Once germinated Wild Carrot needs a period of cool growing conditions for good seedling establishment.

Excessively wet foliage from watering overhead or a very wet Spring can cause carrot leaf blight. This will cause the foliage to collapse and the plant will die.

For this reason I overwinter plants in a cold greenhouse to protect them from the worst of the winter wet. Once planted, firm staking is required to protect against wind rock.

The roots of wild carrot are small compared to the eventual size of the plant and strong winds can cause plants to sway.

This back-and-forth swaying will eventually loosen the roots from the soil, the plant won’t be able to take up enough water and will quickly die.