Carrot success at last!

Never, ever, EVER in my life have I been able to grow carrots successfully. They either didn't germinate, just disappeared or I nurtured a few miserable specimens that weren't worth the trouble. This year, using Nantes 2 as before in one of my raised beds with the same soil as before (except for some added mushroom compost on top) I sowed three rows in late June, they all germinated, didn't thin them out or water them that much, and - YO! Can't be the weather can it?

I find a later sowing is more likely to be succesful than an earlier one.  I never had much success until I started waiting until May to sow.

I too am pleased with this year's carrots, but the rainbow ones didn't do well, small and skinny and a lot of the white ones were small but woody!

Yep my carrots have been excellent this year,the best I've done since I've had the allotment. Used to do ok at the old garden before we moved though.
Here's some from July

Well done GG. I have today harvested some small late sown carrots and my first 2 parsnips as I could not wait anymore to look at what if anything had grown in the soil

I know the feeling! There was so much top growth that I thought they must be growing well. At the same time, I sowed some baby-type beetroot and they did the same. Wonder if a late sowing works with parsnips too???

They are in a 9" raised bed with no protective netting or fly damage so did my late sowing avoid this?

Excellent news, Goosey! In the past, we've been there done it and finished with a load of split, sluggy and occasionally flied roots, on carrots sown on the patch!

Same happened this year, and good debris netting kept the fly away, but the slugs turned up en masse, and so there are several lucky horses around these parts with something to chomp on, because we're not using them!

However, the ones sowed in succession in holey buckets of pure compost, high up off the ground have been great, and are now 'resting' in the greenhouse for when we want a couple!

I think cracking carrots is a sign of 'getting there', and once you've done it, you never look back! Well done that girl!

Sounds like I'm going to have to try carrots again next year. I planted a couple of very small rows very late and at a guess I'll have maybe 6 baby carrots. Must get sorted and start earlier next year - than you for the inspiration!