Kitchen Garden Forum

My carrots seem to be a great success and the thinnings are large enough to eat, as i have obviously oversown as they are very crowded in the existing carrot bed . The foiliage is quite dense and is forcing the netting from its moorings. Is it too soon to remove the netting and give the carrots more ventilation, or is the danger of carrot fly attack still a threat. Answers from the experts appreciated.
Regards Brenjon

the threat from second generation carrot fly should be over by now but attack from a third generation is likely.depending on how you have sowed the seed try pulling them so you make room for the foliage under the netting and freeze them.last year i did this and was still pulling autumn kings in march from under the net.

It came as a surprise to me how crowded carrots could be and yet grow to a usable size. Unfortunately the act of thinning may release the odours that attract the carrot fly. so you have to have a good reason to thin.Perhaps stay on the safe side and use the cover as you already have it.
I suppose it is very fine netting,it has to be to be to do any good.
Allan

This year my husband made me a large carrot box which is about two and half foot high. He lined it with some weed membrain. I filled it with compost, sand, vermiculite and compost from the compost bin, gave it a good mix and planted my seeds. When the first row of seeds came up I covered the box with micromesh and held it down with bungees around the outside edges of the box.

I have had the best crop of carrots, no carrot fly, easy to pull and loads of them.I never thin them either.

I will certainly move the box to another bed and use it again next year

I have a similar question - I harvasted carrots a few days ago and they had not been got by carrot fly depite no netting (lucky me I think!) I was going to but some netting on now I have disturbed the carrot and realeased the smell the carrot fly finds so irresistable but I was worried about trapping the flies in with the crop - is this likely? is there a better time of day to do it? If you had not had any trouble so far, would you bother with the net? I have some from previous years so it would be easy enough for me to pop it on.

Thanks