OMG Carrots

[Catherine]

Well, today we have been harvesting some of our carrots. We are really suprised at the size of our carrots. We have tried to grow carrots for 10 years and have had some degree of success. But have always suffered from carrot root fly even though we put up the barrier 18" around the bed. This year we have put eviromesh over the whole bed we have planted the rows of carrots and have been really rewarded with the carrots of a decent size with no carrot root fly.

It will definatley the way to go next year. We have not weeded or uncoverd it until we were ready to harvest. Nor did we thin the rows. As far as weeds were concerned there were only some large nettles, (I am suffering tonight with those and a couple of other weeds that did not take long to pull out.)

I can highly recommend the enviromesh. We initially bought it to go on our cabbages. Next year we will cover those as well.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Catherine, glad you have had great success with your carrots this year.

[Catherine]

Thanks OH. Now I have to find lots of recipes for carrots I am so thrilled that we have so many.

[pongeroon]

Carrot cake, lots of it, yum

I've had a real breakthrough this year - I am hopeless at making cakes, always have been, however hard I try. But I was given a recipe for courgette cake by a work colleague recently, and its sooooo easy that even I can do it, with lovely results!!!!! So my freezer is full of fruit, french beans and CAKE

[Monika]

Well done, Catherine! I am green with envy - after many years' of successfully growing carrots under fleece or enviromesh, this year the little b******s must have got in early on and attacked the carrots most viciously. Obviously more caution needed next year!

[Catherine]

Hi Monika, I will list the carrots which we tried when I have a minute. One of the best for size have turned out to be Kingston F1. They were superb.

Pongeroon, please can you let me have the recipes for carrot and courgette cakes. Many thanks.

[pongeroon]

Catherine, I will post the courgette cake recipe in the appropriate section tomorrow when I am at home. I don't have one for carrot cake, cos I wouldn't be able to make a good one (!) but I'm sure there are plenty on the net.

[glallotments]

Catherine - exactly how we grow our carrots too - first time we haven't weeded other than at tiny seedling stage just to get them going.

Our varieties are Flakkee, Autumn King, Yellowstone and Early Nantes and all have produced good sized, clean carrots. The only problem was a little bit of green shoulder where the tops had pushed out of the soil but no problem to just cut off the very top.