Grow Your Own Magazine

I know that this going to sound like an awful lot of fiddling about to plant a few carrots, but it works.

After several years of only moderatly sucessful carrort growing this year I decided that I would lavish all the care and attention on them at sowing time and then leave them to get on with it. The result SUCCESS

With the aid of a meter stick and a pair of tweezers (and my specs!)I sowed the seed at one to the inch and then netted them with the net sunk into the ground. Germination was good and I only had to weed them once.

When it came time for thinning all the thinnings produced 6 inch long useable carrots and the rest were left in the ground to increase in size. There was very little carrot fly damage and despite the dry season the first sowing in late March has produced some really good carrots Despite the fact that they 'levitated' and had to be earthed up. I am just now thinning the July sowing and the result is the same.

Well worth the effort!

Interesting... what varierty did you sow and in what type of soil??
I have never really taken carrot growing very seriously as I expect them to be munched by carrot fly and am grateful for what grows. Fleece and early sowing of resistant varieties have been my motto so far...
Got a horse who would love late season carrots....would have to wrestle me for them first though!!!

As you say roitelet a lot of effort but sounds so worth it. May give it a try with one row next year as opposed to my make a drill, sow as thinly as poss and hope method. Will also have more time on my hands by that time so shall invest wisely. Daughter loves little carrots and if it helps that as well shall be a very pleased mummy

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

I have been pleased with my carrots this year, and following the advice from everyone re: carrot fly, havent been bothered with them, thank goodness. Have taken on board the careful measuring/spacing of the seeds advice, as I think some of mine were a little too close (a couple of carrots have grown twisted round each other - very funny to see!). Not too sure about my soil, have just been lucky I guess. Will definately try again next year. dexterdog

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Well Nicos I do live in France so I don't know if you will be able to get the same variety in England. They were a variety called Torchon described as semi long cylindrical and well coloured. I am gardening on clay. Not the heavy grey type but the type that they used to make bricks from! I also have a lot of flint in the ground so I added sand and leaf mould to the soil to lighten it.

Well worth doing and I shall do it again next year. I have also done the same with onions to over winter so am waiting to see how that works.

Do give it a try Earthbabe. I did 3 x 3m rows the first time and 5 x 3m rows for the second sowing. It doesn't really take all that long compared with the thinning out.

Anything to keep the little ones happy

Is that carrot variety widely available in France and at what sort of price? My folks will pass through on the way back to Jersey from Spain in April which strikes me as a good time to be buying carrot seed.

What variety of onion seed are you using. I am thinking of overwintering onions from seed and am getting a little confused about the best varieties to use.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

I just grow my carrots in containers as I have no suitable ground. I do like Roitelet and plant 1 to the inch. Parmex did well in a quite shallow containers but Early Nantes in deeper containers were absolutely great. I'm just going to carry on growing that way.

Hello Earthbabe

As far as I know Touchon Carrots should be available but I think that any semi long carrots would do. As to price I really can't remember but not expensive. The Onions I am growing are Barletta, Rouge de Florence and Espangnol. These are only an experiment but the packet said that they could be sown in the Autumn.

I would suggest that you stick to native seed and not these Foreign ones. I gardened a lot in the UK and have found that a lot of things that did well in Devon just won't grow here, Runner beans for one. It gets just to hot for them and, don't laugh, the UV factor is much higher and a lot of things get sunburnt Factor 50 for veg I think!!

Best of luck