This was a first year of growing carrots in my newly established raised beds, which I filled with soil that was specifically targeted towards root vegetables – sandy, with zero stones. When I pulled all the roots, I filled the wheelbarrow completely, just like last year.

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That does not look so bad, does it? Well, I was not disappointed, but I was not thrilled either. There was no rodent damage; in that regard, the raised beds did exactly what was expected of them.

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But nearly all the roots are multifurcated, some in quite humorous ways that will be bugger all to process. Many roots have some slug damage, especially above ground. And some roots are split lengthwise – probably a result of a combination of heat stress and drought. The raised beds were in partial shade, but since the soil is deliberately sandy, I had a bit of trouble keeping the carrots suitably watered during the heatwaves.

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I didn’t get the behemoths that I had last year, but most of the roots are still of respectable size. Just the funny shapes will be difficult to process.

© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

With 11 kg overall harvest from this one raised bed, I cannot really complain. Really the only issue I have is the funny shapes, which, again, will be bugger to process.

For now, they are in a covered bucket outside where it is cold. At the nearest opportunity, they will be processed, i.e., dehydrated. In combination with butternut squash, we should be set with beta-carotene for a year.