Woody carrots

[tommy the cat]

As some of you may have read some my carrots went to flower.

Here is the results!!
I cut off the flowers immediately and hoped.😨
I'm amazes at how they've gone and a lesson learnt.
I did thin them but have tried growing them between parsnips and I m guessing this isn't allowing enough light??
So what do I do now?
Pull them all presuming they're all Bo good?
Thin them more and hope?
Bit gutted as lots seems to be going wrong this year that I've never had in previous seasons!!!
Any way thoughts as usual peeps.
Dave

 

[British Red]

Any root vegetable that "bolts" has taken energy (sweetness) from the root to build the flower stalk - its pretty much just cellulose (wood) left. Pull them and compost them. Less of a problem with annuals and leaf vegetables - they are usually still edible.

Bolting is a stress sign - they think they are going to die and try to make seed first.

Try to work out what it is they lack that is making them bolt - lack of water? Food? Light? Space?

It'll be one of them.

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks BR.
I've pulled a few more and some are fine so I'm guessing lack of light??
As mentioned I did thin but with the foliage of the parsnips it's pretty crowded.
I have grown parsnips with carrots before but not between rows.
I have put the duff carrots in the green bin as my compost bin is very close to the carrots and have always worried the smell of freshly cut/ pulled carrots will bring the carrot fly in???
Dunno if it's true but I've not yet had carrot fly.
Another year of leaning eh Hugh! !
On a more positive note I'm already thinking of next year and buying seed!!!
D

 

[tommy the cat]

Leaning? ?? Learning

 

[Toddy]

That has to be the clearest photo I've ever seen of why we call it gone woody

Sorry it's your carrots right enough TTC

M

 

[tommy the cat]

Mary I was amazed!!
I've got a pretty sharp sak in my pocket and it wouldn't touch it!!
As BR said quite literally like wood.
Hey ho I'm getting somewhat used to failure this season😢
(Although the carrots I did pull are still very good!)

 

[oldtimer]

Mine didn't even germinate this year, nor did the parsnips. I've just sown a second batch hoping they will look after themselves and be ready when I come back from France.

I don't know whether my crops are suffering from stress or sulking from lack of attention while I'm away for extended periods. The dandelions don't seem to mind: they thrive no matter what. What I need is food plants with the temperment of weeds.

I've never had two years the same. What works one year seem to fail the next.

PS the Homestead page is great. It's good to know I'm not the only one struggling and that there is always someone to offer helpful suggestions. I'm going to seeking advice on greenhouses come the autumn.

 

[British Red]

My parsnips are chest high oldtimer - and I've just harvested seed from the second year hold overs that have done really well (I'll put them in members classified when they are fully dried for those that have asked for more seed)

Oca is suffering in mine this year - very droopy (lack of water I suspect so I'm pumping rainwater on to them). Bunnies have just trashed my soya beans sadly

 

[Toddy]

My oca is a bit of a mixed bag, tbh. The plants out the front, where they get most sunshine, have never been allowed to go dry at all and yet (those are the ones that bloomed early on) they look really, really, tired somehow.

The ones sitting beside the greenhouse are looking a lot healthier, but the ones in the half shade of most of the day alongside the gable wall are huge, vibrant and brilliantly green and bushy.

We'll see what we see once the frosts hit, but at this point I just don't have a clue

cheers,
M

 

[colly]

share two allotments with a friend he sowed two lots of beetroot the second lot are ready for harvest but the first lot aren't.
when i started growing veg (eight years ago) the first two years were great for parsnips and beetroots i have not been able to match them since.

 

[tommy the cat]

It's comforting to know that we all experience difficulties from season to season.
I've had successes as well but it's a bit of a disappointment when things fail.
If more people grew their own less food would be wasted that's for sure.