Carrots

[Jimbotomateo]

Going to pick up Roots Organic potting mix soon. Planting my carrots in 15 gallon containers this year. Seems like they require a little different soil treatment. Do I add sand or what? Saw where b54red was having great success with his carrots. My granddaughter loved the whole carrot experience last summer .i would like to have a better crop this year for her! . Jimbo .

[garyjr]

My wife asks me every year why I grow carrots being as they are so cheap in the store. I just tell her for me it is a test of my gardening skills and how much I am learning each year and how to apply that into growing a better and better carrot. A you-tube channel I subscribe to out of the U.K. is a gentleman that grows competition veggies and giant carrots are one of those. He makes a large box fills it with builders sand and then takes a pipe about 2 1/2" diameter and quite long and drives it in and then removes it, taking out a core sample of sand. He replaces that with almost all compost. I grow mine in a combination of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite. Be careful with nitrogen. Too much and they can come out quite strange. Good luck.

[BigVanVader]

Originally Posted by garyjr

My wife asks me every year why I grow carrots being as they are so cheap in the store. I just tell her for me it is a test of my gardening skills and how much I am learning each year and how to apply that into growing a better and better carrot. A you-tube channel I subscribe to out of the U.K. is a gentleman that grows competition veggies and giant carrots are one of those. He makes a large box fills it with builders sand and then takes a pipe about 2 1/2" diameter and quite long and drives it in and then removes it, taking out a core sample of sand. He replaces that with almost all compost. I grow mine in a combination of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite. Be careful with nitrogen. Too much and they can come out quite strange. Good luck.

I watch him too. I made a box to try to replicate some of his success using a similar mix/method.

[ilex]

Originally Posted by garyjr

My wife asks me every year why I grow carrots being as they are so cheap in the store. I just tell her for me it is a test of my gardening skills and how much I am learning each year and how to apply that into growing a better and better carrot. A you-tube channel I subscribe to out of the U.K. is a gentleman that grows competition veggies and giant carrots are one of those. He makes a large box fills it with builders sand and then takes a pipe about 2 1/2" diameter and quite long and drives it in and then removes it, taking out a core sample of sand. He replaces that with almost all compost. I grow mine in a combination of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite. Be careful with nitrogen. Too much and they can come out quite strange. Good luck.

You can't buy old fashioned carrots in the store:

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by ilex

You can't buy old fashioned carrots in the store:

Wow ilex, those are awesome! . Dig the colors! Jimbo

[Worth1]

Carrots can grow in some pretty sorry soil just no rocks.

Worth

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Carrots can grow in some pretty sorry soil just no rocks.

Worth

I don't think the Roots organic has an over abundance of nitrogen. Out of the 20 pots I go from the landscaper two were really nicer. There heavy , shorter and wider fifteen gallon containers. I could use one or both for carrots.

[AlittleSalt]

Jimbo, my son is doing an experiment using different mixes to grow carrots in 5 gallon buckets. There is a brand of cheap mix sold at Walmart called Earthgro - it cost under $2 a bag and has a fair amount of sand in it. What my son showed me is that the mix of the Earthgro and MG produced much longer carrots than the ones planted in MG alone.

I'll look tomorrow when I'm out in the barn to see exactly which one he bought - and let you know.

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Jimbo, my son is doing an experiment using different mixes to grow carrots in 5 gallon buckets. There is a brand of cheap mix sold at Walmart called Earthgro - it cost under $2 a bag and has a fair amount of sand in it. What my son showed me is that the mix of the Earthgro and MG produced much longer carrots than the ones planted in MG alone.

I'll look tomorrow when I'm out in the barn to see exactly which one he bought - and let you know.

Thank salty dog. Sounds like you don't need super soil for carrots. Granddaughter and I had great fun pulling, washing and eating carrots but our little carrots were pathetic. Got some from Joseph I'm excited to try out! Let me know and I'll give it a whirl. . Jimbo

[ilex]

I grow carrots in clay, with weeds. They will grow almost everywhere. Much better in some places, and huge differences between varieties

[Fritz77]

Originally Posted by ilex

I grow carrots in clay, with weeds. They will grow almost everywhere. Much better in some places, and huge differences between varieties

I also grow in clay. After failing to get a single carrot for 2 seasons in a row I gave up. Now that I see those beautiful carrots of yours I may give it another try.
What varieties did you grow (succesfully)?

[AlittleSalt]

Here it is

[Jimbotomateo]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Here it is

Thanks salt. My Walmart carries that stuff. I forgot that BVV made that cool container for carrots. Think I'll make one. Anyone remember the dimensions? . Jimbo

[BigVanVader]

Originally Posted by Jimbotomateo

Thanks salt. My Walmart carries that stuff. I forgot that BVV made that cool container for carrots. Think I'll make one. Anyone remember the dimensions? . Jimbo

I didn't build it, just an old crate I got from work. It is 4'3 x 3'3 x 21 inches deep. I just drilled holes and added castor wheels.

[AlittleSalt]

Jimbo, what I'm reading about carrots keeps pointing to well drained sand being the best soil ingredient. Not like play sand or silica (Both hold water causing saturation) but what most people call builder's sand. There are different grades that break down to:

White sand - which is basically play sand. White sand makes white mortar look better. I wouldn't use it for anything other than aesthetics. It actually makes a weaker mortar because the grain is too fine.

Concrete Sand which has course grains that is best used in concrete and asphalt. I use it for gravel in our fish aquarium.

Brick Sand has grains up to around 1/16th to 3/32nd" and sounds like (by what all I've read) - the best to go with for growing carrots.

This site http://blog.syracuse.com/cny/2012/03...w_carrots.html

Says: Carrots and other root crops need a well-drained soil, categorized as sandy loam or loamy sand on the triangle. These soils are between 50 percent and 90 percent sand. So it is a matter of filling the bed with sand and amending it with a little soil, rather than vice-versa.

I'm wondering if carrots grown professionally are grown in sand too?