Protecting carrots from the fly!

Thanks I like the picture of your barrier looks good. Think I may be able to improvise some thing similar either solid or in polythene sheet. I had tried the growing onions nearby strategy and cover but they still hit me hence my post.

Thanks HH

Quote from: "BAK"

Have mentioned this method previously. We use 4 corrugated plastic sheets to form a 4 feet by 4 feet area. The height is approx. 3 feet. Use canes to support them. In general it is very successful though the odd bit of fly damage can sometimes occur if you leave any sort of gap at the corners where two sheets meet.

If you want to see a picture look under plot holders' snaps on our web site and click on Janet & Brian's carrot barrier.

Other solutions:

* grow on a very raised bed (as mentioned in other posts)
* use enviromesh netting.

Do you keep this barrier up through the whole carrot growing season?

See my post on the WYSIWYGGY, SN.  Depending on how exposed your plot is, a solid barrier can be prone to wind damage. I use enviromesh on wooden frames (panels), which can be packed away for the Winter.

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=10947

... I was reading about the dreaded carrot root fly at the weekend.

And I was absolutely gobsmacked to read that the carrot fly, once having being forced to fly up and over a barrier the carrot fly cannot descend for 6.5 feet ...  :shock:   But there was no evidence or logic to back that up ... and of course it struck me that if a carrot fly has to go up and over a barrier it clearly is capable of flying higher than ground level.   :roll:

And then it struck me ... it it has to fly over a barrier 6.5 feet away from my carrots (like the fence between my plot and next door's!) ... it's already up in the air and coming down like a bomber pilot and potentially right into my bleeping carrot row ...  

So I'm sticking with the covering em over with fleece method ...  

I have just secured an allotment and at the moment a bit disillusioned after reading these posts
It seems it is nigh on impossible to grow carrots without a 24" high barrier around. How do the commercial guys grow their carrots.
I will have to take my seeds back I think :cry:

I grw mine under a fleece tunnel last year, but it was cheap fleece, and got tatty and they got in through the holes  :evil:

So.... this year, I'm going to use an enviromesh tunnel!  It kept the butterflies off the half brassicas last year, so they're getting a bigger one to cover the whole bed, and the original half size one will hopefully protect my carrots this year...

Variety seems to make a difference too - the Resistafly fared a lot better than the Auntumn King.  I don't know how resistant the coloured varieties are, cos they always get eaten first   It's the maincrops that get clobbered  :?

i start mine under a closh next to my onions never enny troubel with root fly

So in theory, if I planted a row of Onions, then a row of Carrots, next to them, then another row of Onions next to the Carrots should keep the fly at bay?