malformed carrots

Question

I sowed carrots directly in a well manured and well dug garden. I thinned out the seedlings, re-planting the thinned-out seedlings in more space. The weather has been very rainy. My carrots are stumpy and ball-shaped rather than elongated, and the stumps have grown fingers, as though they were trying to go further into the soil. Why is only the odd carrot “carrot-shaped”? Many thanks.

Answer 1

I’ve had the same problem growing carrots and always thought it was from poor soil composition: too much clay, too compact. This year I tried again but added a lot of compost to my garden prior to planting and it has helped. My carrots are longer and less deformed. I don’t know if the compost also took care of a nutrient problem or if it was simply a matter of loosening up the soil. I know it’s not much, but I hope this answer helps a little.