What Ate this Carrot ???

[Gordon Gould]

Not directly tractor related but I know there is lots of gardening knowledge here so I will ask. My wife has been growing a vegetable garden for as long as I can remember. She pulled her carrots today and she found two that were eaten from the bottom up. Only a thin skin was left where it was hollowed out. The tops looked fine. We have never seen this before in almost 50 years of growing carrots. What did it ???? Thanks.




gg

 

[sixdogs]

Wow, is that odd. Maybe dig around in the soil to see if you can find any grub or something similar. I have no idea but I don't think it's a mole.

 

[DFB]

Are you sure it was eaten an not water core rot?

From the photos can't really tell much

Sometimes our rutabagas get hollowed out that's caused by water getting into the center

 

[stuckmotor]

It looks like the work of a garden gnome, to me.
Sorry, Gordon, I couldn't help myself.:ashamed:

 

[Gordon Gould]

Are you sure it was eaten an not water core rot?

From the photos can't really tell much

Sometimes our rutabagas get hollowed out that's caused by water getting into the center

To be honest I am not sure of anything gardening wise. I will find out what water core rot is. It was certainly a wet summer if that is a factor. It only happened to 3 carrots out of about 25 lbs. The others were totally normal.

gg

 

[square1]

 

[TSO]

I'd look around for spoiled kids that refuse to eat the crust on their sandwiches ... Looks like a similar trend.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Are there any unsupervised pallets arround?

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

My guess is insects of some varriety. Ants? No mammal could be that precise.

 

[arrow]

got any voles around your place?

 

[RalphVa]

That's what I was going to say: voles.

Those are awful big carrots.

Ralph

 

[smstonypoint]

Swift moth caterpillar?

See Swift moth - WikiGardener - The gardening site that anyone can edit

Steve

 

[oosik]

If those carrots were in my garden - I'd be looking for shrews.

 

[jimmysisson]

Another vote for (actually, against) voles. They are fast eaters and hard to see as they're underground most if the time. A mousetrap under an overturned flowerpot by one of their holes sometimes works. Good luck against them!
Jim

 

[sixdogs]

I don't know either but wouldn't a vole eat the outer edges as well and not just stop at that thin outer edge? Seems more like a grub type thing would do that?

 

[TomSeller]

Looks like they created a Hollow Carrot variety. Looks good on the outside and lightweight for shipping.

Got no idea but am interested if someone knows what is eating them.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Well thanks for the comments got some smiles too. It is still a mystery to me. The description of the water core rot sounds close but why only 3 carrots (and yes they are big - red cored charteney according to my wife - fat and short really). All the other carrots are not degraded at all. So voles maybe. We have plenty of them and other rodents but there is not a tooth mark . Not even a scratch. The inside of those carrots look like a cylinder wall on a fresh engine and it is also hard for me to believe they could leave such a precise skin. But maybe. And no borrowing we could find either. There was one small snail in one carrot but it would take an army of them to eat that much carrot. Maybe the moth from Europe - haven't seen any though or found any catapilars.
Are there any other clues I can look for. I am really curious.

gg

 

[smstonypoint]

Are there any other clues I can look for. I am really curious.

gg

Save the affected carrots and take them to your local Cooperative Extension office. The horticultural agent should be able to figure it out or he/she can contact a specialist at the University of Vermont for assistance.

Steve

 

[Gordon Gould]

Save the affected carrots and take them to your local Cooperative Extension office. The horticultural agent should be able to figure it out or he/she can contact a specialist at the University of Vermont for assistance.

Steve

Great idea - Thanks Steve

 

[RobertBrown]

If those carrots were in my garden - I'd be looking for shrews.

Ahhh yes..... shrews...Perhaps a ....pair of shrews....large ones....we call them "horse shrews" here.

That my friend, is a very, very, shrewd deduction...