Topic: Carrots

[wardy4]

Do I sow carrots in a seed tray or sow straight into the ground, whichever how do i go about it

[manicscousers]

Hiya, wardy, we sow ours direct into the ground, too fiddly to transplant  :)
I take out a small furrow , fill with potting compost, make a small furrow, water lightly, sow seed and cover  :)

[wardy4]

Thanks do i do that now or wait until spring

[manicscousers]

we'll be starting early march

[Digeroo]

I start my carrots off on damp kitchen roll on a plate in a plastic bag.  After about four or five days I then sow them in the open.  If they show any sign of roots they need dowing quickly.  I also fill a small trench with recycled or potting compost  about two inches deep and two inches wide so there a fewer weeds amongst the seedlings.  I try and spread the seeds out.  I find it very easy to sow far too many.  I put the rake handle down the row and sow in the bottom on the groove it forms and then hardly cover, the think that the rain will wash the compost over them.

I might try a few near the end of February and cover with a cloche.  But like others I will mostly wait until March.  I like to sow them just before showers are forecast.  But sometimes you have to provide your own. 

I did try a few last year sowed thinly in yogurt pots and then plant out the whole pot before the roots got too long got a few early carrots but it was rather a fiddle for a couple of portions of carrot.

I have a major slug problem in the garden so use organic slug pellets.  Otherwise I get nothing at all.

I had loads last year at my lottie but the next allotment had none, no idea why the difference.  They seem to be a bit fickle at times.

[calendula]

before May I sow carrots in large pans or growbags (that are deep enough for the type of carrot) in the greenhouse, then later for outside I water where they are to go, scatter (don't bother with rows) and cover thinly with compost - I also grow in boxes outside as well - use the correct carrot for time of year, i.e. early, mc, lates and beware the weather for good germination

[Vinlander]

All this is fine if you aren't on clay!

If you are it's worth making a deeper drill and half filling it with improved soil before sowing and covering over.

The carrots may still grow to odd shapes in the hard soil below but at least they will grow.

The flavour is actually much better than carrots grown on light soil - to make up for all the extra effort cleaning!

It is possible to grow carrots straight into clay but any dry spell will lock them under a 'cap'.

One way around this is to put planks over the row. The soil will remain moist under them and provided you check for seedlings every few days no harm will be done.

Don't use bits of glass instead of a plank - it's fine except it will lull you into a false sense of security and the slugs will use any delay to find the moist warm environment and eat the lot.

Cheers.

[Russell]

For years my efforts at carrot growing were a triumph of hope over experience. I have clay and they just NEVER CAME UP. Then someone whispered in my ear so now I cover my clay with a thin film of compost from my heap, rake to a tilth, broadcast carrot seeds thinly, lightly rake over, and water as necessary for the next fortnight. UP THEY COME!
So do all the weed seeds but I can cope with the problems of success.

[shirlton]

We fill a trech with old spent compost out of the tubs and baskets from last year.Another tip from our TeeGee

[chriscross1966]

I've been saving toilet roll tubes and my 2-pint milk cartons for this years attempt at growing both carrots and parsnips... my plan is that they get sown indoors, 3 or 4 seeds to a tube, I'll thin down the parsnips but not the carrots, once they're up I'll harden off and transplant under a mesh cloche if neccessary. I should have enough tubes to do two plantings of carrots and the parsnips will sort of fit alongside the early one. I'm giong to try nantes Frubund, Resistafly and Autumn King (IIRC, it was autumn something) and for parsnips I'll go for hollow crown and one of the short-stump F1's.... from this years experience with Celeriac (which is what they'll share the bed with as part of the winter veg set at home) I'm hoping my soil does OK for them.... it's  a  wierd combination of gritty brick-working dust mixed with the original clay but I've much improved it with compost (and it'll ahve the contents of the old beds from the tomatoes last eyar...

chrisc

[1066]

I've been growing my carrots and parnips in large plastic boxes / crates, which are filled with grit, soil and compost (holes were drilled into the bottoms and I add some crock for drainage). Had lovely, but small carrots this way, I need to thin them out more ! The only disadvantage is that you do need to water them in dry spells. And becasue they are grown in boxes I haven't had a problem with carrot fly .......  ;)

Good luck whichever way you choose to grow them  :)

[Easywriter]

My carrots (and parsnips) ended up looking like looking like deformed male genitalia (clay soil!).

This year (following advice from another A4A member I picked up last year) I'm going to try knocking a dibber into the ground, filling with compost, putting the carrot seedling in there.

 ;)

[manicscousers]

we have dedicated beds for carrots and parsnips, filled each time with riddled soil , bit of a faff but works for us  :)

[Allotment-junkie]

if you know someone on your site with a mantis Tiller just run it up and down 3 or 4 times getting as deep as possible this will do the trick with most soils,

[Good Gourd 2]

Putting Amsterdam forcing in my barrels next week, mix soil with peat and sand. Have to put in barrels because of the  carrot fly. Great carrots last year.  Trying setting some in land drains this year for  giant ones.