transplanting carrots

[Alice]

Well I sure hope it's not too late to plant carrots as I've just planted my Autumn King (Thank you Hazel)

I think I'm with TEB on how high carrot fly can make it. I don't have a problem with them here , but if they can only fly 18" above the ground, where would I measure that from. My garden is not level so what would I take as a base line and what radius would I add.

[goddess]

i have tried carrots in a tub last year and they didn't grow very well.what kind of soil do people use?the rolled compost bag sound interesting.g

[Big John]

I'm new to growing my own as well (as it were ) and after spending a happy afternoon transplanting 200 Autumn King seedlings, that I started off in a tray in the green house, a gardening buddy said "you can't do that - they'll never grow". Well I must have done something right beacuse, as much as I value his advise, they are all doing very well. I guess there are always exceptions to the rules...

[pigletwillie]

All that might be wrong with transplanted carots is that they fork, not pretty but still very edible.

[Alice]

You're carrots will probably do well Big John. But they might have done just as well if you had planted straight in the ground, save you all the transplanting. You could run a trial for yourself next year, or now. Plant some straight in the ground, and some in a tray and transplant, and see how you get on. Then you'll know for sure and you can tell the rest of us.
I ran a trial like this with spring onions this year - some straight in the ground, some in pots in the greenhouse then the whole pot planted out. The greenhouse pots are well ahead so now I know about that one.

[Norm]

The carrot root fly not being able to fly above 2' off the ground is a myth. Bristol University (I think) found them over wintering 60 feet up in a tree.
As for transplanting, the tops will look fine until you pull them. Rather than one nice thick carrot there will invariably be a selection of thin, misshaped, curly orange things which, by the time you've peeled them, will give you a saucer full of strands. Always best planted direct.