Let's talk about Carrots !

[KevinM67]

After reading all the comments on covering them, I guess I may just decant some medium out of the bed into flower buckets & grow them in one of the cages with the toms & cucs.

Don't forget the blood !!!!

[Bigmallly]

They're not getting any of mine, that's for certain. They can make do wit F,B & BM...............

[Tripmeup]

I get on well growing carrots most years.

Make a line with hand trowel. Sow the seeds, cover with bought compost so I know where they were sowed. Wait for them to germinate, cover with fleece and don't go near them for 90 days...then harvest....

Varieties include Johns Purple, Ingot, Jaunes de Daubes and Autumn King

[Lumpy]

My G Dad used dried blood for his roses - I wonder if it is still about?

Nope not going to try it though.

Like SP I grow my carrots in the same box and soil every year. I think that they are OK with this because most carrot problems are bug related rather than virus or bacteria.

[Sarico]

Thanks everyone. Very helpful - but don't stop

Here's a really nutty idea (maybe!)
Does anyone grow their carrots in a permanent plot?
Just wondering whether I could set aside a bed for carrots, pull what I wanted to eat and leave the rest to set seed the following year - and keep them going in perpetuity?
Any thoughts?

You can try like my Italian friend does in Italy.
amicidellortodue: SEMI DI CAROTA

[veggiechicken]

Brilliant idea Sarico. Thank you and your Italian friends, again
I've grown carrot stumps before, just to see what happened, but didn't take it further onto seed production (although I did it with celery).
Right, first, i have to row some carrots................

[starloc]

I have managed to grow.... i think... maybe 10 carrots over 3 years here in Bulgaria...but it may be 5.....

I have tried so may types, from all countries...and got no carrots, even seed tapes....no carrots either!

This year i am trying again, in the ground, and a raised bed and in pots....and some in modules and planting out....i dont care if they are wonky, just even some wonky carrots would be nice!

Im tryng 2 types of Bulgarian branded seeds and many others from various suppliers including all the usual ones the rainbow ones and imperiator

[jonny the plant pot]

Dried Dutch Pigs Blood 1kg

Here you go

[Penellype]

I've never had any success growing carrots either.

Do they need much nutrients ?

I was considering starting them off in loo roll holders, using a mix of seeding compost and quite a bit of sand - indoors. With the plan to harden them off and eventually plant out soon after the first shoots show.

I've no idea if it will work, will try anything - just, be gentle with me if it's nonsense.

Carrots generally don't transplant well - you are likely to end up with bent and forked roots if you plant them out. It would stop the slugs from polishing off the small seedlings though...

[Ananke]

To date, I've only had success with carrots in a raised bed in my greenhouse. I filled it with a mix of compost and sand. All outdoor attempts have failed miserably. I've had them in tubs on top of a table but this just confirmed my thoughts that if the carrot fly can only fly to a certain height, surely it can walk the rest of the way.......and they did! I tried them in troughs with fleece and voil but the wind opened a gap and they were infested.

I've sprinkled chopped garlic to deter mice from sniffing out my peas and it worked a treat. The carrot fly is attracted by the carrot smell so I'm hoping this will work.

Sowing a sacrifical bunch of carrots as a decoy? Think I'm taking this too far

[vixylix]

Never remove fleece apart from checking and maybe resprinkling any bald patches.

How do you attach the fleece? I pegged mine down last year but then it didn't give them any room once the tops started to get bigger so I ended up removing it altogether

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Vix!
I think the idea is not to completely fleece them. But to stake each corner of the bed ya growing em in and creating as I would describe a fleece fencing. Allowing the top growth to grow unhindered.

Well that's how I read it, and what I shall be doing!

[spamvindaloo]

This thread had given me an idea on how to grow carrots, and probably lots of other veg that needs no pollination.

A 30 litre heavy duty plant pot with a small cane (about 1' above the surface) and one of those cheap 'fleece jackets'. Sow the carrot in the pot, put the jacket over so nothing can get in (apart from the rain). The cane will support the jacket and give the carrots (or whatever) room to grow.

In fact, it sounds like even I couldn't go wrong so is there anything blindingly obvious that I'm missing

[Bren In Pots]

I've found that my carrots do much better if I grow them in tubs rather than in the ground not sure why though.

[Penellype]

My arrangement for carrots - made from parts of an old, cheap fruit cage plus veggiemesh:



I weigh down the mesh with bricks and have never had problems with carrot fly. The carrots are planted in 18 inch square pots similar to the one bottom right of the photo, with copper tape to keep out slugs. This works well until the foliage touches the mesh, and by then the carrots are big enough to cope with it.

Some of the carrots from the bottom right pot (moved under an individual net for ease of harvesting):



Variety Marion (August 2015)