Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: wendsbends on April 16, 2007, 12:34:00
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Has anyone planted out their carrots yet? Wasn't sure to plant them out this weekend as the weather so warm.
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Yes, a week or so ago, Early Nantes 2 and Sugarsnax, in a raised bed in the garden, and just starting to show. Covered with a fine net to keep the b****y cats off.
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My Early Nantes on the plot germinated last week :D. This year they're covered with Enviromesh, as are all my cabbagey leaf things.
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Did my Early Nantes too, kids helped me sow them, so not sure they will be in rows! ;D
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Early Nantes went in at the weekend. Will be covering with fleece to protect from carrit fly.
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Early Nantes went in about a week ago. Covered with fleece & watered regularly, but no signs of life yet. (But that's par for the course - we regularly have to make several sowings before we have any luck. Not just our plot, but then we are on London clay!) I was intending to sow some more this afternoon.
But the Amsterdam Forcing in the (unheated) GH are doing well - might be eating them in a couple of weeks!
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My beloved Mokems went out last week with a few others,I have some more to do though. XX Jeannine
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ours went in last weekend too. Are a variety called maestro. Have sowed them with Nigella again as this did wonders for keeping off carrot fly last year!
shame about slugs though, they are this year's battle >:(
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Must try that, daiaymay- I love Nigella!
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they look lovely too, honestly worked a treat, was really pleased.
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Hi DaisyMay.
Which variety of Nigella did you plant?
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I have Early Nantes since Feb and a few pots of Autumn King 2 since March.
Sown my plot ones this weekend, Resistafly, Fly Away and Autumn King2.
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Early Nantes in for some time, but very poor result so far - too lazy to make a tilth!
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too lazy to make a tilth!
I don't! Too difficult on my heavy clay ::). I make shallow trenches which I fill with multi-purpose compost.
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Only a few manage to grow decent carrots successfully round our site. Tried something new for me at the weekend. I filled 2 containers (1/3 size of water butts) with 3 inches of manure in the bottom, then 18 inches of soil from my plot, 4 inches of compost on the top. Put early Nantes in the compost but didn't cover.
I also sowed a further 2 rows of early Nantes and 1 row of autumn king between some rows of onions. So we will see which fairs for the best.
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in our raised beds, we put leaves on the bottom, very well rotted compost then bought compost on the top, we now have four rows of different carrots showing their heads :)
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I found a good method was to put two spades back to back and make a wedge the depth of the spades. I filled this with a mixture of riddled 1 soil, 1 sand and 2 compost.
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Do I just sow Nigella in between the corrrectly spaced out carrots? Or do I need to measure them out too??
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Monty Don is also trying the companion method this year -on GW last night he just sowed rows of mixed annuals (including nigella) alternately with rows of carrot seed.
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Mr Fothergill has a variety of carrot called Honey Snack....has anyone tried it?
Thanks Dinger
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I've never been able to grow carrots successfully >:( Had a few hits with blue ones (funnily enough) and the little round ones grown in a tib, but other than that .....
So this year I have bought about 10 packets of different varieties and I'm trying 10 different ways of growing them ;D
I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY THE HUMBLE CARROT 8)
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Hi
Early Nantes in for a week, i got a variaty that comes on seed tape.
Next week I plant a row of a different variaty and then 2 weeks after that i plant another row with the seed tape and then 2 weeks after that i plant another row of another variaty.
Should give me a steady supply.
There planted with onions on either side of the bed to confuse the carrot fly, and there is about 6 inches of decent soil before they hit the clay but i am hoping that having dug it over and dug in manure that the carrots might get though :D
Cambourne7
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I can understand why a liberal sowing of Nigella Lawson would keep pests at bay. Might try it this year.
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LOL!!!!
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our carrots never get a chance to get a decent size our kids our to keen and pick them tiny they say they taste lush though
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I constantly fail with sowing in rows, but broadcast is quite a different matter!!
These were for the WI market.
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if you plant carrots in the black buckets how do they do?
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Been out and got some mixed flower seeds, like the ones Monty used. I have sown my carrot seeds in rows about 1ft apart. should I sow these flower seeds in between them?? I only have two raised beds about the size and shape of baths to grow the carrots in, is there enough space, do you think? I have some plastic drain pipes. I heard you could grow long carrots in those. Anyone know how to go about it? :-\
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I haven't had much luck with carrots - my soil is heavy and stoney :-\
So this year I have tried sowing them under my new blueberry bushes, in a raised bed full of new compost. I'm hoping I will get a crop before the bushes take off, what do you think? Also sowed some radishes and salad leaves as an experiment
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I've sowed Nantes carrots in a black bucket (fairly thickly) with multi purpose compost and no feeding. Excellent results. A few fell foul to carrot root fly but not enough to worry about. I sowed them late summer and we were eating them throughout the winter (only two of us so they went a long way). Must have cropped several pounds.
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Calamity, don't want to put a damper on your try but... your blueberries need acid compost or they will not grow well,and your carrotts need regular compost, XX Jeannine
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if you look carefully, you can see the carrots in between the parsnips, just showing their heads :)
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I had terrible problems with carrot fly last year, so this year I've filled a bath with multi purpose compost, sharp sand and John Innes. The bath is covered with a thick sheet of perspex and there are lots of baby carrots. I sowed Red Dragon, St Valery, Sugarsnax, Supreme Chantenay Red Cored, Sytan and Yellowstone. Oh, and pipex (?)
Intend to replace perspex with fleece next week.
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Hi Jeannine
I have put lime free compost in for my blueberries - I once read that most plants can cope with lime free soil, it's just the lime haters that can't survive in normal soil.
I have a camellia and a Pieris both growing at home with other normal stuff happily planted underneath, so I thought I'd give it a try. I will let you know if it works!
Also have got some black flower buckets from a friend and have a polytunnel being made, so hopefully if the carrots don't work I can sow some more.
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That will be very interesting to find out actually. I am not familiar with the flowers, only the blueberries which I have grown for many years, but I am still not too old to learn.XX Jeannine
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I planted (in veg patch/raised bed in back garden) a row of Early Nantes 3 about 6 weeks ago, 7 germinated!
This weekend I have planted rainbow, Purple Dragon and Mr James Scarlet in the allotment.
I have never grown carrots before! So we'll see what happens.
At the allotments, some people say that they just cannot grow carrots, but there are others that do not have any problems, some claim that others have different soils to them!
This year is a learning year, and we have lots of paper to write down how we should do things differently next year!!
Oh, we planted them with Onions to repel each others pests, so we'll see how successful that works out! If any germinate!
Sue
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There planted with onions on either side of the bed to confuse the carrot fly, and there is about 6 inches of decent soil before they hit the clay but i am hoping that having dug it over and dug in manure that the carrots might get though :D
Cambourne7
dont manure - it will cause the carrots to splt and have multi roots best to plant in soil manured for the previous years crop
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I have some plastic drain pipes. I heard you could grow long carrots in those. Anyone know how to go about it? :-\
I saw a chap using drain pipes on GW last year but I think he was growing long parsnips & they were very long!
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Thanks Marymary, guess I could just try a couple, see how they go.
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I am growing a heritage white carrot this year - but it's my first attempt at carrots, so I'm a bit worried because I'm usually a failure with something for the first time...
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I am growing a heritage white carrot this year - but it's my first attempt at carrots, so I'm a bit worried because I'm usually a failure with something for the first time...
That made me go aaah! Bet you don't fail, bet you grow beautiful carrits free from fly! 8)
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Thanks for the encouragement. I will certainly try my best...
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lol I think I'm living in a beginners dream world then... I planted two rows of Early Nates 2 yesterday in well dug but quite clayey soil. Made a couple of inch deep drills, sowed seeds thinly in them and then sprinkled some of the ocntents of a spare grow bag over them to cover....
I assumed they'll grow ok, I didn't know there was such a scinece to carrots.... lol ah well we'll see... :)
Although I do plan on surrounding them with something to try and disuade the carrot fly when they've come through... :)
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I interplanted carrots with onions about six and four weeks ago the first ones are coming along nicely, I dug out a very small trench, filled with potting compost, made a drill, sprinkled seeds and covered with compost. ;D ;D ;D
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Thanks Marymary, guess I could just try a couple, see how they go.
Cacran You would be better off with 4" stand pipe or 45 gallon drums cut to size with a fine soil mix in them. As a carrot needs room to grow out as well as down so if you grow them in drain pipe you will only get a very thin long carrot.
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Thanks Davy, I have some planted in beds but just wanted to try one in the pipe for fun, really, I will have a go and see how long it gets!!!!! ;)
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At present - none of my carrots are showing after 12 days in barrel :( Does this mean they are no good or me being impatient ::)
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Lots of the allotmenteers on the Big Dig were using the "planting at height" method to avoid carrot fly, as in the bath mentioned above. I think the height needed was 13" but not sure.
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Other than trying to keep the Carrot fly of does hight really matter these must be at about 18"
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture022.jpg)
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And these speak for them selves but to do them 7 barrels took me 5 hours thats a lot of gardening time fitst one
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture020.jpg)
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and the next
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture021.jpg)
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And my final method
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture006.jpg)
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Lots of the allotmenteers on the Big Dig were using the "planting at height" method to avoid carrot fly, as in the bath mentioned above. I think the height needed was 13" but not sure.
I thought it was 23"
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I was always told that the carrot fly was not supposed to be able to get above 18" but no one has told the fly it cant do that and a barrier of 2 feet around your carrots
ti keep it out
A TIP When thinning your carrots out don,t pull pull them cut the tops off with a pair of scissors.
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A TIP When thinning your carrots out don,t pull pull them cut the tops off with a pair of scissors.
Also thin in the evening when the fly arn't active and water afterwards to dampen off the smell
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A TIP When thinning your carrots out don,t pull pull them cut the tops off with a pair of scissors.
Also thin in the evening when the fly arn't active and water afterwards to dampen off the smell
Both great tips. My carrots were a totals washout last year so I'll be having another go this weekend. Got a good few hours of digging and raking before that though.
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Looks like I have got excellent germination from my early nantes - complete rows! I just hope they make it to full-carrot stage!!! I am also going to plant some in large containers as a backup :-\
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Noticed today that my plot neighbour has planted his carrots as per Corny Kev and John-at-the-back says he has had germination probs too so I'm thinking it's not only me that has no joy with the blessed things I have purchased even more seed and will sow yet again tomorrow. ;D (as per Corny)
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Looks like I have got excellent germination from my early nantes - complete rows! I just hope they make it to full-carrot stage!!! I am also going to plant some in large containers as a backup :-\
How long did they take to germinate? I sowed some in 2 half barrels with 2Weeks ago. Zero germination at present.
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my nantes in the greenhouse took about 3 weeks - hard to spot at first because the weeds come after 3 days after watering
annoyingly everytime I water my greenhouse border I get self seeded tomato seedlings appear
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I had brilliant initial germination....and then slugs hoovered most off!
2nd and third sowings now in progress.....post nematodes!
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Looks like I have got excellent germination from my early nantes - complete rows! I just hope they make it to full-carrot stage!!! I am also going to plant some in large containers as a backup :-\
How long did they take to germinate? I sowed some in 2 half barrels with 2Weeks ago. Zero germination at present.
Germination period for a carrot is about 17 days thats presuming the temperature is right
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Mentioned this before on another thread some time back.
Our effective method is to grow carrots in a 4 feet by 4 feet area, squeezing 7 rows in. A week after sowing we construct a barrier around the perimeter of this area which is made up of corrugated plastic. If you want to see what it looks like there is a snap in the Picture Gallery on our web pages. This successfully keeps the carrot fly at bay.
Other advantages that we have noticed: germination is good in this microclimate; slugs do not want to be bothered scaling the barrier, at least not until the foliage is peeping over the top; and it has even kept our local badger at bay so far - while it could no doubt destroy the barrier it seems to prefer to seek out easier pickings on nearby plots.
The only disadvantage is that the foliage becomes somewhat drawn but this does no affect the quality of the carrots themselves.
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My Early Nantes are in containers and are doing well so far. Have thinned them to 2 inches apart (want small ones!). Just covered with fleece, hopefully in time to stop the dreaded carrot fly.
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All 7 seven rows are through and doing well Nantes up nearly1"
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I have a few pots growing well, and i'll need to thing the three rows at the weekend that are in the plot.
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Four rows of early nantes two doing nicely, two struggling a bit, watering every night. ;D ;D ;D
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I was on my plot today sorting out the weeds and my carrots are all about 2" high which seems pretty good and loads have come up too!
It has been warm here in Manchester though, so perhaps that's the reason, just hope we don't get too many cold snaps, cause everything is growing so well at the moment.
In fact my carrots will need thinning out in a week or so...
Lin
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How close can you grow the carrots after thinning out? I have sown mine in two raised beds that are about the size of baths. I don't have much room. At present they have been sown in short rows. There are lots of seeding coming up. If I cannot transplant them and need to pull out most of the week seedlings there will not be many carrots left in. I don't even know how much one plant yields. In fact I don't know 'owt much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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try leaving some about 2" apart, you will get 'finger' carrots from that, others leave different spacing so's you get smaller and bigger carrots, baby carrots are much dearer to buy so, it depends if you want them for eating or storage..our storage carrots are about 4 to 6 " apart..hope this helps :)
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Thanks Manic. will do as you advise and look forward to the outcome.
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I sowed 2 rows of early nantes about 3 nearly 4 weeks ago and nothing had appeared so I re-sowed the 2 rows. I hadn't been watering the first sowing of carrots and so wonder if that had been the problem ( I watered when put in but not after) So now I have been up every other day to water the seeds. I must admit that the ground is as dry as can be, not had rain here for weeks. What do other people do? Sow then water how often?
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The sowed my carrots on the 10/4 and they only started showing last week and not doing very much really. Too dry I think even when i've watered from one to time.
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Sowed yet again 10 days ago, nothing, zero, zilch,diddly squat. Been constant with watering and nice words. So I'm giving up on the plot and it's a bucket job for me from now on. >:(
(secretly hoping for a 'sign' tomorrow, though ;D)
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Mine have taken 4 weeks to show in the bucket & some are also starting to show between onion rows.
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when thinning, is it possible to transplant to plug the gaps ?
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we've just had our first baby carrots..planted a pinch into fibre pots, waited for them to germinate and planted them in the border, we only got 8 but they'll be lovely with the new spuds tonight ;D
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Put our early nantes in on 29th March, about 1-2 inches tall now. Sometimes I've watered them.
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Its been a long time since i grew Carrots outside the Polly tunnel, but as i have so many seed about to go out of date i thought better used than waisted.
I thought i would explain my method as it may save some one some work or give an alternative method that can be done on heavy soil.
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture031.jpg)
I make wedge using two spade One is ok if the soil is heavy I then top up with my fine mix adding some fish blood and bone to about 4" from the top then give the wedge a good soak Put the seeds in and cover.
That leaves me with a few inches to fill in so as my Carrots grow i back fill the wedge till it is level with the soil. I do this to make it hard for the carrot fly to dig down to the carrot
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r111/stumpinsci/Picture032.jpg)
Along the rows i will place old Tea bags dipped in Jays fluid to create a diversionary smell. These carrots wont be touched till the end of the year
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That is brilliant! Thanks for that very clear demonstration!
I can hardly get the bloody things to germinate so I am hardly worried about carrot fly yet, (actually no one seems to talk about this in France, maybe it is not very rampant here?) but that seems a wonderful and easy way to grow them without preparing loads and loads of soil, just the part where it is most needed!
I will try that this weekend and see if it is more successful than the rest - can put in some of my own compost of which a bit is now ready. Yay!
hey I bet this works for beets and parsnips too!! Might try it as an experiment.
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I spread my early nantes seeds evenly in the barrels. Yet they appear to have germinated in clusters with some large gaps with no germination. The clusters will definitely need thinning. Shame they cant be transplanted into the gaps. Still got to sow autumn king yet. Hope I have more success.
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Hello
I managed to thin mine and fill the gaps with the thinnings they all look great
Cheers
Brogusblue
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We have lift off. I am reporting that germination has at long last, and after many attempts, taken place! Whoopeedoo........
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Not been up to the plot this week only carrots sown are in a seed strip!
I hope there up now!