The carrot obstacle course

[petefj]

Once again I've embarked on the gardening "obstacle course" of attempting to grow carrots.

Why is it that the professionals are allowed to use a chemical that obviously deters carrot fly when the amateur is not?

Growing carrots has become a nightmare of obstacles, fleeces, fine meshed nets  and raised beds.

Here in Cornwall it is impossible to grow them without heavy protection and it's got to the point where it's costing a small fortune in materials just to grow a couple of rows, when chemical protection is available but forbidden to us.

I used to use a dry powder that smelt of mothballs and was sprinkled in the row, and that worked quite well.  So well that the E.E.C. banned it.  Well, that figures.

Peter

[petefj]

[Jayb]

I think it's because the 'professional' growers all have to keep detailed records of what they buy, how they use it, on what, where and application rate etc? I can't see them following home gardeners around to check what each person has used.

Carrot root fly are a big problem here too. I get good results using debris netting, which isn't too expensive but yes it is a bit of a faff and not that pretty in the garden. But on the plus side no chemicals used and the mini micro climate seems to suit carrots and parsnips a treat!

[Redalder]

Once again I've embarked on the gardening "obstacle course" of attempting to grow carrots.

Why is it that the professionals are allowed to use a chemical that obviously deters carrot fly when the amateur is not?

Growing carrots has become a nightmare of obstacles, fleeces, fine meshed nets  and raised beds.

Here in Cornwall it is impossible to grow them without heavy protection and it's got to the point where it's costing a small fortune in materials just to grow a couple of rows, when chemical protection is available but forbidden to us.

I used to use a dry powder that smelt of mothballs and was sprinkled in the row, and that worked quite well.  So well that the E.E.C. banned it.  Well, that figures.

Peter

I have several books of "Old Wives" type advice, and this year I sewed one row between my onions and shallots and a row of potatoes and another further up the garden in a lovely well prepared bed. The first lot are well on their way to being eaten (by us) and no sign of trouble and the second lot are almost non existent.  I think the OWs maybe knew a thing or two!

I must add that I found it easier to grow veg in Aberdeenshire, where the deep cold gets rid of most nasty things and the summer days are long, than here in Cornwall.

[Ellen K]

I think that dry powder you used to buy was lindane you know ..... but if I could get my hands on whatever it is the farmers use these days, I would use it too.  And I'd use it on my onions as we are going down this year on the whole site with this Leaf Miner thing.

[Gordonmull]

We suffer pretty badly from it here too. Last year, whole maincrop was ruined, the year before fairly heavy damage despite fleece, the year before wrecked. Curiously, I grew a scattering of amsterdam forcing in the GH in an old coolbox last year and these were untouched.

I only use maincrop carrots for soups and stews etc, never on their own, and the tender smaller carrots for salad/steaming. Because of that I'm growing one box of forcing and one box of chantenay in the GH this year and the last attempt at a relatively pest free maincrop in the ground.

I'm going to grow maincrop under fleece and I'm sowing early June (soon!). If this one is riddled, due to the cheapness of supermarket carrots, I'm going to have to throw in the towel on maincrop.

I'd heard some sort of rumour that it was a garlic spray commercial growers use. It would be interesting to see that trialled. I would but I don't have space, just a back garden grower.