I've never had that to happen, but I would like it!

What type of carrot is it? Where did you get the seeds?

I got the seeds from bunnings ,it doesn't has a specific type on the packet just carrot ,but there mr fothergills seeds
I would understand if they were mixed up with parsnip seeds but the fact they come out looking like carrots is just strange ,I personally don't mind as I like parsnip sits just a bit weird. I'm still a beginner gardener so I was hoping someone had in site :)

I think that carrots, parsley, parsnip, and some wild stuff(wild carrot ?) belong to the same family and cross pollination is a possibility. Though, I am not sure.

Mr. Fothergill's sells White Satin which looks something like a parsnip. I have not tried that one, but white carrots are not noted for flavor. I can't imagine a packet without a variety name tho. They offer 27 carrot varieties. Mr. Fothergills is a major vendor in Europe and Australia. Carrots do not cross with parsnips , different genus.

Ditto on Farmerdill's comments. I grew a white carrot several years ago, can't remember the variety. The roots were attractive, but the flavor & texture were more like parsnips than carrots... I didn't like them, and never grew them again.

Sorry guys I've had another look and the carrots I planted were not the fothergills ones but country value and there every season , daucus carota .
I will just have to see what happens when I plant them next year in a different spot

Carrot crosses very easily with QAL, so easily that all my efforts to grow seed have failed.

Interesting about the Queen Anne's Lace. So calling it " wild carrot" is actually fairly accurate?

Yes, calling Queen Anne's Lace a wild carrot is accurate. Both QAL and domesticated carrots are the same species, Daucus carota. Domesticated carrots are actually a subspecies of wild carrots.

Rodney

and when a carrot cultivar crosses with wild carrot the result is offspring that grow roots like wild carrots (IME so far, at least). The completely worthless root that even cooked is pretty yucky is what sets wild carrot apart from its domesticated brethren.

Thanks for all the info guys I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to gardening and didn't know what what happening. I don't mind parsnip tasting carrots I'll just have to try again maybe with a different seed supplier and see if that's different.

Parsnip has such a strong distinctive flavor and aroma I can hardly imagine a carrot cultivar that truly "tastes like parsnip".

It's not as strong as parsnip but when you taste it carrot definitely doesn't come to mind ,it is wierd I know .
It doesn't smell like parsnip but definitely taste like it . It's got to the point where we actually roast them now and eat the like we would parsnip . :)

Found this thread because I, too, planted carrot seeds (Rainbow carrot) and the little carrots I harvested taste exactly like parsnips. They even have the same woody texture when raw (nearly inedible raw, in fact).

Growing conditions. Hot and dry make less sweet and more woody carrots,IME.

I wouldn't blame growing conditions on the previous posters' experiences. This year I grew four orange varieties as well as a rainbow blend. Same bed, same soil, same amount of water, sun exposure, planted at the same time, etc. The orange varieties taste great. The colored carrots (rainbow blend) taste pretty bad, especially the white ones which are inedible and leave a horrible aftertaste.

Rodney