Wednesday, June 27, 2012
truth or myth? you can't transplant carrots
I heard you can't transplant carrots because the roots end up crooked. I thought I'd just be very careful to dig a deep hole and straighten the root as I transplanted. Hmmm. No such luck. I had to learn the hard way. I threw out my second batch of seedlings without transplanting them. I will go back to direct sowing. I think carrots (and parsnips) are the only crop I don't transplant.
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17 comments:
Good to know. At least they're not that crooked. ;)
But they look so cool! Though did it stunt the growth? It looks like those are half longs.
Oh my god those carrots are amazing. I am so doing this!
i often assumed that it would simply be too tedious, but i see that is not the only reason.lol
Thank you for doing this experiment. You saved me some trouble because I was debating starting carrots inside next year as well since we have the hardest time keeping carrot seedlings moist enough. On the bright side, your curly carrot on the left is kind of cute.
I'll bet they taste just fine. We usually cut carrots so you could trim the ends. Or come up with a nifty new name for curly bottom carrots.
LOL, I like the one with the curly end.
I have to remember that.
I transplant carrots and beets all the time. Sometimes the tops will fall over and look dead, but they generally revive and start growing again. I always try because I hate just tossing the little guys. Never had any luck transplanting radishes though.
there is a special tool for planting carrot seedlings. To be honest, it looks a lot like a nostepenne, something to wind wool yarn on.
I found growing carrot transplants a challenge, but doable.
http://whitecloverandbees.blogspot.com/2011/06/growing-carrot-transplants.html
Yeah..I did that once and discovered the same thing!
You sure had early carrots this way Katthy. Not bad at all. I always transplant my redishes as I can not just pull them up and throw in a compost pile. 60% does well, just like my seed started once..I always get some that never grow to radish and just give me seeds.
Huli
HA! I always cringe when the kids' preschool teachers have them plant carrot seeds in cups to go with the book The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. The fact that carrots don't really transplant is a tough lesson to learn at any age!
http://thesilliestgarden.blogspot.com/
Well that explains why mine came out crooked. Thanks Kathy!
The "official" answer is yes and no! Often very small seedlings can be transplanted, some succeed some do not. Larger plants will NEVER transplant.
Either way, curly and bendy carrots are just as nutritious are "normal" ones.
Wow, that's fascinating. I don't grow carrots because my soil is like concrete...
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