thinning out carrots - help!!!

[vicki]

hi, I've grown some carrots in a trough which are growing really well but I've sown them too thickly and think I need to thin them out - the ones I remove, can they be replanted elsewhere or will I just have to bin them? Some of them pull out quite cleanly but are still only a little white root just starting to fatten up although there is plenty of leaf growth.
There is so much to learn!!!!!!!!!!

[pigletwillie]

you can either thin them out to 2 inches between plants and throw the rest out. It will do no good and seed is so cheap. Alternatively you can wait a while and pull them up as "fingerlings" and thin them that way. By doing this you can eat the thinnings as you thin them.

Unless you really like rows try THINLY broadcasting an area with seed and rake to cover them. This way you get lots of small sweet tender "finger" carots as you thin them out and can leave the ones spaced out to grow to maturity. I do this in 4 weekly successions to give me mature and fingerling carrots all season.

[Nicos]

I'd leave them until they are 'fingerlings' ( like the term.....does it actually exist!!!! ) Sooooooo sweet!!!

[veggiechicken]

I would be wary about uprooting carrot seedlings because of the risk of attracting carrot fly. Why not just snip off the tops of the ones that are overcrowded? You can eat the young leaves, chopped up in a salad.

[olde9856]

I dont seem to be able to get them to germinate outside this year. No problem in the greenhouse. Any suggestions?

[Nicos]

pop some fleece over them!

[dwrudd]

If you can leave them until the end of May, the first larval stage of the carrot fly should be weel hatched and gone. This should give less chance of the carrot fly being attracted to the smell and give you your fingerlings as well.

Darren

[SueA]

You can't really replant the thinnings Vicki as carrots don't like being disturbed & should throw the thinnings away carefully if they are tiny so as not to attract carrot flies.