carrots

[sionedj]

As I am short on space, I thought I'd try to grow carrots in pots this year (well it will be the first time I grow carrots at all!! ???)  Anyway, has anyone else tried this and how did you get on?  I have also heard that carrots don't like compost, so would a mixtrue of compost and sand do the trick?  Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.  ;D

[sionedj]

[Roy Bham UK]

I've seen them planted up or grown from seed in 2ft lengths of plastic drainpipe, you can grow monsters from them I believe. 8)

[moonbells]

I grow mine in deep drills of compost in the lottie to stop them forking. No problem with compost here.

moonbells

[redimp]

I have a very stoney lottie and a paranoiac fear of carrot fly so I have sown mine singly in loo rolls to plant at a later date.  I will let you know how successful I am.

[chrispea27]

I never seem to have any success with carrots at all. :(

[busy_lizzie]

One of the men at our allotment site always grows his carrots in an old plastic dustbin. Has a few holes in the bottom of the bin and fills it with ordinary compost. They seem to thrive every year.  I have posted this pic before but I thought it was worth showing again.  :) busy_lizzie   

[sandersj89]

I am growing some carrots in 12” pots this year for the first time. They were sown back on the 19th of Feb and germinated on 5th of March. They were sown in multi purpose compost in the greenhouse and now have been moved via a cold frame to a plastic greenhouse.

They currently have about 3 inches of top growth so will be interested to see how they fair.

Jerry

[Merry Tiller]

I used to grow them in pots as a kid, those little round ones like miniature orange turnips, Rondo I think they were

[RichardS]

Parmex are another globe variety that are readily available.

I didnt have any success growing them in a window-box type trough last year, but I don't think the fact that the cat found it a warm and convenient place to sleep helped!!!  Have put the parmex in the allotment this year, and the trough will be used for growing salad stuff like rocket where it's more convenient to harvest.  Cat protection measures being employed on the trough this year...

[philcooper]

I have also heard that carrots don't like compost, so would a mixtrue of compost and sand do the trick? 

Carrots, like all root veg fork when they find variations in the growing medium, compost tends to have lots, unless you sieve it very finely.

Ordinary soil with a small amount of compost again finely sieved is good enough but use stump/shallow/round rooted varieties for bets results

Phil

[redimp]

*?&&$£ I didn't sieve mine and its peat free so quite rough - why do the books say carrots are one of the easiest vegetables to grow?

[Doris_Pinks]

This is going to be my final year of trying carrots, if they fail as miserably as in previous years, then they are off the menu! :'(

[gavin]

Don't you dare, Doris_Pinks - there has to be a way!  They're worth it.

(Says he having sown two [short] rows on HEAVY clay soil, todayl   Yes, sand and compost added in the V-trench; yes, covered with fleece.  Yes, I'll plant marigolds around them.)

I've never seen such a cossetted vegetable - they had BETTER produce this year :)

All best - Gavin

PS - I think I agree with you, somehow, but just don't want to admit it :(

[Bramley]

I'm like you Gavin, talk about over protective to them, but the B slugs still get them, I forget about them blighters.

I'm trying them in a side turned cut out pint 6 milk container now as an experiment then slid them into the soil when big enough.

You get desperate with the things in the end.

[djbrenton]

I grow mine in irradiated sand/moon dust mix in a sealed chamber with microbacterial filtered air feed using demineralised water from the Antarctic and still get a miserable crop!

[Mrs Ava]

HEHEHEH DJBrenton!  Mine are in under fleece, and I plant to forget all about them now.

[wardy]

Have they got moondust in Wilko yet?  ;D

[Bun]

 ;D  ;D  ;D

[BAGGY]

My niece just chucked ours in last year and they came up really well.  (incredibly wonky line mind).  The guy next door (96 years old and been lottying for 60 of those) said they were 'beauts'.  Maybe that's what you have to do to get a reasonable crop.  Get a kid with the sulks to put them in.

[Amazin]

Doris,

I've grown mini/baby carrots for a few years now, on the premise that smaller size = less time in the ground  =  less chance of miserable failure - a winning formula for me!
I've also had great crops of mini-parsnips and this year I'm trying baby sweetcorn and mini-turnip. Please give them a go.