This is the second time I planted carrots after a very long time. It was unsuccessful the first time and I can remember whether this happened or not. ??? Is this normal??? ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) I planted the seeds directly, about a quarter inch in the ground. It look like a small stem growing and it makes the plant very unstable. Do I need to cover this section of the plant to make it stable? They were planted with beet root and beet root behave in the same way. I know that it is natural for beet root and the stem like thing will form into a ball later as the plant matures. The ball is semi above the ground level. Most beautiful bed ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) This is the most pretty of all the beds I have and I'm trying to do square foot gardening.
KK, Did you line up all those little rocks around that flower bed? It is so neat. I can see you sitting there on the ground placing those little pebbles just so......LOL
Looks nothing like a carrot or a beet. Could it be a stray seed from the grass in the yard? When my carrots come through the top of the soil within a few days they develop a feathery top. Beets usually will have one or two tiny stems with a leaf at top of each. Not sure if the variety has anything to do with this.
What you saw was exactly what I did, it took awhile but it was worth the trouble. The pebbles were from my old fountain and that was the only thing I could thought off doing with it. Yes Mart I am absolutely sure they are beets and carrot ... maybe it was just too hot here. I had been giving them lots of TLC and will see how they turn out.
Yes Beeker, the leaves sometimes bounce back. What I am curious is about the short stem just before the bunch of leaves.
I see that with other types of veg as well. I add more soil to cover the "stem". In your case, I can't tell if it is an extended stem or actually part off the root. One thing that may have caused it is ...resistance. When growing carrots and beets I try and remove all pebbles and other hard things from the bed because the carrots and beets can grow into them and push up or even fork into two or more roots. J have the best results with very fine soil with even a bit of sand added. Some folks who grow these root plants for show even simply grow them in sand to get long, straight plants to harvest. I do not know what type of beetroot you are growing, but there is one type which I frequently grow...and it is actually supposed to have the majority of the root above ground. It is normal for that particular beet plant. Beetroot 'Cylindra' is its name. At any rate if you believe that the bit of the plant that is between the soil surface and the leaves is carrot, then I would cover that portion with compost just for security. BTW--do you have carrot fly there in Malaysia?
Thanks Sjoerd, I don't think it is resistance because I sieve the earth to remove all pebbles but then again some peebles could escape from the sieving process. Could it be due to the very hot weather here? In the case of other types of veg I do notice it too especially in leafy vegs. I just accepted that as normal because it is not a problem and during harvesting that part is woody. "Choy Sum" ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) "Xiao Bai Cai" ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) The above two vegs are the same species as "Bok Choi" but off different variety. They are classified as Brassicas. I remembered that you planted some "bok choi" was it like that? The beetroot I planted is Detriot Red Globe and I had planted it a couple of times and they always grow in the same manner which I have come to accept that it is normal. The part that is like a "trunk" will eventually turn into the root and it will be about 75% above ground. I have decided not to do anything about it and see what will happened. Carrot fly?? I think we do have because I had seen something like that before.
I think that the heat level may have some influence on that trunk development you are experiencing. With the carrots and beetroot, it may be a good idea to erect some sort of "screening" structure so that the plants will receive some shade for a portion of the day...the hottest portion of the day. The Bok Choi that I planted are doing well. I have already harvested some of it. The Bok Choi here did develop the trunks when they were in their germination containers, but when I planted them out I buried this "trunk" deeply in the soil right up to the first leaves on the little plantlet. I do this because when brassica plants become top-heavy they could flop about with wind or touching. I do not want that because the trunk could break, letting in pests, fungi or bacteria. It's a personal preference...I do not think that it is per se necessary.
I sow my brassica plants directly into the bed. I think in future I will try planting them in a small depression and bury the trunk as they grow, likewise for beet and carrots. Thanks Sjoerd.
