Author Topic: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!  (Read 9542 times)

jo9919

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #20 on: June 17, 2008, 22:43:47 »
I'm growing Early Nantes and Parmex in containers.

Jo.

I planted Parmex in a container in February - they should be ready by now, but the 3 i have pulled are barely a few millimeters' thick....

Mine were planted 19/04/08 and won't be long before they're ready.

Jo.

Paulines7

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #21 on: June 18, 2008, 00:18:16 »
I have mine in large containers.  I started them off in the greenhouse and then when the weather became warmer, I moved them outside.  They have foliage about 1 ft tall now but the roots are not very big yet.  I put the containers on upturned pots about 3 ft off the ground, so hopefully the carrot fly will not get to them. 

I also have a large pot full of parsnips.  Most of my plots are full of nettles so until we can clear them I decided to put as much as possible in pots so we don't miss out on fresh vegetables this year.

Ishard

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #22 on: June 18, 2008, 05:38:08 »
Oh Im glad to see its not just me who cant seem to get the carrotts to germinate lol and I have sandy soil!!!

kt.

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #23 on: June 18, 2008, 05:40:23 »
Now where do I get those black buckets from again...?
Morrisons supermarkets sell them. 8 for £1
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Paul Dee

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #24 on: June 18, 2008, 06:02:33 »
Maybe you're pampering them too much?  ???

I used to grow Autumn King in my london clay with regular success. Dig it over, rake the top, errr, rakesworth of soil so it's fairly fine, heavily oversow them (on purpose of course, nothing to do with my stupid fat fingers  ;D ) a good drenching once a week in dry spells and leave them to it.

Doris_Pinks

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #25 on: June 18, 2008, 08:12:48 »
For years and years I had no sucess with carrots. Then read on here a few years back, to wet the soil,  sow them, cover with multi purpose compost, if non organic sprinkle with slug pellets & cover with fleece.
Is working for me! ;D ;D
I was organic for 8 years, but the slugs got the better of me last year! And they DEFINATELY love carrot seedlings! ;)
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antipodes

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #26 on: June 18, 2008, 10:21:05 »
Since I live in blooming Nantes, you would think that carrots would be easy  ;D ;D ;D ;D
WRONG!
I too have terrible trouble growing them. The old timers here grow them in a mix that has about 50 % sand. I have tried that this year, it's better but not a complete success. I haven't got room for buckets so when I rip out the beans stems on the weekend, I will try making drills and filling them with sand+ compost, watering that till soaking, sowing then lightly covering with sandy compost again and just wait. I am hoping that by planting them in an area that has already been used, the aerated soil will please them better.
It will be the last sowing of teh year and I would just love to have some carrots in the autumn.
2012 - Snow in February, non-stop rain till July. Blight and rot are rife. Thieving voles cause strife. But first runner beans and lots of greens. Follow an English allotment in urban France: http://roos-and-camembert.blogspot.com

Arumlily

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #27 on: June 18, 2008, 11:06:11 »
I'm on a mission now to try and grow mine in the greenhouse first time ever. I'll let you all know how I got on. Right I'm off to willkinson and woollies for carrot seeds.

manicscousers

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #28 on: June 18, 2008, 13:25:41 »
thinking of trying the all yr round mix from victoriana nursery, 2000 seeds for 2.60
www.victoriananursery.co.uk
says you can sow june, july and august so I'm going to try them  :)

George the Pigman

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #29 on: June 19, 2008, 22:53:13 »
Well I totally sympathise! I have a clay bed of an allotment and struggled to get any carrots until I hit on an idea - spent compost. I dig a shallow trench with a hoe and fill it full of compost. Then I sow the carrot seed densely and don't bother thinning. That way I usually get a decent crop.
Alternatively or as well I sow seed in a big pot in the greenhouse in Feb and get an early crop of finger carrots. Amsterdam Forcing is a good variety for that.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2008, 22:55:29 by George the Pigman »

Amazin

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #30 on: June 20, 2008, 01:05:13 »
Another vote for spent compost here. Also used with parsnips to start off  in paper pots.
Lesson for life:
1. Breathe in     2. Breathe out     3. Repeat

dawn34

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #31 on: June 21, 2008, 20:50:37 »
we got some from b and q value carrots early nante just for a laugh didn't expect them to grow as was so cheap 100 % germination so it just goes to show buy cheap seeds lol

saddad

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #32 on: June 21, 2008, 22:02:27 »
I am eating finger carrots now, sown in December.. they are all coming out as soon as the judges have been round, because some are going to seed. Then some Autumn King are going in to eat at the end of the year...
Carrots in January are best though...


These are some Autumn King from my raised bed..


I also had loads... ( three carrier bags full at the start of the season...) but the fly and slugs were getting into them so they got souped.. the aim now is to have carrots all year round...  ;D

BockingWill

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #33 on: June 24, 2018, 14:13:54 »
Incredibly poor germination this year from 2 sowings against terrific crops last year.

Will try with Eskimo this week for an Autumn/Winter crop.

ancellsfarmer

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #34 on: June 25, 2018, 08:02:24 »
Incredibly poor germination this year from 2 sowings against terrific crops last year.

Will try with Eskimo this week for an Autumn/Winter crop.
May I enquire as to whether you planted from the same seed?
Freelance cultivator qualified within the University of Life.

nodig

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #35 on: June 25, 2018, 08:37:24 »
When I grow carrots, I eat the green stuff growing above the ground and throw away the orange bit full of maggots away - I buy the orange bit from the supermarkets - they are fantastic.

Plot22

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #36 on: June 26, 2018, 06:57:03 »
I hear what PJW Letchworth says on a regular basis on our site. I believe they all have a problem because they make the same mistakes year in year out. 1st they set too early I set at the end of April but only if the soil is warm enough. 2nd they think it is poor germination whilst in all probability it is slugs hovering up the tender shoots as soon as they appear. I set and immediately put slug pellets down. 3rd they do not cover their crops well enough using flimsy fleece which blows away or rises off the ground as the carrots grow. a carrot flies delight. I use Veggie mesh over a tunnel which is well strengthened with canes and is high enough for me to crawl under to weed but only once. I never water them it is a waste of time on my plot.
I have 4 rows of Sugarsnak and 3 of Flakee which seeds were 2014 and all good germination with the tops being about 12" . I have started pulling a few but I do have one problem the ground is currently too hard to get them out of the ground as both varieties are long main crop carrots. I think next year I will look for a shorter variety and perhaps try pelleted seeds to cut down on the thinning.

Tee Gee

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #37 on: June 26, 2018, 09:33:11 »
I agree about the timing I sowed my last packet yesterday and covered them with environmesh.

This year I am having a go with 'taped' seeds where. I am doing 50% loose red and 50% taped.

Up to press they seem fairly comparable let's see what the harvest will be like.

Deb P

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #38 on: June 26, 2018, 13:44:18 »
I normally do ok in my raised beds, but this year it's poor, three carrots from three rows and no parsnips at all. I blame the prolonged dry periods, I didn't water enough. I've down spring onions now instead, they are coming up fine!
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cambourne7

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Re: Carrots? Don't talk to me about carrots!
« Reply #39 on: June 26, 2018, 17:28:28 »
I used carrot tape in one of my raised beds no problem and in greenhouse between sweet peppers have thrown a packet of carrots into a bed that were really out of date and have loads popping up. Last 2 years not managed to grow one !

 

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