The Carrot Challenge - Grow carrots with me in 2016!!

[Penellype]

My "indoor" pots are 5 1/2 inches square (the sort of tall green ones you buy things like raspberries in at a garden centre). I've sown 16 seeds in each. The outdoor pots are 18 inches square and I sprinkle seeds thinly over the surface then cover with a layer of compost.

[KevinM67]

Hi everyone, how many seeds do you sow in these flower pots?

Gazillions !!!

In reality, I've not started yet - maybe this weekend, depending on the weather.

But I do know it's gonna be gazillions! !!!

[Penellype]

If you sow too many seeds in a pot you will get large numbers of very very small carrots. Sowing thinly gives bigger carrots.

[Jay22]

Thanks both!

[vixylix]

Should carrots be in 2 inch squares or have I just made that up? Is it BM who makes his own seed tape for carrots?

Also... when sowing them indoors, do you place them on the windowsill as you would with other sowings or are they better near the radiator (somewhere relatively light I assume?)

[Penellype]

My indoor sowings go near the radiator until they germinate then under grow lights in a warm room. I am trying to grow these on quickly for early baby carrots.

[Penellype]

The Eskimo sown outdoors on 9th April last year are starting to show new growth:



I take this as a sign that they really need using, but when I pulled some they look fine, if a little "hairy":



These have been grown in almost total shade but are still very reasonably sized carrots.

[bramble]

First pot of carrots, Flyaway, which I sowed on 25th Feb. have germinated.
Second pot sowed yesterday.

[mothhawk]

Do carrots have built in clocks? I ask because I keep carrots I buy (yet to grow one big enough to eat) in the salad drawer of the fridge. All summer, autumn and winter they stay perfectly fine, crisp and firm, but as soon as we get to about this time of year, any carrots I put in there immediately start to grow whiskers and topknots.
How do they know? The temp in the fridge doesn't change, and they are in the dark all the time.

[Gillykat]

Treated myself to some multi-coloured carrots in big garden centre just outside Morpeth on Tuesday (plus a couple of flower seeds to try)

[Snadger]

Do carrots have built in clocks? I ask because I keep carrots I buy (yet to grow one big enough to eat) in the salad drawer of the fridge. All summer, autumn and winter they stay perfectly fine, crisp and firm, but as soon as we get to about this time of year, any carrots I put in there immediately start to grow whiskers and topknots.
How do they know? The temp in the fridge doesn't change, and they are in the dark all the time.

It's a bit like how we get fluff in the bellybutton?........some things mere mortals aren't meant to know!

[Penellype]

Do carrots have built in clocks? I ask because I keep carrots I buy (yet to grow one big enough to eat) in the salad drawer of the fridge. All summer, autumn and winter they stay perfectly fine, crisp and firm, but as soon as we get to about this time of year, any carrots I put in there immediately start to grow whiskers and topknots.
How do they know? The temp in the fridge doesn't change, and they are in the dark all the time.

My guess would be that it is to do with the conditions the carrot experienced before it was harvested.

[veggiechicken]

It's a bit like how we get fluff in the bellybutton?

Years ago I read about a farm labourer who noticed a wormlike thing coming out of his bellybutton. Each day it protruded more! He was too embarrassed to ask any one what it could be. It grew longer and longer until eventually he was forced to show it to someone!
It turned out to be a wheat seed that had germinated in the warmth of his bellybutton
What has this to do with growing carrots? Absolutely nothing - I blame Snadger

[KevinM67]

^^^^ jeezus VC, I feel like throwing up now - thanks.

[Martin H]

My first bucket of carrots, Early Nantes 2, sowed on 18th February, have finally started to show through the compost. Must be about time to sow another bucket!