[beesrus]

It's that time of year again where decisions have to be made about keeping various root crops in/out of  the ground. I'm fairly versed on most root things, but wonder how old a carrot would be in the ground before it gets a bit old in the tooth. I ask as last year for the first time I sowed very early carrots in the greenhouse. They're now quite old and a couple are seeming a tad hard now. Any carrot experts out there ?

[sunshineband]

I leave my main carrot crop (Autumn King 2) in the ground throughout the winter, digging them as needed, and even large ones do not seem woody at all.

Maybe leaving early maturing varieties in for a long time may end up with hard roots, but I have not ever done that -- early ones get eaten up pretty quickly 

[barley]

they usually go woody if they go to seed

[beesrus]

Maybe leaving early maturing varieties in for a long time may end up with hard roots, but I have not ever done that -- early ones get eaten up pretty quickly 

There may be something in that. My woody carrots were the last few of my early crop sown in the greenhouse in late February.... my later out of doors crop is fine. I'm wondering if the greenhouse carrots got enough water this year as the odd woody carrot "split" like a swede would do... a big cleave down it's root. Rather annoying to unearth great large carrots only to find them split and woody.

[Salmo]

I sow carrots in March/April and leave them in the ground. I have mostly finished them by the end of the year. After that the slugs and voles get at them. With this mild weather I expect the slugs will have done a lot of damage. I get the impression that modern varieties do not go woody. They do get a bit harder as they get bigger and there is nothing like the first young carrots pulled in early Summer

[sunshineband]

You too suffer from the dreaded voles too then, Salmo 

Bane of my life on our plot 

[Salmo]

I like voles and have a family live in my compost heap. One of their tricks with carrots is to tunnel down and eat the carrot from below. Carrot looks normal until you pull it, just a thin outer skin all the inside gone.

[AnneB]

I agree with Salmo.  I don't leave mine in the ground long enough to go woody, as the slugs will eat them.  I lift in mid September usually.  I store them in boxes of sand in the cellar.  I  process and freeze any that have some damage and won't store well.

[Growster...]

We did five sowings at different times, and the last one was in pots at home, kept up on a high shelf outside.

The first ones have passed their eat-by date and gone pretty rank, and the second lot have gone to various ponies belonging to friends, but the last two are still going great guns, with very little slug damage so far - especially the potted ones.

I think we'll do more of the latter next year - they grew fabulously straight in ordinary Miracle Gro compost!