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Ayrshire, United Kingdom Gb

i have just lifted several carrots out the garden the fern on the tops were really large I scraped round the tops and they appeared about two inches but when lifted were about two inches long if anybody has any comments I would really appreciate it




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Two questions what was the variety and what is your soil like?

14 Sep, 2012

 

Carrots are autumn king 2 Mr fothergills soil just top soil and compost they are in big pots

14 Sep, 2012

 

Quote; Carrots are autumn king 2

These are termed an 'Intermediate' in ideal conditions I would expect them to grow up to 8" long

Quote;soil just top soil and compost they are in big pots.

Big pots???

I am no expert in big pots but I have grown in barrels so there is a similarity, but your soil/compost mix is all wrong!

What may have happened is; each time you watered the mixture compacted therfore hindering growth!

What you needed was a sandy mixture!

There is some 'container growing info' here;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Carrot/Carrot.htm

14 Sep, 2012

 

Thanks very much your comments have been very helpful

14 Sep, 2012

 

Carrots can have large tops but little growth for several reasons: 1. They are overcrowded and don't have enough space between each carrot. 2. They were sown too late. 3. They have been given too much nitrogren which means they make top growth at the expense of root development.
4. They have not had enough time to develop.
I have often found that carrots are like this in September but when left till the days are shorter in late October or November they are much larger. With a main crop variety you need to leave them longer. If you want a quick crop in a pot, use an early variety, even if you sow it late.

15 Sep, 2012

 

Thanks for your comments I will leave the rest for a month or two and see what happens

15 Sep, 2012

How do I say thanks?

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