I have heard that carrots don't grow well in Hawaii. I am stubborn and always have to try things for myself to really believe what I hear...if I am that determined to de-bunk the myth. At first I tried growing carrots in the ground. They failed terribly, and didn't even sprout from seeds. Next I tried growing them in containers. That worked MUCH better. My only problem was, I grew them in short little containers. - Not a good idea if you are planning to grow long carrots!So I purchased a taller container, round, and black. I put soil in it and spread the seeds out across the top. Then I sprinkled it with soil again to cover the seeds lightly. I water daily, morning and night. I also add fertilizer to it twice a week to ensure it is getting nutrients, since most of them wash out from the pot with each watering.
Well it has been 2 months so far and my carrots are doing great! I pulled one out early to see how it was doing. - Still a tiny thing. I know I need to give them at least one more month to grow longer. But so far, so good. Carrots do well in containers, here in Hawaii. As long as you water frequently and feed it fertilizer.
Oh...and Bobo just loves them!
12 comments:
Hard work brings success.. it shows on the picture. so can u just tell me why carrot is hard to grow in Hawaii island??
Garden Design Company
Hi Steve,
Thank you for being the first ever to comment on my blog! :D I am not sure why people say it's hard to grow carrots in Hawaii...maybe from their own experiences. But from my own, when I planted seed straight into the garden, it did not germinate. I think only two seeds eventually did. But when they were growing, they were constantly uncovered with soil and the root was exposed to the elements. Carrot roots are very fragile and should not be disturbed. So instead I grew them in a giant pot, they all germinated well and are growing nicely. I think it is easier to control the growing environment in a pot, in shade for germination, with a plastic cover on top to collect moisture and keep it in the pot. Once the seeds sprouted, I took the cover off and let it out in the sunlight to grow more.
I was wondering where in Hawaii you live. I live on Kauai in Wailua on the East Side and I'm about to start my first garden. I was going to start with Dwarf Blue Kale, Spinach, Bell Peppers, Romaine, Swiss Chard, Carrots, and Broccoli. After reading your post.... Im reconsidering doing the carrots and thinking maybe doing them separate in a pot. Pretty good soil here though... My garden area is a former chicken run, I have been raising red worms so plenty castings, and tons of organic compost...
Hi Adam,
Thank you for posting to my blog! :) To answer your question, I live in Wahiawa. Close to the north shore of Oahu. - The pineapple and dole plantation town. Here we have red dirt. It is clay soil. I hear that it is full of nutrients and many plants and vegetables benefit from it. I have found that my tomatoes and kale grow well in red dirt soil. I do however, transplant them from containers/trays, I don't directly sow into the clay soil.
I also, have grown lettuce, radishes, and spinach. Jalapeno and banana peppers did well too. My bell pepper plants did not do well, but perhaps it's because I needed to amend the soil for them, and add compost and calcium. I haven't done a PH test yet on my soil.
I have tried to grow carrots in the ground, but they were unsuccessful. So I researched various ways to do it, and growing it in a tall pot works. I have successfully done it myself, and recommend it as well. Good luck to you! Hope to hear from you again.
~ Kristen
I forgot to add, try using your good soil! I'm sure the carrots would love it. :)
Hello,
Thank you for your advice! I too failed to even sprout carrots from the ground. can't wait to try again with a giant pot. What kind of fertilizer do you use? I'm hesitant to use manure because I don't want to burn the soil.
Aloha,
Amanda from Big Island
Hi Amanda, thank you for reading my blog! I love the big island! :) to answer your question, I use miracle grow potting soil, and the same brand fertilizer. Sometimes, I'm cheap and just use a cheaper kind of each. Remember when you plant your carrots in the pot water it daily and fertilize it often because the nutrients from the fertilizer will wash out the bottom off the pot. I fertilized mine once every two weeks, sometimes more frequently if it rained a lot or I had to water it more. Good luck!
I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that carrots and potatoes prefer less nitrogen than other veggies (most fertilizers have a lot of nitrogen which enhances the leafiness, but makes for small roots). Someone told me to use bone meal rather than manures & other fertilizers in my carrots. I'm just starting, so we'll see how that works out :-)
Kristen...
Some gardeners have seen excellent results from growing carrots in containers of adequate depth, but choosing black containers in a warm climate can be a mistake. The soil can heat up too much. When I was gardening in Northern California, I made "containers" by forming hoops out of 16 inch pountry netting, lining the hoops with black plastic, then filling with a soil mix. The resulting soil temperature was seventy degrees, while the ground soil temperatures were much lower. My tomatoes got off to a great start.
But when the weather warmed in late spring, the soil temperatures shot up to ninety degrees. So I wrapped the containers with broiler foil and the temperature dropped back down. A simple trick to control soil temperatures in containers if all you have to work with are black ones (usually the case).
I assume you're using an artificial soil mix in your containers, not dirt.
Another thing I noticed while gardening in that location was light intensity was a case of too much of a good thing. The skies were virtually cloudless for months on end, and the temperatures were often in the nineties. When the plants had reached a good size, I could tell they were stressed. I built a framework and placed fifty percent shade cloth above and to the afternoon side of the plants. In two days the improvement was dramatic. Leaf temperatures dropped.
Not much help in Hawaii, where you're dealing with cloudlight at maybe 3000 footcandles tops, as opposed to inland Northern California's 10,000+. In Hawaii, the duration of adequate light is important.
James
tf is wrong with you if you're gonna grow your own why would you bother using miracle grow or anything of that toxic nature for the sake of yourself and the ' āina, be pono
I don't think the climate is right for carrots. They do well (idiot proof) in Minnesota where the soil is cool. Takes about four months.
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