My carrots sprouted! Yay! I actually took the covering off after a few days, because we've actually gotten a decent amount of rain and probably it's better if they can breathe. Now to wait and see if they turn into real carrots. I might start a few on their own in a tall container and see how that goes as well. Does anyone know if they'll grow ok inside? (in a very very sunny spot?) Peg

The carrot is a hardy, cool season crop that can be planted in the garden as soon as the soil can be prepared in the spring. Carrots require relatively large amounts of moisture and are not tolerant of drought. Prolonged hot weather in the later stages of development may not only retard growth but result in an undesirable strong flavor and coarseness in the roots. At the other extreme, prolonged temperatures below 55 degrees F tend to make the roots longer, more slender and paler in color than expected. The best temperature for highest quality roots is between 60 and 70 degrees F Here is a link that might be useful: More on carrots

I love carrots. They are one of my favorite things to grow, and I have grown thousands. I will share with you some of my personal experiences, as my expertise only goes as far as my backyard. My spring carrots and fall carrots are always the best harvests. I grow carrots all summer long as well, but they usually are longer and thinner. Even with healthy watering. I do not fertilize much for my carrots. When the seeds sprout, i only fertilize crops with a dosing of hydrolyzed fish oil and seaweed, and that's it. I let carrots do their own thing really, and i never noticed much of an advantage to using extra fertilizer. I turn my soil every year and add some new soil and compost, and for me, that's all they need. The fish oil i use is 2-4-1. In the spring and fall, i rarely water my carrots. I only do this if there is an extended period of no rain. I find the carrots to be much sweeter with less watering. As I said, I am no expert but I have grown over 50 varieties, and have zeroed in exactly how to grow the ones I like the best. I plant my carrots with 2.5" spacing in all directions. Again, i could get slightly larger carrots with some more spacing, but i have found 2.5" to work best in my raised beds. My carrots are grown in raised beds, so I do not have any experience growing them in containers.

looks like grey/black leaf spot...alternaria spot. also, your soil might be magnesium deficient (maybe due to pH or level deficiency) given the look of the older leaves.