O, wise ones, why are some of my just-harvested carrots growing
"forked" - i.e. a fat body with several "legs" rather than just one
straight, slim carrot..

I don't think it's water, as has been suggested. When
that is the problem, the lower end of the carrot starts to turn up,
which is not the case with these lumpy carrots.

Any thoughts?

I'm in So. Calif coastal

TIA

Persephone

wrote:
O, wise ones, why are some of my just-harvested carrots growing
"forked" - i.e. a fat body with several "legs" rather than just one
straight, slim carrot..

I don't think it's water, as has been suggested. When
that is the problem, the lower end of the carrot starts to turn up,
which is not the case with these lumpy carrots.

Any thoughts?

I'm in So. Calif coastal

TIA

Persephone

Some say that it is hard (ie clay) soil. I was taught that it was over
fertilisation, that you should put your carrots in places that have had a
heavy feeding crop beforehand not where you have just manured or added
fertiliser. I have been told by others that this is not so. There are
plenty of "old wives tales" that are repeated without testing or
justification in the world of gardening. If you find an authoritative
answer tell us.

David

On Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:27:52 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

wrote:
O, wise ones, why are some of my just-harvested carrots growing
"forked" - i.e. a fat body with several "legs" rather than just one
straight, slim carrot..

I don't think it's water, as has been suggested. When
that is the problem, the lower end of the carrot starts to turn up,
which is not the case with these lumpy carrots.

Any thoughts?

I'm in So. Calif coastal

TIA

Persephone

Some say that it is hard (ie clay) soil. I was taught that it was over
fertilisation, that you should put your carrots in places that have had a
heavy feeding crop beforehand not where you have just manured or added
fertiliser. I have been told by others that this is not so. There are
plenty of "old wives tales" that are repeated without testing or
justification in the world of gardening. If you find an authoritative
answer tell us.

David

Tx for reply.

1. Soil is not hard clay; it's wonderful "locker" (German term for
friable soil) loam.

2. Area had not previously been planted to veg crops; it was
just grass.

If I get authoritative answer, will post.

Pers.

In article ,
wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:27:52 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

wrote:
O, wise ones, why are some of my just-harvested carrots growing
"forked" - i.e. a fat body with several "legs" rather than just one
straight, slim carrot..

I don't think it's water, as has been suggested. When
that is the problem, the lower end of the carrot starts to turn up,
which is not the case with these lumpy carrots.

Any thoughts?

I'm in So. Calif coastal

TIA

Persephone

Some say that it is hard (ie clay) soil. I was taught that it was over
fertilisation, that you should put your carrots in places that have had a
heavy feeding crop beforehand not where you have just manured or added
fertiliser. I have been told by others that this is not so. There are
plenty of "old wives tales" that are repeated without testing or
justification in the world of gardening. If you find an authoritative
answer tell us.

David

Tx for reply.

1. Soil is not hard clay; it's wonderful "locker" (German term for
friable soil) loam.

2. Area had not previously been planted to veg crops; it was
just grass.

If I get authoritative answer, will post.

Pers.

Lawn grass or wild grasses?


Billy
Republican and Democratic "Leadership" Behind Bars
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1031285.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net

On Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:53:09 -0800, Billy
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:27:52 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

wrote:
O, wise ones, why are some of my just-harvested carrots growing
"forked" - i.e. a fat body with several "legs" rather than just one
straight, slim carrot..

I don't think it's water, as has been suggested. When
that is the problem, the lower end of the carrot starts to turn up,
which is not the case with these lumpy carrots.

Any thoughts?

I'm in So. Calif coastal

TIA

Persephone

Some say that it is hard (ie clay) soil. I was taught that it was over
fertilisation, that you should put your carrots in places that have had a
heavy feeding crop beforehand not where you have just manured or added
fertiliser. I have been told by others that this is not so. There are
plenty of "old wives tales" that are repeated without testing or
justification in the world of gardening. If you find an authoritative
answer tell us.

David

Tx for reply.

1. Soil is not hard clay; it's wonderful "locker" (German term for
friable soil) loam.

2. Area had not previously been planted to veg crops; it was
just grass.

If I get authoritative answer, will post.

Pers.

Lawn grass or wild grasses?

Just plain ole' lawn grass.

Persephone

In article ,
wrote:

Lawn grass or wild grasses?

Just plain ole' lawn grass.

Persephone

Take a look at
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/news...Vegetable.html
Excerpt:
Gardeners are often dismayed when they harvest hairy or misshapen
carrots. Imperfect carrots, or carrots with multiple roots - many of
them twisted around each other - may come from several causes, including
spacing, soil type, fertility, pests and disease.

My other thought was the use of chemicals on the lawn. It could lead to
a salt build up, if nothing else. Since "chemfets" would tend to sterize
the soil, I presume that as an attentive gardener you prepared the
garden beds first.
http://www.childsplayorganiclawns.co...ues/chart.html

Good luck.


Billy
Republican and Democratic "Leadership" Behind Bars
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1031285.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net

wrote in message
...
O, wise ones, why are some of my just-harvested carrots growing
"forked" - i.e. a fat body with several "legs" rather than just one
straight, slim carrot..

I don't think it's water, as has been suggested. When
that is the problem, the lower end of the carrot starts to turn up,
which is not the case with these lumpy carrots.

Any thoughts?

I'm in So. Calif coastal

TIA

WSU extension service says it can be one or many of these reasons. Poorly
prepared and/or rocky soil, clay or heavy soil, planting too closely and/or
deeply, disturbing seedlings when thinning, rock-knot nematodes. Now you
just need to figure out what and how many of these conditions occurred
during your growing season.

Val

On Fri, 9 Jan 2009 19:02:55 -0800, "Val" wrote:


wrote in message
...
O, wise ones, why are some of my just-harvested carrots growing
"forked" - i.e. a fat body with several "legs" rather than just one
straight, slim carrot..

I don't think it's water, as has been suggested. When
that is the problem, the lower end of the carrot starts to turn up,
which is not the case with these lumpy carrots.

Any thoughts?

I'm in So. Calif coastal

TIA

WSU extension service says it can be one or many of these reasons. Poorly
prepared and/or rocky soil, clay or heavy soil, planting too closely and/or
deeply, disturbing seedlings when thinning, rock-knot nematodes. Now you
just need to figure out what and how many of these conditions occurred
during your growing season.

Val


Tx, Val. Only condition that might apply would be a variation on
"disturbing seedlings". After thinning, I replanted some of the
"thins", which understandably took a while to get their act together.
Unfortunatley, I did not keep careful track of what was orig. planting
and what was replanting -- had no reason to do so. But wil monitor
more closely in next planting, coming up.

Pers.