weeks. the two on the right had maxicrop seaweed applied at the same time instead of the pigeon poo. same soil, same seed and all of them 10 weeks old. very difficult to tell any difference IMHO
actually they are 12-14 weeks old.
