That'll be an easy harvest: Carrots appear to rise out of the ground after rainwater washes earth from under them

Allan Fearn, 60, went out to check his fields at Redford Farm, Laurenkirk

Farmer was worried crops were damaged after nearby river burst its banks

But carrots were standing upright after soil around them was washed away



A Scottish farmer was faced with the extraordinary sight of his carrots standing upright above the ground after a nearby river burst its banks and washed away the soil around them.

Allan Fearn, 60, went out to check his fields at Redford Farm in Laurenkirk after the North Esk burst its banks, and was worried that his crops might have been badly damaged or washed away.

But he found the vegetables were upright after the soil around them was washed away – only days after the harvester had gone through the field making paths in preparation for the harvest.

Remarkable: Allan Fearn was 'amazed' when he saw that his carrots were standing upright after water from a burst river bank had washed away much of the soil

Once the river burst its banks it flowed through the fields on its way to the sea, but fortunately followed the path made by the harvester, saving nearly all the carrots.

The only carrots that were washed away were found further down the field, suspended in trees at the bottom of the site.

Mr Fearn said today: ‘We had about three inches of rain and the North Esk burst its banks about half a mile from here. It came right down through the crop of carrots.

'The water just washed away all the soil and left the carrots standing. The carrots are about eight or nine inches, and only an inch was left in the ground so they just looked to be standing on their own.

‘We didn’t think we would be able to harvest them as they would just fall over, but we have.'

Saved: Once the river burst its banks it flowed through the fields on its way to the sea, but fortunately followed the path made by the harvester, saving nearly all the carrots

He added: ‘It’s lucky the river followed the paths - it would have been a very different story if it had washed through the field. We are very relieved.’

'It’s lucky the river followed the paths - it would have been a very different story if it had washed through the field. We are very relieved' Allan Fearn, farmer

‘I suppose it’s quite a novel way to wash carrots in the field, though I wouldn’t want it to happen again.

‘A few of the carrots were washed away into the trees at the bottom of the field, they were about five foot off the ground, just left dangling there. I have never seen anything like this before.’