I bought winter carrot seeds and planted them at the beginning of last november. Now today at the end of march this is all they have produced, and some not even this much.
Awww, snack carrots! How cute! I always dig the soil back around the base to see how big they are around.
Federal-Guess7420
They grow better in the ground
FlashFiringAI
This actually looks fantastic right now mine are only at first true leaf. Keep them going and you’ll have a wonderful harvest in 45-55 days.
mymartinski
Pulled it too soon
Cautious_Explorer_33
My top 3 ways to get bigger carrots:
1) Turn your heart into a stone and thin them to an inch apart minimum. This is the #1 reason people fail. lol.
2) Carrots like infrequent deep watering. Better to dump a gallon on them once a week versus daily short watering. So I use drip but I set it for 45 minutes twice a week.
3) Loamy soil. Root crops do better when they are in soil that is not too dense. I use a 5050 blend of compost and raised bed soil in a 1 foot raised bed to help them along.
And then I just am patient and carefully measure the width of the top before pulling them since once you pull them they don’t like being put back in the soil. You may get short fat ones every now and then but I usually sacrifice one when it gets around 60 days from seeding to see if they are ready.
Good luck! 🥕
Pizza_Low
It took mine almost a year to grow to grocery store length. I just put it in the garden and ignored it for a year. But super sweet. It’s like the old Ron Popeil commercials, “Just set it and forget it”
thedevillivesinside
You picked them 2 months early
Artisan_Gardener
It’s too early. Are you serious? There should be a whole lush bush of celery greens before you even think of pulling them.
SnBrd3
Pulled it out too early
Bravesguy29
My first carrots were short. Next year’s I tilled way deeper and added a ton of course sand. My theory was it will grow deeper and larger with less struggle and looser soil.
It didnt help..
Equal-Paramedic-685
The carrot looks fine. Your hand is just too big.
ziomus90
Pulled too early brother.
Live_Background_6239
These are too immature. Yes, you planted 4 months ago but the seeds didn’t start their growth until recently. Winter seeding gives the seeds a head start since they’re in the soil and its conditions already. Winter seeding gives you an earlier harvest because some seeds (like these labeled for winter planting) will start sending out roots to grow in colder conditions than others. But they all grow at the same rate. So keep on keeping on and you’ll have a carrot harvest before us spring planters have green tops. In a couple weeks plant more seeds and keep the rotation going.
LilMamiDaisy420
Don’t pull it until the greens are big are nice.
MaygarRodub
With greens that size sprouting from the ground, it should be obvious that they’re very small and just haven’t had enough time to grow properly.
DullCriticism6671
“Winter variety” does not mean it will fully grow throughout winter and be ready to pick up when the spring has barely started! It means you will enter the spring with established young plants ready to start the actual growing. Which these are.
Now, just let them grow.
PinchePlantPussy
Too soon too soon
gblaze22
You pulled out too soon..
Could-You-Tell
I didn’t see anyone else mentioned, carrots are survivors.
You can put that little thing back in the ground. It will grow if you don’t beat it up too much.
The tops will grow nice white flowers if you let them
ThomasLucignano
Patience, grasshopper, patience. Carrots thrive as cool season crops in loose, sandy, well-draining soil & require regular moisture to prevent splitting or stunted growth. 🥕
Naphaniegh
They barely been growing.It hasn’t been warm or sunny. Give them a month in spring and they’ll double in size.Give them another month and you’ll have a nice big carrot. Winter months don’t count
lindemer
What is it this year with everyone harvesting their veg months too soon?
Yrxora
Let them grow until the end of summer. The “carrot” is formed by the plant storing nutrients for the winter so it has energy for spring.
It’s obviously not ready to harvest. The greens should have about the same mass as what you hope to pull up. So you need to let ‘em grow longer.
Also, just because it’s a “winter” variety doesn’t mean that over the winter it will grow enough to harvest. It just means the plant is cold hardy. You’ll still need time for the plants to store the suns energy and pull co2 from the air to fill out.
28 Comments
You harvested too early
Time. Harvest in May
What area are you in?
Awww, snack carrots! How cute! I always dig the soil back around the base to see how big they are around.
They grow better in the ground
This actually looks fantastic right now mine are only at first true leaf. Keep them going and you’ll have a wonderful harvest in 45-55 days.
Pulled it too soon
My top 3 ways to get bigger carrots:
1) Turn your heart into a stone and thin them to an inch apart minimum. This is the #1 reason people fail. lol.
2) Carrots like infrequent deep watering. Better to dump a gallon on them once a week versus daily short watering. So I use drip but I set it for 45 minutes twice a week.
3) Loamy soil. Root crops do better when they are in soil that is not too dense. I use a 5050 blend of compost and raised bed soil in a 1 foot raised bed to help them along.
And then I just am patient and carefully measure the width of the top before pulling them since once you pull them they don’t like being put back in the soil. You may get short fat ones every now and then but I usually sacrifice one when it gets around 60 days from seeding to see if they are ready.
Good luck! 🥕
It took mine almost a year to grow to grocery store length. I just put it in the garden and ignored it for a year. But super sweet. It’s like the old Ron Popeil commercials, “Just set it and forget it”
You picked them 2 months early
It’s too early. Are you serious? There should be a whole lush bush of celery greens before you even think of pulling them.
Pulled it out too early
My first carrots were short. Next year’s I tilled way deeper and added a ton of course sand. My theory was it will grow deeper and larger with less struggle and looser soil.
It didnt help..
The carrot looks fine. Your hand is just too big.
Pulled too early brother.
These are too immature. Yes, you planted 4 months ago but the seeds didn’t start their growth until recently. Winter seeding gives the seeds a head start since they’re in the soil and its conditions already. Winter seeding gives you an earlier harvest because some seeds (like these labeled for winter planting) will start sending out roots to grow in colder conditions than others. But they all grow at the same rate. So keep on keeping on and you’ll have a carrot harvest before us spring planters have green tops. In a couple weeks plant more seeds and keep the rotation going.
Don’t pull it until the greens are big are nice.
With greens that size sprouting from the ground, it should be obvious that they’re very small and just haven’t had enough time to grow properly.
“Winter variety” does not mean it will fully grow throughout winter and be ready to pick up when the spring has barely started! It means you will enter the spring with established young plants ready to start the actual growing. Which these are.
Now, just let them grow.
Too soon too soon
You pulled out too soon..
I didn’t see anyone else mentioned, carrots are survivors.
You can put that little thing back in the ground. It will grow if you don’t beat it up too much.
The tops will grow nice white flowers if you let them
Patience, grasshopper, patience. Carrots thrive as cool season crops in loose, sandy, well-draining soil & require regular moisture to prevent splitting or stunted growth. 🥕
They barely been growing.It hasn’t been warm or sunny. Give them a month in spring and they’ll double in size.Give them another month and you’ll have a nice big carrot. Winter months don’t count
What is it this year with everyone harvesting their veg months too soon?
Let them grow until the end of summer. The “carrot” is formed by the plant storing nutrients for the winter so it has energy for spring.
you forgot to wear the novelty finger hands!
https://preview.redd.it/q9mna6q191sg1.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=e5105c236b924112270aeacd8804f14ec74a9857
It’s obviously not ready to harvest. The greens should have about the same mass as what you hope to pull up. So you need to let ‘em grow longer.
Also, just because it’s a “winter” variety doesn’t mean that over the winter it will grow enough to harvest. It just means the plant is cold hardy. You’ll still need time for the plants to store the suns energy and pull co2 from the air to fill out.