It surprises how often people post photos of their home grown produce and share their disappointment that it does not look like the produce they see in the supermarket. Carrots can really throw out some odd looking individuals. With the vegetables we grow here at Tullamore Farm we are far, far more concerned with nutrient density, freshness, and not having to eat residue fertilizers, and goodness knows what else than how pretty it might be before it is chopped up and eaten.
The carrots in the photos don’t look perfect and they don’t have to, they are supercharged with flavour and macro and micro nutrients. We have spent time outside in the fresh air, gained some valuable exercise and there is an amazing sense of achievement on harvest.
For those growing or looking to grow their own Carrots, they do need a little special attention. The soil needs to be free of rocks and larger material to avoid very misshapen Carrots. One of the common errors with Carrots and other root vegetables is the spacing between each. Most growers start their Carrots by seed and thin them as they grow larger. We have each row about 15 to 20cms (6 to 8 inches) apart and like to finish with about 5 to 8cms between each Carrot in each row. We will thin ours several times over a period of weeks to get the right spacing between them. Many just try to get too many carrots from the designated patch instead of thinning them enough and giving them the room needed.
Carrots need a lot of water when small and with such fine roots, will dry out very quickly. As they get larger you water them less often but increase the amount of water. The logic is to have your carrots growing down deeper into the soil looking for moisture. If you don’t water this way you are more likely and I say more likely to have shorter fatter misshapen Carrots. Why grow downwards when there is a lot of water at the surface.
