Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi all,

Has anybody tried growing these. Supposedly bred for autumn sowing, meaning "bumper" crops in the spring. Can also be grown at normal times as well. Thought I'd try them this year, but would like to hear people's views on them.

Grew them a couple of years ago had good success with them lots of nice carrots early spring, last year they were rubbish

Hi PAULW,

Good and bad then. Why do you think they didn't succeed last year?

Hi Paul,
Did you use the same seed in the second year?
I find it best to use fresh carrot seed each year as I have had poor results using the remaining seeds left in the packet from the previous year.
I now use pelleted seed which for people with arthritic hands will find exceedingly easy to use.
Two varieties Early Nantes 2 and Autumn King 2.
JB.

Johnboy wrote:Hi Paul,
I now use pelleted seed Two varieties Early Nantes 2 and Autumn King 2.

I can vouch for JB's pelleted seed. Not only did it germinate fairly reliably, but it's *so* much easier to get a row spaced out sensibly, compared to ordinary carrot seed.

Sorry for the slow reply computer playing up,last year I sowed in an out of sight out of mind place on my plot ( I have two plots)and didn't water as much as I should have, remembered I should have done it on the way home, so nothing wrong with the seed only bad management.

COLIN M
I use a wolfgarden seed drill for sowing carrot seed I find you get a better spacing than hand sowing and I never have to thin carrot seedlings

PAULW wrote:Sorry for the slow reply computer playing up,last year I sowed in an out of sight out of mind place on my plot ( I have two plots)and didn't water as much as I should have, remembered I should have done it on the way home, so nothing wrong with the seed only bad management.

Hi Paul,

OK, thanks for the info. I'll certainly be giving them a try.

Anybody else tried these to get a spring crop?

Hi Paul,
I sow Carrots at 1.5" intervals and then thin to 3" when there is something meaningful on the end to eat.
This gives me plenty of pullings during the season whilst the final crops are growing to maturity.
I thin both varieties by which time the E Nantes are ready for pulling and this leaves the Autumn King for store. This has worked very well for many seasons. I use new advanced slug pellets and the crop is grown under anti white fly netting. Since adopting this policy my carrots are all as clean as a whistle.
JB.

I got some of these from Lidl. I sowed them broadcast in a bed that had leafmold worked in. I always cover with enviromesh to keep out carrot fly. From a summer sowing I thinned them by taking out the larger ones to eat and carried on harvesting a boiling at a time and they lasted in the ground until March. So I got 6 months of carrots (there are only two of us to eat them) for 28p.

Just as we do too.

Hi Plumpudding,
I have been self sufficient with carrots for years.
I admit that I also sow another late crop of Autumn King 2, late July early August, which is ready to lift just after Christmas. If they are left any longer the slugs (Keel) get into the crop.
JB.

PAULW:

I'm interested to know what a Wolfgarden seed drill is. Sounds useful.

HelenH