Carrots for Easter?

[Lotsaveg]

I decided to start some carrots off in 7cm pots in the greenhouse at the end of January using 5 or 6 seeds per pot.

I've now transferred to a raised bed and hope to have some lovely fresh carrots in a few weeks time!

[womble]

I'm not sure what shape they are going to be after the potting out, but best of luck!

[Lotsaveg]

I'm not sure what shape they are going to be after the potting out, but best of luck!

I didn't disturb the roots, but just removed the pots and popped the contents into a hole. I'll let you know what they look like in a few weeks time.

[Two_Sheds]

I have a row up on the lotty, that I sowed back in September. Tardy things will probably just bolt

[Bren In Pots]

I sown a bucket of Nantes in the greenhouse at end of August, the tops are about 6inch high not inspected the carrots yet though.

[Jono]

I've got some Early Nantes in a container that I planted out in September. They've overwintered well, and the greenery looks really healthy. Just no sure whether there is anything decent in the ground.

[Croila]

I grew Early Nantes last year, my first time ever growing carrots, and I was disgusted at how puny and small they were! I'm pretty sure it was something I was doing wrong, but I'm not quite sure what. I grew them in pots and in a square foot bed and can only think that perhaps I didn't thin them enough.

I was planning on sowing some this weekend in toilet rolls indoors to start them off, thin them to one carrot per tube, then transfer the whole toilet roll innard into pots outside once they've got a bit of growth on them. So root disturbance is avoided.

Just wondering if anyone else has tried this, and what the success rate is like? I was so cheesed off at rubbish carrots last year!

[Kristen]

I've grown Early Nantes and they've been fine - but there are so many varieties of Nantes - often with numbers after them - that its a bit hard to tell which-is-which - I've always assumed they were all pretty much the same, but maybe not?

[Lotsaveg]

I recently managed to get some commercial Nairobi seeds from a local organic farmer. They're silvery in colour though so I'm not sure what they've been coated with! Can't be anything non-organic though.

[Two_Sheds]

my first time ever growing carrots, and I was disgusted at how puny and small they were! ... perhaps I didn't thin them enough.

Maybe, but I've stopped thinning my carrots as baby seedlings, I do it when they are eating size. Then I take the largest and leave the rest of the cluster to grow on - they are really good.

What I learned last year was that carrots really do need more water than we've been told they need. Last year's washout August-October gave me my biggest ever crop

[Croila]

Ah, water, water, water. For some reason I'd got the impression carrots didn't need much water and maybe that's why they didn't grow very big last year. I'll certainly bear that in mind this time round - thankyou!

[Lotsaveg]

Ah, water, water, water. For some reason I'd got the impression carrots didn't need much water and maybe that's why they didn't grow very big last year. I'll certainly bear that in mind this time round - thankyou!

It's also very important to have a loose soil or growing medium that enables the carrots to grow and expand with ease.

[Croila]

Thank you. I've got a raised bed and pots which I grew them in last year (mainly cause they're high up off the ground so will avoid carrot fly) and I'll be growing them in the loose compost in these things again this year.