Too early sprouted carrots

Too early sprouted carrots

Much against my will, it turns out today that the carrots that were sown in a manure pile in November, have now sprouted as a result of the warm December weather. And that was not the intention.

They were sown when the soil temperature dipped below 5 °, where the idea was that they should only emerge in early spring.

Severe frost at the current stage of development can mean that the plants in the spring are led to believe that they are in their second year, which is why they bloom instead of making carrots.

It also happened in 2017, when a third of the carrots presented some huge flower displays to the delight of lots of hoverflies and other nectar-interested insects. And it happened even though in the frosty periods I had covered the bed with non-woven fabric.

Possibly the carrot harvest would have been an even bigger disaster if it had not been covered at all, so there is nothing to do but try again - this time with 2 layers!

Written by Peter Norris, January 6, 2018