This little Miss Smarty Plants has harvested her first crop of baby carrots but was amazed at how they looked! They were funny looking things; all misshapen with two and even three legs! Miss Smarty Plants was left scratching her head about this mystery of the twisted carrots!
Well, the answer is easy. The soil that the carrots were planted into probably just needed to be prepared a bit better before the seedlings were planted. You see, carrots love sandy, loose soil that doesn’t have any pebbles, stones or twigs in it. If the soil is sandy, the carrot will grow straight down but if the carrot hits a pebble, it will split in two directions and become deformed.
The other trick is not to plant seedlings too close to each other because they might join together. And, if sowing seeds, thin them out once they have germinated so that there is at least 10 to 15cm between each carrot.
So Miss Smarty Plants, before planting your next carrot crop, till the soil really deeply before planting and remove anything that is a bit lumpy. If the soil isn’t loose and grainy, mix in some sand and also add some compost to give the carrots nutrients as they grow. For more tips on growing carrots, take a look at our Carrot Factsheet.
Happy Gardening!
The Smarty Plants Team