Carrot loving Newbie...

[hawthorns]

get your self some enviromesh to keep the root fly off. sow thinly then you wont have to thin seedlings and attract the pests. cover them from sowing to harvesting.

[moggssue]

Helllloooo and welcome!!! I grew Nantes carrots in containers last year, my first time, and they were supadupa!! Good luck - let us know how you get on.

[Nicos]

Hello there...and welcome!

[momol]

Hello and welcome Bluemidget.
Last year I grew some parmex carrot (round), it won't fork, promise !!!
I grew them in window boxes on a third floor balcony (safe from any carrot fly). The spacing was 5cm x 5cm (I think bigger type might need bigger spacing). I also grew the black carrot with 10cm x 15cm spacing in a raised bed (the package actually suggest 7cm x 25cm but due to lack of space, they got lesser space). I suggest you cover your carrot if your area has carrotfly problems or at least do companion planting .
I companion plant my carrots with spring onions and garlic but didn't do any cover and it work nicely and free of carrotfly.
This year I will be growing the same carrots again plus sugarsnack and oxheart.
Good luck with your carrot growing .

[veg4681]

Welcome to the vine. Carrot's not my thing but lots of people here grow carrots (I think) so you'll not lack for vital advice. I think the biggest problem with growing them is fighting off the carrot fly, is that right?

[bluemidget]

thanks very much everyone I like the idea of planting garlic with carrots, thanks momol!

[Cutecumber]

I grow all my carrots in containers and it generally works fine. The best variety for me has been Amsterdam Forcing.

Always sow the seed directly where the carrots are to grow - don't be tempted to sow them in modules and transplant them, like you might some other veg, as the roots tend not to develop properly (oh yes, I've done it and I wish I hadn't )

Sow the seed very thinly. Put some in your hand and pick up a small pinch between your fingers - aim for a couple of seeds every 3/4 inch or so around the surface of the pot. Don't sprinkle madly, you will just be wasting the seed as they will need thinning so the roots can swell. It really is worth taking your time, it will save hassle later. Cover the seed carefully with a half inch layer of compost, gently water and wait for a couple of weeks for your little green babies to start appearing.

You don't have to use all the seed in one go, or even this year - keep it cool and dry and it should stay viable for a couple of years.

[bluemidget]

cheers Cutecumber! I like your name

[matthew2riches]

to reduce carrot fly all i do is stick bamboo canes into each corner of the bed and wrap some fleece around the bed. carrot fly is lazy and won't search for the smell and will only attack if it is directly infornt of them.

you could also plant some chives or onions near the carrots and ruffle them up every couple of days.

[deadwood]

I tried the red carrot called something like samurai a couple of years back. evryone went to seed in the first year so I got nothing I was not happy. So be a little careful of the novelty ones.

Try the short or round ones in a container, I guess buckets cost less but Wilkinsons sell a range of plastic pots for a reasonable price. I have two large black ones here but I cannot recall if I was going to repot the lemons or coffee plants in them

You get lots of seeds in a packet.

[zazen999]

hi.
Yes - at last - something I am good at...
I grow carrots and loads of them - there are 3 main things to remember:
Sow regularly, so that you have a long season.
Sow into sandy soil, with no stones. Various ways of doing this, but the deeper the loose sandy stone free soil, the longer and straighter the carrot.
Use as many carrot-fly deterrents as possible. My last lot which should have been harvested jan/feb [ie now], all got eaten - i was foolish to think they don't attack in winter - they do. My method this year will be multi-faceted. I have made little raised beds that are now sitting on the normal raised beds, and I have filled them with a 60/40 sand/compost mix. The seeds will be sown in pinches of seed every 3 weeks and there will be fleece wigwams [made of canes in the 4 corners of the mini-bed, and fleece wrapped around], and coriander, garlic, onions and shallots will be grown around the mini-bed - in the raised bed. My carrots are usually carrot fly free because I grow coriander amongst it and chop the top of the coriander every few days, which keep the scent away. I didn't do that in the last lot - hence losing it all.

If you go into the forum here

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...rots_4983.html

there is a easy way to carrots from PW

Enjoy

P.S. I also grow the purple and yellow ones, they are quicker to grow, they resist the fly more and are less prone to forking than the usual orange ones, whichever types I grow these come out top.