[cc]

There's a area where try grow roots. All I add is my own compost. But I always get forked roots. No stones no manure.
Any ideas why? Should I stop using compost.
I normally remove the top soil before I put my own compost in. The aim is to reduce the weeds coming through.
Not that that should matter.

[mumofstig]

Is the soil heavy, clay like? This makes it hard for the roots to grow downwards.
Some of the soil on our site is hard like that and the old boys dig a narrow trench, fill it with sieved compost and sow into that.

[Hampshire Hog]

Perhaps your compost is richer than you realise? As mum says heavy clay could be a problem, my other thought is you could lighten the growing medium by adding a bit of sand to your compost?

[Goosegirl]

Adding sand is an instant way of helping soil drainage but don't use builder's sand. Get some proper sand and grit mix from a garden centre or wherever as the grit is fine enough so as not to encourage root forking. The other thing you could do is to dig a small trench where you want to plant, sieve the soil, replace it back and tamp firmly down.

[Odders]

Rather than digging the compost in, place it on top of the soil as a weed suppressing mulch.
The worms will slowly pull it down to feed the soil's ecosystem.
I add no more than 3cm of home made compost to my beds every year & at most, 40g/m³ of either blood, fish & bone, or Growmore.
Carrots are fine when the blooming carrot flies don't get t them & parsnips are 80% perfect, with the others between usable & multi forked horrors.

[Snowboar]

It’s your compost that’s too rich as everyone says usally homemade compost is far superior to shop bought that my opinion anywho😀👍

[cc]

No idea if compost is to rich.

I stick to burying it as it can produce a lot of weeds. I assume it is the cause of lots of weeds.

No carrots I grow them in troughs shallow ones 5" deep but grow Parisian market and little fingers.... very very successfully!!

No stones and not clay nice black stuff. Was clay but it's terraced and a good 12 inches + of bought top soil on top of the clay. .

Still get forking and hairy parsnips and more importantly the same for salsify. Which is the crop I am most interested in.

[Snowboar]

It is too rich carrots grow longer because they are searching for moisture and nutrients the fork and do daft stuff when they find the nutrients and moisture on top the have no need to grow down