Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi All

This is my first winter with an allotment so am reall keen to keep at least a small part going over the winter months.

I am looking for a bit of advice on carrots. What type should I be looking to plant in the next few months for over-wintering? Should I sow in with my garlic to prevent pests, or are they not a problem over winter?

Thanks in advance.
Jay

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BW
James

I like to try, might not get far, but I like to try.

Hi James!

I'm a comparative carrot newbie, and this is my first reasonably successful year of carrot-growing, but I'll offer the wisdom of my limited experience

Firstly, I don't think you'll have a problem with carrot fly over the winter - garlic probably won't help against slugs, though!

I've seen it suggested that you sow an early variety at this time of year, as they will put on some decent growth before winter - maincrop varieties really need to be sown in the spring. Early Nantes has done well for me, though in my case I sowed it in February for a late spring/early summer harvest. However even early carrots can be quite slow-growing when the weather is cool, so you want to get them in asap.

Hope this helps!

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Small Plot? No Problem! - my blog about growing organic veg

Good question James. My carrots were rubbish this year - the fly got them all. I said I was never going to grow them again - but now I'm wondrering if I could plant some now for overwintering. Will be interesting to hear what others say.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

i planted some 2 weeks ago, cos you can never have too many carrots oopssss sorry was autumn king

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

If you're really quick, you might get some Autumn King in - they're supposed to be hardy enough to stay in the ground all winter, and if you cover them with a cloche or some fleece they should keep growing for into autumn. They reckon to be ready in 70 days.
Or Thompson & Morgan do one called 'Mini-Finger' which they say crops in 60 days, and one called 'Nantes Frubund : Fast Crop' which was specially developed for Autumn sowing to harvest in Spring.
You can find them all here; Illustrated Index of : Carrots although I daresay other suppliers will have some of them too

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

He didn't explain why but a chap at the lottie advised me to block sow my overwintering instead of in rows.

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the fates lead him who will;him who won't they drag.

Happiness is not having what you want,but wanting what you have.xx

i've sowed 2 rows of carrots, and i've block sown a square metre .... the line ones will need to be thinned by taking the small ones out, so the others have room to get to full size, the block sown ones have much more room, and by the looks of it, most of them will be able to be left to grow to full size

i think that's why he suggested it.

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

This is a new one on me! I've never heard of sowing carrots at this time of year for overwintering?

My June/July sowed carrots are pulled for use overwinter though and sometimes up until about April/May!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Oh come on Snadger get with the programme, everyone knows about over wintering carrots! Shees!

No, really, I'm with you dude!

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Updated 30th November

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev036pr___.png

I'm going to sow Autumn King at the weekend. I'm going to put them in a small raised bed that I normally use for salad crops. This will, I hope, prevent them from becoming waterlogged in my clay soil and will allow me to give them a degree of protection too.

You had me worried for a moment there Wayne..........until I put my reading specs on!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Use a maincrop variety like Autumn King for over-wintering. Sow April-July.
Slugs will have a good go at them in a cool wet winter.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I've got good results from growing carrots in bins - it seems (or so I've read) that the carrot fly can only fly up to a height of 21 inches (or whatever that is in Europe-measure) and once you use a bin of more than that they won't be able to get you.

I'm no expert but I grew them in bins this summer and it seems to have worked. I'm planning to try some overwintering ones in a bin again.

What is a bin? I heard about a fine mesh fence around them for the same purpose. Or are they the same thing?

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BW
James

I like to try, might not get far, but I like to try.

As in dustbin...

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Andrea :wavehello

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...logs/zazen999/

moon trials completed:
tomatoes
[46% increase in crop per seed sown and 10% increase in crop per plant]

currently underway:
calabrese
garlic

http://linearlegume.blogspot.com/

A bin is a thing you put rubbish in.
Or recycle into a carrot-growing device
Long Cultivars of Carrots by Medwyn Williams MBE FNVS, Chairman of The National Vegetable Society

One of the other plotholders at my allotment site has 2 or 3 bins of carrots.

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

I feel really stupid now.
Thought it was a name for something built by the wise rather than literally a bin. Tut, what am I like?

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BW
James

I like to try, might not get far, but I like to try.

LOL
Well it's nice to have a giggle at someone else's expense for a change
We all get the wrong end of the stick now and then...

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

I seem to get it more often than not.
Oh well, I'll learn one day...

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BW
James

I like to try, might not get far, but I like to try.

Glad you saw the funny side too, James, and didn't go off in a strop !
There're some right clangers on here sometimes, but usually people are too polite to laugh

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I'm growing mine in a big yellow bucket - and for James that's a er no better not go there

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Hayley B

OH is competing in the Macmillan 4x4 challenge (in aid of Macmillan Nurses) partnering Julia Bradbury (Watchdog presenter) in March 2009 http://www.justgiving.com/mac4x4juliabradbury

... it's a bunch of flowers innit?

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi