I'm a carrot sowing disaster area

[bigpepperplant]

Hi, I am a carrot sowing disaster area and need help! I've never managed to get a decent crop, due to slugs, so this year I've sowed in a rubber tug trug in the greenhouse. I mixed in quite a lot of sand (about a quarter of volume) to improve drainage and used sand from the kids sandpit. Almost a month on and no sign of healthy germination – though there are some sickly looking white shoots some of which seem to be drying out and dying off. On digging around a bit in the compost there are lots of white wiggly maggots.

So is it the wrong sand? Or the maggots? Or should I just be more patient?

Help please!!!

thanks

[richard p]

was the kids sandpit covered to keep cat poo out of the sand?.... maggots are not good they must be eating something, but i would guess that you sowed your carrots whilst it was still too cold for them to germinate... i would get rid of the maggots and resow.

[glallotments]

Could it have something to do with the type of sand in the sandpit?

[bigpepperplant]

I think the maggots came in on the compost which was from last year - sciarid flies I think. As for the sandpit sand, I know they always say not to use anything but horitcultural sand but last year I sprinkled the sandpit sand on top of my germinating seeds instead of vermiculite and it didn't seem to do them any harm. Some little shoots are coming up - maybe it was just too cold and I'm being too impatient as usual! Will keep you posted and thanks for the suggestions.