The free carrots from GYO mag

[Jason Cartwright]

I've just bought the GYO mag (for the 1st time) and I'm really interested in growing the carrots. I've read the instructions a couple of times but, not being a gardener of any sort, I didn't understand them.
Can someone please explain, in simple terms, what is meant by 'Thin by harvesting young carrots evenly from the row, allowing remainder to grow on'.
It says soil, can use compost from B&Q?
Can i grow them in pots?
if so what size pot is a decent size? and How many seeds per pot?

J

[Tripmeup]

It merely means that when thinning, do so methodically from all points along your row or around your pots to give remaining carrots room to grow....
Personally, I sometimes don't bother with the thinning at all until harvesting

[WendyC]

To thin them harvest alternate ones along the row. This will give the remaining ones room to grow. I've never grown them in pots but know you can and would imagine you want one with a good depth to it, such as the ones roses come in. Compost would be fine.

[rustylady]

You can grow carrots in pots, using multipurpose compost. You need a fairly big pot though, the Morrisons flower buckets mentioned elsewhere on the vine are good. If you can, sow the carrot seeds thinly (a couple of centimetres apart). Thinning out just means pulling out alternate plants to allow the others to grow bigger. If you left them all to grow close together you would just get lots of very thin small carrots.

[Peas'n'Kews]

This months GYO (April) has info on growing carrots in pots - never tried it m'self...

Welcome to the GYO readers club!

[Jason Cartwright]

Arh right , I understand now and the 1s that are pulled out to thin the harvest can be eaten?

J

[scarletrunner]

Arh right , I understand now and the 1s that are pulled out to thin the harvest can be eaten?

J

Yes,providing that something resembling a tiny carrot has formed!

[kathyd]

Am I right in thinking that when you thin them, you are likely to attract carrot fly because of the smell? I can't remember what advice I was given to avoid this - can anyone help please?

[Two_Sheds]

what is meant by 'Thin by harvesting young carrots evenly from the row

I don't thin out, I just sow thinly (think how wide a grown carrot is: that's how far apart your seed should be, about an inch)

Am I right in thinking that when you thin them, you are likely to attract carrot fly because of the smell?

Carrot fly is attracted by the smell, yes. They will come anyway, whether you thin or not. Hateful, nasty little boggers

[Potstubsdustbins]

Or you could do what a friend did a couple of years ago. Forgot about them and had to use a screwdriver to release/prise them from the pot.

Colin

[Acanthus]

Seem to remember carrot fly doesn't fly very high so shouldn't have any trouble in pots. I grew some last year in a big polystyrene box,with some garden compost, and was very pleased with the result

[Two_Sheds]

Seem to remember carrot fly doesn't fly very high

Ah, that's a myth ~ they either fly higher than expected, or the wind blows them in. You can't rely on just height to protect your carrots

[scarey55]

Or you could do what a friend did a couple of years ago. Forgot about them and had to use a screwdriver to release/prise them from the pot.

Colin

Funny you should say that Colin

[Jason Cartwright]

Seem to remember carrot fly doesn't fly very high so shouldn't have any trouble in pots.

I read this somewhere too. It said to place pots and containers about 60cm from the ground because they have week wings.
(It may have been this issues GYO mag)

A mate told me of a program she watched and it featured a woman that grew carrots just for competitions and shows. She grew them in tubes (Friend didn't say what type of tube). I thought it was a good idea and thought of using toilet roll tubes.
Is this a good idea?

I was going to start them off in a seed propagator (cheap make shift one from wilkos) i got today. I'm going to use a large tub with compost and bury toilet roll tubes so there is about 1cm sticking out and place the seedlings in the tubes.
Does this sound ok?

Thanks

J

[hollychap]

toilet roll tubes will just breakdown in a month or so the progs ive seen show people growing them in cut off sections of drainpipe but this is mainly for shows i just throw a pkt of seeds in a planter filled with a cheap £1 growbag compost