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

[KevinM67]

2 carrots from the pot sown indoors on 1st March (Nantes Frubund) compared with the smaller Marion sown outdoors on 6th March.

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Was that your whole haul from the pot - or do you pull them up individually P ?

[Penellype]

I pull them individually. I sowed 16 seeds in one of those tall green pots that garden centres sell fruit bushes in - they are 5 inches square and 9 inches deep. 9 of the seeds germinated and today's were the first 2 carrots from that pot. I pulled the Marion for comparison, mainly to investigate the difference between growing carrots indoors under lights at the beginning of March and sowing outside under a cloche a week later.

I think the indoor ones are well worth it for the difference in size, and I'm quite impressed that they have got that big in such a small pot.

[Small pumpkin]

I've harvested the last of my 2nd bucket of carrots, rainbow mix. sown on the 15.03.16.
But only 6 germinated in the first place, 2 bolted and they were all the same colour. That will teach me for buying dodgy Chinese seeds.

[SusieG]

Yes, I must investigate further .... The early ones sown Feb haven't come to much, the 2 later pots look a bit healthier - need to pull a few tomorrow - I feel a trip to compost bin imminent ....

[muddled]

Is there still time to sow more carrots?

My five buckets are growing well, a bit slowly (roots the size of my little finger or smaller) but straight and healthy and frankly a thousand times more successful than I've grown before in the ground!

So would it be worth me sowing some more now?
And if it is when should expect to pull them....midwinter or next spring?
It would be lovely to have fresh carrots during the hungry gap!

[Mr Growser...]

Checking the dates from the big book on the wall, I found that I sowed a bucket of Autumn King on 12th July last year, and they lasted through to Feb this year!

They're all up on high staging, so have to be lifted down for watering...

[muddled]

Thank you Mr Growser!

Definitely worth doing then! I'll get cracking!

[Penellype]

If you sow a hardy variety they will last through even a cold winter with a little protection. Varieties I use are Eskimo, Nantes Frubund and Marion.

I still have 2 lots to sow - I'm going to try a crop of Flyaway, which I can sow up to the end of June for autumn roots and another crop of Nantes Frubund or Marion (haven't decided yet) in July to harvest in Spring.

[SusieG]

Sown 31st March .....
(For scale - 10p piece in photo).....

[Jay22]

I have nothing...not even a green shoot! I thought they were coming along ok, growing in a netted bucket but they have all disappeared!!

[Penellype]

That's not good, Jay22. Probably slugs or snails. I just pulled a huge snail off mine this morning having seen the slime trails. There are a few chewed leaves but no harm done.

[muddled]

Slim pickings in the garden centre for carrot seed I'm afraid so just picked up one packet of rainbow mix. It says sow March to May....and its only June.

I'm going to try and keep some growing over winter in my rickety little greenhouse (that has no door). I figure that if we have yet another mild winter they'll be fine and if its a really harsh winter the loss of some carrots will be a small price to pay for a reduction in slug numbers

[Jay22]

That's not good, Jay22. Probably slugs or snails. I just pulled a huge snail off mine this morning having seen the slime trails. There are a few chewed leaves but no harm done.

Probably right Penellype...we have loads here! The bucket was netted and I had copper tape round it too which worked with my runner beans last year, guess they like carrots better!

[Penellype]

I find netting seems to counteract the effect of copper tape - I think the slugs climb the net and abseil in. I have lettuces in a saladgrow planter with copper tape round, netted and they are being eaten by slugs

[Small pumpkin]

I've emptied bucket number 3 today. Yellowstone sown on the 26th March



I'm pleased with how well the bucket growing works. I think I need to thin them out a bit more. Think I'm trying to be greedy. But I'm getting at least one good sized carrot from each bucket ( so far ). 90% of what I pull is of an edible size.
I've already had a portion of carrots ( thinnings) from the buckets.