Growing Carrots

[Chantal]

JB, if you've not breached the rules of etiquette then my posting clearly doesn't apply to you so you can ignore it, can't you.

[Piglet]

Everybody I am sure appreciates any help that anybody can give to them when they post for advice and I am certain that it is very gratefully recieved. I especially draw upon advice from JB and Allan and many other people unamed here an awful lot.

However, there is more than one way to skin a cat and what one person finds easy is difficult for somebody else.

Whilst I enjoy the differences of opinion, and they are something to which we are all entitled to, nobody should shout down somebody else for expressing theirs. Have a good debate please but If anybodies views are so narrow that they have to try to demean the other person for experessing a different viewpoint then they should take a good long look at themselves in the mirror. Quite frankly, the way some dummies get thrown out of the pram, some people require a good spanking and to be sent to bed with no tea, no matter what our age or experience.

[Alison]

Yes, I find it really useful to hear of all sorts of different ways of doing things, as sometimes something which works for someone else really doesn't work for me!
Two points on carrots:
First, because I was busy this year, I didn't get around to thinning my carrots. I have found this autumn that where two or three had survived together, they have grown up quite nicely, each shoving out to its own side, and all were a reasonable size. I have read that you can do this with onions - plant in a bunch and they will all grow, so you get more though rather smaller ones from the same patch - but I hadn't thought it would happen with carrots. Happy accident.
Second, someone mentioned netting and whitefly. I haven't been using the netting in a properly organised fashion yet, only in bits and pieces. Does it in fact stop tiny pests like small flies and aphids (particularly the latter)?
Alison.

[Piglet]

I found Jb's method on sowing carrots a few seeds to a station a boon, it really worked for me when traditional rows werepoor, no logical reason for it either. It was good to get the idea to try though which is what the forums about.

[Allan]

PigleT, I have to agree with you totally, which is what I try to do, but I get a bit narked when I get shot at for detailing other ways of doing things.It has even got to mailings asking me to leave the forum. This makes sensible discussion impossible. I may be older than most people here but I am always ready to experiment and to learn. One thing has now come out into the open as to why my trial of pelleted seed failed, obviously if they are in clay, that has to be soaked to a degree difficult to obtain in a very dry summer, If I had had the time to set up automatic watering it might have been a success. As it was, the replacements bu modules raised on a capillary watered bed rescued the situation and looks like my best Autumn King crop yet.
On the subject of my autumn sowing for spring crop, I said that they were Rocket seeds, it turns out that they were actually Primo. This year I have 4 rows of each sown identically. I look forward to giving the comparative results in due course.
On the general rule of station sowing, module sowing, with me it works out well with many crops unless as with my young carrots I particularly need a mixture of sizes, in which case a very thin sprinkle of seeds in a strip rather than a row is useful.For crops where singled plants are finally needed, two or three seeds in a pot are fine
Allan

[Iain]

I agree with Granny on this. I think that as it stands this is the best of the gardening forums judged on knowledge/quality of contribution, and atmosphere. Witness the exemplary thread entitled " Seed Catalogues". I'm inclined, especially against this background, to respect the right of these two very significant contributors to find each other a bit irritating at times. I can't say I'm at all offended by it.

[Compo]

Irritating, I agree, but Allan and JB you should both realise that it is your postings when your opinions are different that cause the controversy, however, I know see it like the banter between Rita and Norris on Coronation Street, if you haven't seen it then you should, but which of you will die your hair red and wear a frock, well I wait with bated breath.............

Yours Aye

Compo

[Allan]

The latest on the carrots is that the Autumn King came out very mixed sizes, some would not look out of place on a showbench, large, perfect shape, while there where a variety of smaller ones, all in all very useful and a disaster was averted, we have more than we can eat this winter.
As I also mentioned previously Rocket and Primo were sown and nothing came through for ages other than a scattering of feral Montia, now in the last week or so there are definitely carrots appearing which should give the very early crop next year. I suppose the mild emperatures prevailing must be helping.

[Wellie]

My 'late' Early Nantes are doing great guns still.
Pulled about eight or so today for late lunch, and not the slightest of a wiggle tunnel from a carrot rootfly amongst any of them.....
Isn't it nice when it works ?!

[Allan]

Wellie, what date were your Early Nantes sown. I presume June or July. Carrots are on the slow side compared with other 'quick' crops but they seem to put up with cool temperature quite well if the pests, including mammals, leave them alone. I consider it my duty to stretch the rules and see what happens, I know there are a lot of variable of climate, soil, variety and of course growing method but you can sometimes find a winning combination as a reward. Next time if you can sow a few other earlie alongside you might learn even more. I get on very well with Amsterdam Forcing but these F1 hybrids really are a step forward and cost no more if you sow them really thinly such is in groups of about 4 seeds at a time whic saves all that tedious thinning. I still find myself throwing out more than I use from even the smallest commercial pack.
Allan

[Mole]

I personally have't sowed any carrots for years, but Ruth - my partner grows thousands for the veg boxes.

She uses an 'Earthway Seeder' to sow with. (15m rows)

Apart from hoeing 2 or 3 times and hand weeding in the rows once, that's it. All carrots covered with wondermesh or sometimes fleece. We have a sandy-loam soil

Whether earlies or maincrop she does NO thinning.

All usable carrots get sold in veg boxes whether small or large - sometimes even forked carrots are sold if not too scary. We have had no complaints yet....


Mole

[Wellie]

My 1st June sowing of Early Nantes germinated really well, then the slugs eat all-but-one, and the date of sowing the kindly-donated pelleted seeds from JB I stupidly didn't keep a note of, sorry !
It must of been early to mid-July ?
I'd harvested all my Amsterdams by 6th July from seeds sown in troughs in the greenhouse in February, oh just how SWEET were they?! Definitely going to grow them again...

[darrenc]

Now now boys put the knives away.Surely every body gardens to THEIR OWN particular plot conditions.

[Wellie]

Was your holiday good darrenC?!

[cevenol jardin]

I really do not find this forum aggressive - far from it - all contributors, as far as I can see, are courteous, helpful and many are very knowledgeable, encouraging and in detail.

I've been on a number of forums, dry stone walling association being the worst example, where the rankle is disgraceful and so childish it makes the forum a waste of time and I would not go back.

The spat on this thread is ok - two differing opinions backed up by examples and experience. The only thing I would say is that you two guys could be a bit kinder and tolerant toward each others opinion, for your own sakes.

We need your differences of opinion and experience. Most gardening books provide very authoritative and monolithic instruction but there is always more than one-way to approach things. I want to read all the different approaches so that I can try some, discount some and keep learing – bravo keep it up.