Carrots-when to harvest?

[sphinxeyes]

After two weeks of rain my carrot greens are long and luscious, most being over 12 inches long. Out of curiosity I dug up one of them, but the root is only about an inch long.

I sowed them on March 22nd, two varieties, St. Valery and Scarlet Nantes. I'm trying to find out when would be the right time to harvest them. From what I've read, carrots in general take about 2 months. But it's already been 2 months, so I'm not sure how much longer it should take until they're the right size. I've also read that too much nitrogen in the soil can result in lots of growth in the tops, but not the roots. Before planting I added a mix of sand and compost to the soil and there are some bean plants planted behind the row of carrots, so could that be affecting the slow growth of the roots? And if so is there something I can do now to correct that? My main concern is not wanting to wait too long and get woody, rubbery carrots that aren't any good. Any suggestions?

[canadamike]

Carrots also have different days to maturity. I think St-Valery is a late maturing one, so I suspect your Nantes «re ready first.

Tey are ready to eat when you consider them large enough for your taste, it is as simple as that

[sphinxeyes]

I checked the seed packets. It says the Scarlet Nantes are 65-70 days. The St. Valery doesn't actually list a maturity date on the packet. Both are from SSE. Do the dates given mean from the time you sow them or from the time they sprout?

[flowerpower]

Count from the time they sprout.

[PatrickW]

Around here you can leave carrots in the ground and dig them all winter. They get big, huge sometimes, but usually still taste good. It just all depends if you want small tender carrots, or larger ones. Mine don't usually get woody until they bolt.

There's a big difference between nitrogen in something like fertilizer or fresh manure, and what you get when you plant beans. The former is very available and makes plants (especially green tops) grow aggressively and the later is 'fixed' in the ground and becomes available over a longer period of time. It's hard to go wrong with compost and beans, and I wouldn't worry about them making your carrots small, rubbery or woody. In fact, I would expect them to make your carrots sweeter, especially the compost. It sounds to me like you're doing everything right.

It could be the varieties of carrots are not the right ones for your climate, but I would just give them a little longer.

Do the plants have enough space around them? It's important carrots should have enough space to grow. If you think they are crowded, you should certainly thin them.

[canadamike]

Sphinxs, 4 years ago I planted 6 varieties side by side, and believe me, there is a huge difference in emerging time. If I had mixed them, a lot of them would never have produced, being overshadowed by the early ones.

[sphinxeyes]

They are all planted in a single line. About 50 of one kind, a stone divider, then 50 of another kind. They are a little cramped, but at this point I don't have much free space to thin them out. The one sprout I did dig up seemed to be growing straight so far, so hopefully the others are getting enough room and will grow just as well. Since I have a lot of sprouts I might pull one up every 2 weeks or so to continually check their progress.

[canadamike]

Sometimes, if the plants are all touching each other, it is a good idea to thin them heavily. Depending on the quality of the soil, 2 can perfectly grow big kind of stuck together or they can grow less and give you no more ''meat'' than one. It is all about available food. If there is enough food in the soil for both they will be OK, but if not you will get 2 ''half '' carrots. One inch in between each is about right for a start. Thinning them at an early stage to eat babies is a good way to maximize food production.

[PatrickW]

If the plants are way too close together, they won't grow right. Sometimes however you can crowd them a little bit and they will still grow okay, only a little slower. That may be what's going on with you. Certainly if you harvest over time, be sure to thin them as you go.

[sphinxeyes]

Alright, I'll try to do some of that tomorrow. We got a deluge of rain here this morning, so the ground is plenty soft, but tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny. When thinning them should I worry about ripping the roots that grow from the sides? It's more than likely that I'll have to rip some away as I separate the carrots.

[PatrickW]

Carrots are pretty weedy by nature, and every tiny piece you leave in the ground seems to grow back. When you are seed saving and want to choose the best tasting carrots to save seeds from, it's possible to cut a small piece off the end and taste it before replanting it to grow for seeds.

I would say use some common sense, and don't damage your plants unnecessarily, but don't worry too much.

If your plants are so close they are growing into each other, that's certainly one reason they are still small.

[grunt]

For next year, make yourself a dibble stick like this:

Closeup of construction:

In use:

Dibbles are just large nails cut to length, inserted in predrilled holes slightly smaller than the nail diameter, with a backing board to keep them from punching back through. They are spaced 2" apart. It will take you a little longer to plant your carrots (or onions, or?) but there is no thinning required later.
When I use it, I usually try to get 2 seeds in each holeso you are less likely to end up with blank spots in the row. If they both germinate, they usually both develop well if there is enough nutrient in the soil.

[bunkie]

wow dan! that's neat! gonna get hubby to check it out right away!

[mnjrutherford]

So, you lay the stick with the "nipples" in the soil of your row, THEN drop the seed into the holes? I love the idea! Still requires bending over though! ;o)

[sphinxeyes]

I spent this afternoon thinning the Scarlet Nantes carrots. To my surprise, about half of them were more than an inch long, unlike the little one that I dug up as an experiment. I planted them back in with about an inch or two of space between each carrot. I tossed the smallest and spindliest of the bunch, so I had just enough room in the bed to give them more room. So I'll call this the half way point. I'll keep them in the ground or another few weeks to see how much bigger they can grow.


These are some of the biggest. The one on the far right (about 4 inches) I kept and did a taste test. It was sweet, but mildly sweet, not too sugary. Very nice!