Allotments 4 All

this is my first year at growing veg  i have to use my back garden at the moment as there is a waiting list where i live
any i sowed loads of stuff and lost a lot due to snails and the hot weather
wat i did do was sow my carrots in a bucket  got a lot of greenery  but cannot tell how well the carrots are growing  when can you harvest carrots and is it true that after may there is less chance of carrot root fly  my other successfull grower is runner beans in a trough they are showing signs off flowers   thanks   :)

Not sure on the scientific or experienced answer Pumpkin as this is my first year on a lottie.  But i found that by gently uncovering soil around the carrot you coulod see the top of the root and from the diameter guess the length.  I grew Nantes early and a top diameter fo about a 10p piece equaled a root 6 to 8 inches long.  Hope that helps.  Iain

hi
just pull one carrot every month to see how they are doing. it wont go to waste as you can always eat it
                                                          weedgrower

Pumpkin, as to the carrot fly part of your question, NO, it is definitely not true.  The old belief that carrot fly had 2 flight periods each summer is now well out of date.  In most districts there are 3, and in areas where carrot fly infestation is bad, or in dry summers, fly activity may be expected throughout most of the summer until late August/September.

Carrot fly are active June through to a slow decline to the end of July, then again from mid July and can go on into November! Your 'May' thinking relates to sowing....that is, seed sown after May is less likely to attack....note the word 'likely'!

Lucky you to be able to grow carrots!

If I tried  to grow them in my plot at the moment they would look like corkscrews!!  Enough rock and stones for a car park!!! :(

Thinking of buying an old kids swing to which I will attach a giant sieve - like archaeologists!!! ;D

pulled 1  :-[ talk about none existant  :D looked like a dandelions root  but still hoping so as to not attract the root fly i took the bucket inside the house then covered it with a plastic bag overnight b4 i took them back outside
as for growing them  it is my first attempt but  as i only have a three tier plastic greenhouse i sowed the seed in my bucket then put a plastic carrier bag over them then put the lot in the greenhouse in the hopes the snails/slugs would leave them alone so i still may fail as yet but am happy with the progress of my beans

If you have stony soil or no success with straight carrots try growing parmex - these are brilliant little carrots!

I've grown Paris Market (Parmex type) which were free from Kitchen Garden or some such mag.  I've not pulled any yet but I'll let you know how I get on.  I've not thinned them - perhaps should have done - but I'm a bit lazy.  I'm going over to the plot in a bit so I'll pull a few and report back.   :)

Picked some last night to thin the rows out a bit.  I ate most of the thinnings as well as the bigger ones  :)   No carrot fly damage and no slug holes etc.  I did try and fleece them but it kept blowing away so gave up on it.  They look fine but the taste is ok but not the best I've tasted. 

I haven't sown any carrots yet, but believe that there is still time,

so shall be sowing some this weekend (hopefully) :-\

Debs  :)

My first ever lot of carrots sown today  ;D  Shall see how they fare.

Debs - believe you can carry on sowing for a few weeks yet?

Didn't much care for the Paris Market carrots raw but were very tasty once cooked.  I thought although small they were woody but fine when cooked  :)