![]() They can be deterred by using plenty of compost as well as by using some good companion plants, like spring onions, to act as decoys.Ĭarrots, like coriander, can bolt, which means they have a tendency to run to seed before producing their roots, generally when unusually cool weather is experienced in early spring. Carrot flies lay their eggs in the young seedlings and their larvae eat and tunnel their way through the growing root. Pest and disease problems are almost non-existent for carrots apart from the carrot fly. However, you’ll want to get them all out of the ground before the sugars turn to starch, which happens at about 16 – 18 weeks. I harvest what neighbours need, when they need it -remember I don’t actually like them! This harvesting technique prolongs my crop and means all my carrots don’t come (and go) at once. Often I am asked, “How can I tell if my carrots are ready?” and always I respond, “When did you plant them?” Keep track of when you sowed your carrot seed because you can start harvesting them after about 8 weeks. Dry = bad soaked = bad slightly damp = perfect! Inconsistent watering regimes, especially allowing the soil to dry right out and then flooding it with water, will cause carrots to crack or split… a very ordinary result for all concerned! Are We There Yet? Seeds need to be kept damp when germinating but of course damp doesn’t mean floating away, or dying of thirst! Free draining soil is a must, as is using your soil moisture indicator (your favourite finger) to test the amount of water in the soil. Like a couple of other Yummy Yard plants, over watering is a more serious issue than under watering. They really don’t need much these carrots! What about the Water? ![]() High nitrogen fertilisers will make big, bushy carrot tops but do nothing for the all-important root zones! I give mine a liquid feed of fertiliser tea every few weeks just to speed up the process – impatience and laziness are not good traits for a gardener. Feed MeĬarrots don’t mind a feed, just as long as it is not high in nitrogen. Seedlings from the first thinning can be composted or feed to the chooks, and the carrots pulled at the second thinning can actually be eaten (hooray!). While this may seem a bit wasteful and unsustainable (heavens no!), it isn’t really. You will need to do this again when they get to about 12 – 15cm high, at which time you need to leave about 5cm between them. This means pulling out the weaker or smaller seedlings and leaving about 3cm between each of your carrots. Once the seedlings are 5cm high it’s time to go “Jenny Craig” and thin them out. Keep the bed damp until your carrots pop their little heads through… this should take about 2 – 3 weeks. Cover the bed with a light sprinkling of straw mulch. Water it in gently so you don’t blast them out of the ground. Press lightly on the covering mix to ensure contact with the soil and seed. Fill this trench halfway up with a soil/sand mix or a shop bought seed raising mix – it’s pretty much the same thing. Then sow your carrot seed by tapping them out of the packet along the row. Firstly make a trench about 2cm deep and as long as you like. This is what is known as “direct sowing” and here’s how to do it. Feeling SeedyĬarrots are best planted from seed rather than seedlings as they don’t transplant well. But if you want to grow a wee variety, like the round “ball” carrots or the baby carrots, topsoil depth is less important. Compost is good and, depending on the carrot varieties you going to grow, a nice deep topsoil layer is important. Carrots taste best when they are grown really quickly and good soil preparation is paramount here. Maybe even consider putting in a raised garden bed! Talking DirtyĬarrots need good drainage and loads of gardeners will add sand to their clay or heavy loam soils to improve drainage. So much so that you will want to film them for Australia’s Funniest Home Videos! Manually pick through your bed before planting, remove obstacles and treat really heavy soils with a mixture of sand and compost. Rocks, stones and really heavy soil will slow down growth and deform your carrots. My dad always said I was hopping mad! Planting ScheduleĬool to Cold Areas: August to February Position, Position, PositionĪs we are dealing with a root vegetable here it’s going to be necessary to get your hands dirty. ![]() This state of affairs pleases my neighbours no end as I plant a plethora of these pointy orange babies every year… and then I give them all away!. I love growing them but I just don’t like eating them. ![]() I’ve got a confession to make… I don’t really like carrots.
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