Topic: carrots

[lizagrowbag]

hi there

i have one plot all weeded and dug  now i have some carrot seeds im told i can sow them now and they need to be sown  str8 into the plot not in to trays first  ok these will be the first veg i ever sow  so question is   

what do i need to do to ready the soil and how often do i water them and  how long till they appear from the gound :)

[manicscousers]

the soil needs to be really fine for carrots, if yours is , like ours, lumpy..take a furrow out, fill with potting compost, take a drill (smaller furrow) out of the compost, water, sow seed, not too deep, cover with compost, we cover our carrots with fleece to stop the carrot fly..what ever you do, happy growing  ;D
p.s, we don't water our carrots  :)
and in this weather, it won't take long for them to appear, just watch for slugs  ;D

[lizagrowbag]

ok thanks for that  the soil  ive dug over is very fine so i think they can go in there but do i need to put manure in or lime  or anything b4 i sow them?

[shirlton]

Hi Liz. We usually sow almost everything in compost furrows like manic described. We dont sow our root veg this way cos it doesn't work for us. We tend to get many legged root veg Carrots and Parsnips. What we do is make a furrow about 10ins deep and fill it with sieved soil. Do take the advice to cover with fleece cos the carrot flys will spoil your crop. We have to cover with wire netting too cos we have dear little foxes.. Heres some of our carrot harvest last year, Grow in the way I described

[kt.]

WOW Shirl! Is that a late variety?  Tons and tons :o :o :o  My rabbits and guinea-pigs would have a field day

[lizagrowbag]

i am so sorry to seem so dense  but what is a furrow?

[kt.]

i am so sorry to seem so dense  but what is a furrow?

A channel that you make to sow the seeds in

[redimp]

I mix half a packet of seed in a bucket of used compost then spread it all over a 5mx.25m row.  I have also mixed in half a packet of spring onion seed with the last lot to try and keep off the fly.

[lizagrowbag]

ok so do i have this right

in a light  seved soil  put some compost make a furrow  and add the carrot seeds put a fleece over  and is that is?

[kt.]

Cover the seed with more light sieved soil or compost.  Ensure it is light enough for the plant to push through.  Carrots can take up to 4 weeks to show.

[ceres]

Water the furrow, then put the seeds in, then cover the seeds with fine soil, then fleece.  And remember to put a label in.  Don't worry, you'll soon get the hang of it!

[lizagrowbag]

thank you so very much  for answering all i am totaly new to this
and have to learn everything im very greatful

[saddad]

Carrots are one of the worst starter crops!! Try Winter Radish, if you can find some, much bigger than salad radish but just as easy. If your soil tends to cap (form a hard surface as it dries) you will ned to keep the furrow damp, the fleece helps with that too!
Good Luck!  ;D

[shirlton]

The variety of those carrots is Lisse de Meaux They are a good carrot to store in sand. Autumn giant is a good one too. I put some in a month ago. Mrshalls are doing a carrot named Nanco. Its in their quick harvest collection. I'm gonna put some in this week.

[Barnowl]

I think this may be covered by the foregoing but just to be sure: the advice I've always had is don't sow in a newly manured area and don't add manure - it makes them fork

[antipodes]

I have had some success with carrots (which means they are still growing!) by mixing the seeds with sand and just watering them in. I sowed them with radish so I could see where to water and to thin them out a bit. Just pulling the radish now and the carrot seedlings are well visible :)  They are about 25 days old. I did water them quite regularly at first but it has been pretty dry here...
I agree, I think they are not the easiest thing! I find that the easiest thing to direct sow are beetroot, Dwarf beans (I am still sowing them now!!), and salad greens.