[Ivor Backache]

I have a good selection of crops-all doing nicely except for the carrots.
I have marked out the carrot bed and the first two rows have been sown--twice!
The soil has been prepared with poultrey pellets and blood/fish/bone. Dug out two mini trenches and sieved soil and re filled. Nothing. Using last year's seed but stored OK.

I suspect lack of moisture. The soil does dry out very quickly. But I live 5 miles away and popping down with a watering can is not an option. I sow all my seed at home and bring on the seedlings and then transplant. I am seriosly thinking of doing this with carrot.

Has anyone sown carrots in gutters (similar to starting peas) and then washed then them into trenches so as not to disturb the roots? Are there any tricks of the trade??

[tam]

How about richy's paper pots or toilet roll tubs - same as some people do for parsnips. That might be less likely to disturb the roots.

[Trillium]

The washing-in technique won't work as that is really disturbing the roots. Carrots simply can't re-root themselves as some plants do. If watering is a serious problem, then try incorporating those water retaining crystals in the carrot trenches and be sure to water well when you add them. Or as suggested, paper pots.

[Ivor Backache]

Thank you for your replies. This is something I have heard of, but not seen done. I did use toilet rolls for the parsnip. They take a long time to germinate and I doubt if paperpots would have lasted that long.
I could develop the paperpot principal by lining the gutter. I would then put the gutter in the trench and quietly pull it away leaving the carrots still in their long paper pot.
There is very little recent discussion on carrots and I have made a search with no answer to my problem.
As the song goes:-Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain.

[SnooziSuzi]

The soil has been prepared with poultrey pellets and blood/fish/bone.

sorry Ivor but if you mean the chicken manure pellets then you will get some very unusually shaped carrots - think Esther Rantzen on That's Life!

Carrots and parsnips don't like recently manured or stoney ground; either way they'll fork and instead of being one nice root there could be 2, 3 or more 'legs' and the carrot may not be useable (except as a novelty party item )

[Trebor]

I am in Kent, have sandy, alkaline soil and have found that the following seed ‘Franchi – Early Nantes 2’ (I think) will grow very easily without any special treatment. I water once a week at best and it has been happily germinating and growing since March.

I don’t think lack of water is your problem as it is really dry here. Did your seed work last year? If it did then I think you need to throw it away and buy new. I wouldn’t transplant a root, they just don’t like it and it will be disappointing if you get them going then loose them in transplanting.

[pushrod]

Have you tried giving the soil a good soaking, sowing your seed and then putting the guttering over the top for a week or so to stop the soil drying out during the initial stages of germination. Carrot seeds often take 10 or more days to appear .

[Ivor Backache]

You may have a point with the pellets. I never gave it a thought. Bought four big tubs at end of season sale and just thow handfulls about when I plant out. Anyway I got to get them to grow first.  

With regard to seed: Yes bought it last year but never opened the packets so were still sealed. They were Early Nantes. Now I am trying with main crop seed. Again bought last year but unopened. I still have seed bought this year.

Yes I did soak the soil, but it does dry out very quickly. I do take your point on conservation.
Actually I don't have any guttering, but I could use grass cuttings.

I will persevere: general concensus is against transplanting  

[Trebor]

If it’s any conciliation I planted parsnips at the same time and got nothing but weeds come through – I think everybody has a nemesis crop.

[pushrod]

Yes I did soak the soil, but it does dry out very quickly. I do take your point on conservation.
Actually I don't have any guttering, but I could use grass cuttings.

I will persevere: general concensus is against transplanting  

something like guttering is really quite good to cover them with , you can also pop a few slug pellets under them - fresh grass cuttings can get very hot as they start to rot.

[Ivor Backache]

Thank you everybody for your imputs:
I have just brought up the Metcheck weather for North Wales and it is rain every day for the next five days. That will be the first time this year.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. But it should help with my problem.