Carrots, what carrots?

[Rhubarbstick]

Last year I was quite successful growing carrots in buckets with Nantes. This year I've sown Chantenay Red on 17th April and as yet nothing. Should I abandon them and start again ?

[vivienz]

Mine were painfully slow to germinate and still aren't doing much. I sowed the littel round ones (Paris market, I think) but I'm going to sow again as I think a fresh lot may well catch up and overtake. Either side of the ones I sowed were beetroot and turnips. The beetroot came up okay, but they're not going to win a spring any time soon. The turnips are romping away, even with my stealing young leaves off them for salads. Very disappointing on the carrot front. You're not alone.

[Geoff]

I used to think I couldn't grow carrots until one day I checked before going to work to find a nice row had germinated overnight, when I came home in the evening they had gone. Slugs love them!

[tigerburnie]

I seem to have the Midas touch with carrots, last year we had an abundance, some on the small side, but still tasty. This year so far 4 varieties sown and 3 germinated and growing well, they are sown in succession, I wait until the first have shown then sow the next lot hoping they will mature at different times. The reality last year was they pretty much all caught up and matured together, I hope to have 5 different varieties this year. I grow in blocks not rows, scattering the seed on my raised bed then cover with a light covering of multi purpose compost and keep watering as required.

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2 varieties at the front showing, next strip sown a round 10 days ago, not showing yet, far end are parsnips showing and another carrot showing, last strip will get Eskimo sown, they were the best over winter crop, if memory serves me right we were still lifting those in March, just covered them with a heavy fleece.

[Monika]

Mine (Early Nantes) are in pots inside the netting tunnel and they are doing fine so far, about 4" high, but the slugs might still get them, of course.

[Diane]

I grew the invisible variety too ☹️ I've given up on carrots now and planted Chioggia beetroot instead. Needless to say they all grew, gazillions of them, so I'm having to give some the little plantlets away.

[Westi]

The only good thing about carrots not germinating is how many seeds you get in a packet & how many freebies come on the mag & how many sowings you can fit in! I currently have a very, very few 1st sowings looking good & bushy, then the 2nd sow that germinated but are weeny but obviously carrots & then the new sow to pop up! I have hedged my bets & planted in the potato sacks but they have been overwhelmed by the weeds & re-sowed again there! All will be fine in the end I hope!

[Rhubarbstick]

Still nothing from 17th April sowing but a later sowing from the same packet on 6th May are germinating.

[vivienz]

I've reserved some space in a raised bed and plan to sow this evening, but I'll need to keep them well watered. Everything's still gasping for water here.