Question about carrots reseeding themselves in a plot garden - Ask Extension
Hello. A friend of mine planted carrots too late in a plot garden last year. Though the tops were full and green, the carrots struggled to mature. ...
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Question about carrots reseeding themselves in a plot garden #867351
Asked May 06, 2024, 10:25 PM EDT
Hello. A friend of mine planted carrots too late in a plot garden last year. Though the tops were full and green, the carrots struggled to mature. Other items in this plot grew as anticipated. Carrots were grown in the middle of the 30' x 60' plot. He left the carrots in the ground as they were, essentially overwintering. This spring, the carrot tops were greening up, so he left them alone while tilling the remainder of the plot for other veggies. He is wondering if the carrots will grow this season or bolt/go to seed. I have included a picture of the plot with a thin strip of green which can be seen. Those are the unharvested carrots.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Is the carrot planting in Maryland? (We ask since you said it's a friend's planting, so we don't know if the Baltimore County you indicated was your location or the veggie plot's location.) We are surprised they overwintered in their immature state, especially if the foliage didn't freeze off. We are not certain if they will mature or bolt, as this is a fairly unusual situation. You can dig a couple up to see what the status of their storage roots is...are they maturing into "normal" carrots or still immature? If the latter, we would guess they will switch to flower production, but you may have to wait and see. Can you share a close-up of the carrot planting as it looks now? (They are hard to see in the current photo.)
Miri
Miri
