Carrot Week 2017!

I've always had problems growing carrots and end up with a strange stumpy mutant crop; I blamed the heavy clay in which they were planted.

I have always prepared the soil with blood and bone plus manure pellets and then I saw this on Gardening Australia in relation to the use of such additives on carrots and got a big surprise,

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s4651923.htm

I planted 4 squares a week ago using a tip I got from GloriaG.  I glued seeds (16 per square) to one layer of paper towel using a tiny drop of Elmer's glue.  Then I put them in the freezer for a couple weeks.  I took them out, planted the paper towels seed side down in each square with just a dusting of MM over them to hold the paper towel down, and just last night started seeing those cute little wispy leaves poking out!  I don't do a high top because I just plant short varieties - Nantes, Mignon, Danvers half long and something else I can't remember.

I stopped growing carrots about ten years ago, but we had a special carrot box for that purpose. It was 3 feet long by 2 feet wide by 28 inches deep.  I don't think Mel's Mix had been invented yet, but I got the information from a local vegan that grew tons of things year round.

She told me to make a mix of quality, flea-free sand and compost.  You want to get as much potash in the compost as possible, because K makes Carrots sweeter and less bitter.  We used burnt wood ashes with the compost to add the potassium needed and to counter the nitrogen.

I think it was about 70% sand and 30% compost.  The key is that there isn't even one impediment for the roots to grow, and they grow well in the sand medium, while getting fed by the compost.

We had a lot of success getting foot-long carrots with sweet, not bitter or soapy results.  

The problem with carrots is that you only get one of what you plant, and then it is gone.  Unlike radishes, it takes a long time, so we chose to use that box as a leaf lettuce box that could be moved in and out of the direct sun depending on the weather.

We had great success with lettuce until the box started to deteriorate and could no longer be used.

TNGeezer wrote:You want to get as much potash in the compost as possible, because K makes Carrots sweeter and less bitter.  We used burnt wood ashes with the compost to add the potassium needed and to counter the nitrogen.

Thanks, Geezer. I have plenty of wood ashes to mix in, but didn't know to do it, and I will be replanting carrots this week.

I'm in!!! Got these sowed today, then watered and covered with burlap.

I sowed:
2/23 - 1 square each: Red Samurai, Purple Sun -- this seemed really early but I actually got pretty good germination considering
4/12 - 1 sq. each: Long Imperator #58, Red-Cored Chantenay, Parisian, Red Samurai, and Purple Sun
  ... but then had to leave for 4 days, so these might have gotten too dry, esp. w/ the crazy hot weather, and may end up needing to be resown.
4/17 (today): 1 sq. Scarlet Nantes

I've also got some squares set aside for later sowings, and I'm going to try to plant one of my sub-irrigated planters with carrots if I can figure out where to put it.

I was thinning some spinach that was about to bolt and found a stray so thought I'd peek. Planted February 20 Short 'n Sweet. Package says 68 days to harvest.

Here in the UK in South Wales I feel it's still too cold for me to think of sowing my carrots ( 16 per sq foot ) . They normally take at least 21 days germinate plus another four or five days to show through as microscopic sized greenery .

 We are still getting night frosts & cold evenings once the sun drops out of the sky .
Tonights frost is supposed to be a sharp & long minus four or five centigrade .  The soil temp is a bit low as well @ 5 oC  despite us not having much rain for the last three weeks . 

As a result I'll be sowing my carrots when the soil temp creeps to 7 oC for at least five days running , otherwise my carrot squares will be balder than my head .

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:I sowed:
2/23 - 1 square each: Red Samurai, Purple Sun -- this seemed really early but I actually got pretty good germination considering
4/12 - 1 sq. each: Long Imperator #58, Red-Cored Chantenay, Parisian, Red Samurai, and Purple Sun
  ... but then had to leave for 4 days, so these might have gotten too dry, esp. w/ the crazy hot weather, and may end up needing to be resown.
4/17 (today): 1 sq. Scarlet Nantes

I've also got some squares set aside for later sowings, and I'm going to try to plant one of my sub-irrigated planters with carrots if I can figure out where to put it.

Oh good!  I am not too late!!!!  I love garden carrots!

CC, ever grow those varieties before?

8 squares of St. Valery carrots planted Saturday, 4-22-17!

It's still too cold here in the UK , on the hill where I live @ 250 foot above sea level ( 117 mtr ) we are likely to get a minus 5 oC frost during tonight & well into the early morning. 

Having been outside away from home this morning & only just got back I can say, " It feels really close to freezing right now .... So no carrot sowing today or tomorrow " .

Scorpio Rising wrote:

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:I sowed:
2/23 - 1 square each: Red Samurai, Purple Sun -- this seemed really early but I actually got pretty good germination considering
4/12 - 1 sq. each: Long Imperator #58, Red-Cored Chantenay, Parisian, Red Samurai, and Purple Sun
  ... but then had to leave for 4 days, so these might have gotten too dry, esp. w/ the crazy hot weather, and may end up needing to be resown.
4/17 (today): 1 sq. Scarlet Nantes

I've also got some squares set aside for later sowings, and I'm going to try to plant one of my sub-irrigated planters with carrots if I can figure out where to put it.

Oh good!  I am not too late!!!!  I love garden carrots!

CC, ever grow those varieties before?

I don't do real well with carrots here, or any roots for that matter.  Nantes, of which I planted two squares on 4/19, are always faithful tho but Chantenay are my fave because, in my garden, they get so big and sweet and don't turn woody if wintered over.  

I've also tried a mix of different colored carrots but came back to and stay with orange now.  Still experimenting with whatever packets are on sale in hopes of finding the magic carrot that will always grow and taste as good and sweet as the organic ones from my grocery store.

I hope to get mine in by the end of the month!

ne of my cats disappeared for about 21 hours, I nearly had a panic attack, slipped in the bathtub, hit my head a couple of times, and ended up in the ER.  Diagnosis:  mild concussion and whiplash.

Naturally, Sterling was back when I returned from the ER yesterday morning.

I hope your head is feeling better fast and Sterling stays home now!

donnainzone5 wrote:I hope to get mine in by the end of the month!

ne of my cats disappeared for about 21 hours, I nearly had a panic attack, slipped in the bathtub, hit my head a couple of times, and ended up in the ER.  Diagnosis:  mild concussion and whiplash.

Naturally, Sterling was back when I returned from the ER yesterday morning.

Geez Donna, how traumatic! So glad Sterling was home when you got there. At least now you don't have the extra stress on top of everything else. Take it easy and you'll heal quickly I'm sure.

CC

I was out in the garden this morning I had pulled the bush Peas the other day so I could see my Carrots and Beets something had been chewing on the beets made a mess of the beets but the carrots were doing fine I planted beets and carrots 1/20/17 and never got around to thinning them so I did that this morning and here's  the results.  I don't have a high box Except the one I built for potatoes and it's a jungle now So I grow the shorter type.

Donna, I hope you recover fast. Sterling probably doesn't even feel a twinge of guilt. How many nights I have gone around the neighborhood hollering, "Jimmy, Slimmy, or Sweetie."

CapeCoddess wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:I sowed:
2/23 - 1 square each: Red Samurai, Purple Sun -- this seemed really early but I actually got pretty good germination considering
4/12 - 1 sq. each: Long Imperator #58, Red-Cored Chantenay, Parisian, Red Samurai, and Purple Sun
  ... but then had to leave for 4 days, so these might have gotten too dry, esp. w/ the crazy hot weather, and may end up needing to be resown.
4/17 (today): 1 sq. Scarlet Nantes

I've also got some squares set aside for later sowings, and I'm going to try to plant one of my sub-irrigated planters with carrots if I can figure out where to put it.

Oh good!  I am not too late!!!!  I love garden carrots!

CC, ever grow those varieties before?

I don't do real well with carrots here, or any roots for that matter.  Nantes, of which I planted two squares on 4/19, are always faithful tho but Chantenay are my fave because, in my garden, they get so big and sweet and don't turn woody if wintered over.  

I've also tried a mix of different colored carrots but came back to and stay with orange now.  Still experimenting with whatever packets are on sale in hopes of finding the magic carrot that will always grow and taste as good and sweet as the organic ones from my grocery store.

 Can you dip a thermometer  an inch into the ground & give us a temperature reading .  The ground should be ever so slightly damp too. Carrots love deep light free draining fertile soil  that has not had any manure or fertilizer on it of any sort or description for two full years .   

 If you sow the seeds precisely at twelve  or nine to the square foot by cutting a square foot of cardboard & drawing a grid on it then poke holes at each intersection drop a couple of fresh new seeds down each hole , When you've sown th square remove the mask & sprinkle the seeds with fine sieved soil to cover everything by about 1/3 of an inch of the sieved soil . write the label for the square & include the date on it .

It will be around  21 days before any seeds you've sow through the holes  germinate & about another five or six before  you'll be able to see the tiny green shoots .

 Try to keep the same level of moisture in the beds soil ( that applies to nearly all crop growing ) .  Perhaps buy a cheap bi-metal probed $ 5.00 moisture indicator tester to keep a regular check on things .

 If the variance of moisture goes from wet to moist to bone dry too often  for more then  a day or so the baby carrots will suffer  & you'll end up with two inch long orange leathery nails that have a split down the side .

Oh. Soil is around 50F when I planted. Not ideal but I wanted to get in on Carrot Week. It's warmer now...maybe 55F.

I've always planted by the square in the past but this year I decided to follow ralitaco's video posted earlier in this thread and plant in rows. Watered in well, then I covered with burlap.
We've had a lot of rain and drizzle since so the moisture should be good but I keep an eye on it. My seeds could just be old.

CC

I been using carrots seeds that were packed in 2012  right up till last year ( 2016 )   not all germinated but the majority did .
My seed viability chart says seven years viability for carrots & cabbages  but they could have been taken from a growers bulk stock that were grown in 2009 , seeds harvested in 2010 then packed in 2011 for the start of the sowing season in 2012 

 All varieties were decanted from the foil packets & put in labeled airtight 15 cc  plastic screw top specimen pots and kept  in a cool office out of the light .
 I practice only having the tubes open for as short a time as possible to get enough seeds out .

plantoid wrote:I been using carrots seeds that were packed in 2012  right up till last year ( 2016 )   not all germinated but the majority did .
My seed viability chart says seven years viability for carrots & cabbages  but they could have been taken from a growers bulk stock that were grown in 2009 , seeds harvested in 2010 then packed in 2011 for the start of the sowing season in 2012 

 All varieties were decanted from the foil packets & put in labeled airtight 15 cc  plastic screw top specimen pots and kept  in a cool office out of the light .
 I practice only having the tubes open for as short a time as possible to get enough seeds out .

Honestly, they are so tiny, that I am almost glad they dont all germinate!

When do y'all thin your carrots? At seed-leaf stage? After first true leaves?

I thin mine  when I can remember to go out there with scissors.  But So far I have one sprouted carrot, already with true leaves, from about a hundred fifty seeds from 2012.    No thinning worries here. Fortunately I planted another Square somewhere out there with newer seeds. Hopefully thinning will be in my future.

I think you have some really hardy seeds over there, Plantoid!

My carrots sprouted!!!


I saw them this morning and so took off the burlap and threw on some scraps of netting, which I'm hoping will ward off diggers until I can put something else up.

CapeCoddess wrote:My carrots sprouted!!!


I saw them this morning and so took off the burlap and threw on some scraps of netting, which I'm hoping will ward off diggers until I can put something else up.

Nice CC ...