Hi, I had a row of celeriac and a row of purple carrots which were sown/planted in the autumn. Both grew well initially but in the end, the celeriac roots were stunted and covered in fine root hairs from top to bottom and the purple carrots, although of reasonable size, had the same issue. A row of orange coloured carrots in virtually the same area did not have this problem. What did I do wrong please?

Hi Carol, it isn't anything that you are doing wrong, but there could be several reasons this is happening. It could be due to unseasonable weather, hot then cold, wet then dry. The soil may have become compacted as well as contain coarse material such as stones, chunks of wood or bark. Carrots and celeriac like a loose free draining soil. Insufficient or inconsistent watering can cause this, they may have dried out at some stage, the carrots will crack and become 'corky' if watering is inconsistent. Too much nitrogen from fertiliser, organic compost or animal manure. Animal manure needs to be composted first, otherwise it is too rich in nitrogen. Stunting can be caused by compacted soils or by insect damage. Soil nematode or carrot rust fly are common insect problems. Rotate your crops and avoid growing carrots in the same spot, in autumn sow a green crop of mustard and dig into the soil, mustard contains a natural deterrent to soil nematode. There is no explanation as to why the orange carrots next to the celeriac and purple carrots are not affected in the same way, it could be something to do with the variety, but working out what has caused this will be a process of elimination. The carrots and celeriac will be fine to eat, scrub the roots off them and use them grated or in stews or soups. Lianne.