Carrot loving Newbie...

[bluemidget]

Hiya, This'll be my first year growing stuff. I'd love to grow some carrots. I have a green house and a back yard so it'll be in containers I guess. I'm a total noob so I'd like to ask for advice. Is one type of carrot easier to grow than another? when should I be sowing the seeds? is it worth growing carrots in containers?

thanks for listening

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine bluemidget. You can indeed grow carrots in containers, I grew Chantenay red cored in the 10litre buckets you can get from the supermarket (the ones they have cut flowers in). You can also use shallower containers or I suppose growbags and plant a round or stump-rooted carrot such as Parmex. If you want to you could plant some now and keep them in the greenhouse to keep the frost off. One thing to remember is that the slugs love the feathery growth when the carrots sprout so protect the containers from those pests somehow. Good luck

[bluemidget]

Cheers Shirley! I think I'll go for the 10L bucket idea (Still in the experimental stage of my green-fingery) and see what happens

[shirlthegirl43]

Be warned, you will probably get hooked! If you want nice straight carrots, sieve garden soil into the buckets and sow the seeds in there - they take a while to grow mind you, plant some every few weeks for a good supply later in the year. Like the name by the way - I guess you are not small and blue but maybe drive an MG?

[bluemidget]

hee hee, wish I did drive an MG bluemidget is a Red Dwarf reference.

Thanks for all your help

[SMS6]

The only carrots I had any success with last year were grown in a container (largest black plant pot) and they were Sugarsnax I think.

All the other varieties I tried actually in the garden or raised bed just didn't do anything. No idea why!!!

Mind you some of the seeds could have been old and I've since learnt that they don't keep from season to season, so sow the lot.

[bluemidget]

Hiya SMS6 and thanks. Question, if I sow the lot, how many seeds to a container? (sorry if these are silly questions but the only thing I've ever grown is a beard )

[SMS6]

The packet should tell you how much space to leave between rows - You will need more than one container to sow the whole packet I think but that would be good for succession planting. Do one container one week, another the next etc.

As long as you sow the whole packet this year doesn't have to be all in one go - if you get my meaning

Mind you there are some much more expert growers on here so they may know better

[bluemidget]

The packet should tell you how much space to leave between rows - You will need more than one container to sow the whole packet I think but that would be good for succession planting. Do one container one week, another the next etc.

As long as you sow the whole packet this year doesn't have to be all in one go - if you get my menaing

Mind you there are some much more expert growers on here so they may know better

Ahh, thanks I'm with you now.

[Two_Sheds]

Dunno. Can't grow carrots (sulks)

Welcome! and tell me how your carrots get on...

[bluemidget]

Dunno if I can yet Two_Sheds I'll let you know how we do.

[Hans Mum]

welcome from me too, try & raise the buckets/containers so the dreaded carrot fly doesnt attack them, and when you thin them out try not to disturb them too much as its the scent that attracks them

[TEB]

I would sow thinly as this will save on thinning later and reduce the risk of carrot fly, thin and water them if possible on cloudy days, carrots like dry open sunny sites and are reasonable drought tolerant, dont use manure in your mix as this is traditionally thought to cause forking and I would sow in 3 - 4 week intervals for succession.

Last year was my best year and I grew them next to marigolds and onions and I mulched with cut grass to help overcome the carrot fly issue.

good luck

[shirlthegirl43]

I suspect that carrot growing problems are due to slugs munching the greenery the moment it pops through the earth! No joking, they queue up to get in the carrot pots! Break out all manner of slug and snail traps (and safe pellets) and you will probably be surprised by your carrot growing success!

[SMS6]

Dunno. Can't grow carrots (sulks)

Welcome! and tell me how your carrots get on...

I feel so much better knowing it's not just me that has problems growing them