Carrots

[monkeyboy]

Last year I sowed carrots directly into my SFG. Didn't germinate. I got weeds instead. All 16 seeds failed to germinate.

I don't know if it was the seeds, the soil or something else.

What can I do this time around?

[veggiechicken]

Sow in a bucket, not SFG.

[burnie]

I have had some random failures with carrots, I've put some fleece on the raised beds to warm the soil up before sowing, I broadcast sow my carrots rather than sowing in rows, they don't seem to need thinning then, though I do have a few when mooching round the garden and I'm hungry.

[fishpond]

I dkwsfg is

[monkeyboy]

Sow in a bucket, not SFG.

Any reason why it would make a difference?

I dkwsfg is

SFG = square foot gardening - see sticky at the top.

I'm wondering if this is a problem with seeds. It was carrot resistafly from moreveg.

[toomanytommytoes]

Germination with carrots can be patchy, so I always sow at least 2 seeds in each SFG spot then thin to a single when they've got true leaves. The soil has to be kept consistently moist, some people like to cover it with wooden boards or burlap to stop a crust forming. You could try topping each SFG spot with vermiculite to hold the moisture in. If the soil is wet and too cold, the seed will rot.

[Jungle Jane]

Sow a few more than needed in the sq ft then you can snip the ones you don’t want if they look crowded,don’t sow too many though,one per inch. The soils still very cold even though the weathers warm. Carrot seeds take ages to germinate. Last year I sowed a load of carrot seed direct in my bed,only had two carrots germinate from them all,could’ve been the drought drying them out? Container growing them is best for me it’s easier to control the watering,I cover them with a see through bag with holes in for a little bit of air & it keeps the moisture in there.

[Penellype]

I find if I sow carrots in soil they disappear shortly after germinating due to being eaten by slugs. I grow mine in buckets with copper tape round which seems to solve the problem.

[monkeyboy]

Slugs may well be the issue. They ate all of my lettuce, spinach and kale last year.

If I buy pregerminated carrot seedlings, are they likely to suffer the same fate?

[nickdub]

Slugs may well be the issue. They ate all of my lettuce, spinach and kale last year.

If I buy pregerminated carrot seedlings, are they likely to suffer the same fate?

Yes they will, assuming the soils conditions are similar.

A couple of possible ways round this are to grow in containers, as other have suggested, or to cover the soil with something to keep the rain out and dry the surface - poly-carbonate sheets are easiest but cloches etc will also work - then sow chitted seeds in as damp drill after a few weeks when the surface is dry and cover the area with wood ash, soot or whatever finally putting the rain preventing barrier back - slugs won't cross dry soot or ash - but if it gets wet they will.

[Lumpy]

I have also found carrot seeds to be temperamental. I grow in MFB’s.
Um never that optimistic about them germinating.

[Kirk]

My plan this year is to try growing in tubes.
Going to get some square drain pipe and cut into lengths and line them along the wind ward side of the raised bed, they can act as a bit of a wind break. A 2.5 meter length chopped into 8 lengths mean each is just over 12 inches. Thinking of 2 lengths of 2.5m but will get one first to try out.

May not get many but should be fun.
Next question will be what mix do I decide on.

[Logunner]

Trying to grow mine in a mix of MPC, vermiculite and used coffee grinds. Growing in a pallet collar...

[monkeyboy]

How many seeds in a MFB? I might try it if I have space left.

[Penellype]

I sow seeds about 1 inch apart in all directions.