Are your homegrown carrots forked, branching, twisted, or knobby? While they may make for amusing photos, these deformed vegetables can make food preparation a challenge – try turning a twisted carrot into carrot sticks!
These odd-shaped vegetables can also be a sign of serious garden problems. But what causes these deformed veggies?
There are many different factors that can cause twisted, forked, and asymmetrical roots – ranging from how you prepare your soil to nasty garden pests, and including several other unfavorable conditions.
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While you can’t straighten a carrot out once it gets wonky, you can learn how to prevent deformities and produce a nice straight root crop in your next growing season.
I’m going to cover nine causes for deformed carrot roots – and ways you can prevent them. Here’s what’s ahead:
Are Deformed Carrots Edible?Before we get to our main purpose, let’s get the question of edibility out of the way, because I’m guessing this question is going to pop into your head at some point before we get to the end of the article if it hasn’t already.
In most cases, yes, your wacky looking carrot roots are edible. There are a few exceptions, however, and I’ll let you know about them along the way.
While the less than perfect looking roots are excellent for chopping and adding to soups or stews, there’s something satisfying about harvesting a crop that looks just like what’s pictured on your seed packet.
As long as they’re otherwise healthy, don’t let those more unusual specimens go to waste! Just follow our
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