HiI have grown Runner Beans with much success but my wife has ask me to grow some carrot
By Kapt_kenn
Hampshire,
United Kingdom 
Hi
I have grown Runner Beans with much success but my wife has ask me to grow some carrot, well I said I will throw a few seed in the ground see what happens, I haven't grown carrots before so had a go, well I don't know why but they're not growing as they should and I told my wife you will be pulling some carrots in a few months time
Can anyone tell me what has gone wrong
I sparingly sprinkled carrot seed on to a tray and covered them over and when they started growing I picked out the strongest looking ones and planted in my 10 x 8 allotment in a row, the results was hair raising as photo 1.
So next year
I planted carrot seed one at a time into 3" small black pots and when tall enough I transferred them including the same soil they were growing in so they wouldn't be disturbed to much into my small garden plot, the results were like an Halloween mask (sorry no photo) as they were split from end to end (completely open like a book and inside was its inner contents was shaped as a carrot but thinner and this inner carrot had thorns down each side as least 10/12 of them each side of this inner carrot, it looked evil, if you could of closed the carrot up the size would be approx. about 2" dia but I will say the green tops to all carrots were 12/18" tall and looked beautiful when growing, I haven't pulled all of them as yet so if I get a similar one I'll post picture of it
Please help us as I think this 73 yr old definitely needs it
you can guess the one that I grew regards Kenn
22 Oct, 2020
Answers
Yes agree with yorklass, last year I grew carrots in raised containers and filled with decent topsoil mixed with compost and chicken pellets, the results were really good and being in pots were not troubled with the carrot fly, this year I chanced them in the ground and the carrot fly ruined them had same problem with leeks and the onion fly.
24 Oct, 2020
I agree with all said above, re soil & carrot fly, but I have never before heard of carrot seedlings being transplanted.
They are usually sown direct in the place where they are to grow & are then thinned out. Is this some new method?
Fresh manure in the soil can also cause root veg to split.
24 Oct, 2020
FF, reading the post it seems more like plug plants, soil & all from the pot and not transplants, but like you I think any root disturbance will damage them, even just the tiny hair roots
Splitting, could it have been erratic watering? Too much rain at "wrong" time
I've never managed to grow decent carrots so I follow same system as Yorklass and grow something else
25 Oct, 2020
Previous question
The good news is that you can still eat what you can salvage if you have the patience to sort it out!. Deformed carrots can be caused by stony and/or poor quality soil or by nematodes. Some sites just don't seem to be good for carrots. There is quite a lot of info on line. My own experience with carrots has led me to grow something else instead...
23 Oct, 2020