Topic: Beating carrot fly

[moonbells]

I go for the easy route - enviromesh over blue water pipes. Peg it down and you're fly free.  Net curtains also work well. 

moonbells

[razorboy]

Hiya
We shook used filter coffee grindings over where the seeds were sown and we had no trouble apart from some of the carrots coming out white :o

[RSJK]

I have heard that hanging bits of sacking or rag that as been soaked in creosote keeps the carrot fly at bay.

[SMP1704]

I have heard that hanging bits of sacking or rag that as been soaked in creosote keeps the carrot fly at bay.

mmmm, that would keep me at bay as well ;D ;D

[carrot-cruncher]

I do squarefoot gardening so my allotment looks rather mixed up but it seems to work.   I have flowers and veg in all my beds, this is so the flowers confuse the carrot fly (and onion fly) but also attract the pollinators and it also looks quite pretty.   

Another thing I do is sow my carrots individually.   It's time consuming at the beginning but I don't need to thin later & I've always been told it's the scent from the thinnings which attract the carrot fly.

CC

[Ricado]

grow them in a walled garden like me !!

[daisymay]

I have done two blocks of carrots on the lottie. One lot I mixed with nigella seeds and the other we spent ages building a frame out of wood and fleece... which then got virtually destroyed in all the horrid weather in the last few weeks  >:( not happy - total waste of fleece! underestimated how strong the wind could be / how flimsy fleece is.

so hoping the nigella works - will let you know.....

[carloso]

Warning !!!! ensure you use Old Barry manilow and Max Bygrave CD's  !!!!! :-[

I used Dire Striats and Katie Melua copys and it attracted a party !!!!! they maybe a nuisence but they have tatse in music !!!

carl  ::)

[djbrenton]

I alternate rows of leeks and carrots which seems to work.

[saddad]

Be careful with those CD's they can get a bit brittle towards the end of the season, don't want any nasty accidents do we!
 ;D

[mc55]

OK, here's some newbie Qs:

Finally my carrots have germinated (hurray, 3rd go).  They are in the ground, under fleece and currently a couple of cm's high. 

How tall should they be before I thin and how long will I need to keep the fleece on to try and beat the dreaded carrot fly - until they are harvested ?

oh, and how much room should I leave between them - if I staggered them, could I plant twice as many ?

How will I know if the fly has attacked them ?

sorry for all the Qs ... hopefully I'll have a lot more knowledge next year
thanks, mc

[DERYCK32]

Hello all.
I must say all the ideas for beating the carrot fly is most welcomed.
I will try anything to get rid of the B------
Thanks.

[Belinda]

Hi mc55,

Although I'm on my third summer with an allotment, this is the first year I've had any success germinating carrots - so my trying to answer your questions could be 'The blind leading the blind' so to speak.

Anyway, after much lurking on this forum and on KG here's what I've picked up along the way.

1. Only thin when there's something worth eating on the end i.e. baby carrots are to die for.
2. Those that swear by fleece all seem to say keep it on until harvest.
3. One chap who I read posts from regularly has his final spacing at 3 inches.
4. Staggered planting sounds like a good idea, my only question would be ease of weeding.
5. I suspect you will only know if there has been an attack when you pull the carrots and see the damage.

I'm sure someone more experienced will be along shortly to add their wisdom and correct any of my misconceptions.

Edit: 5a. Have since discovered that a reddish tinge on the foliage is an indication of carrot root fly.