[willowman]

Earlier in the year I described an experiment I was conducting with carrots.
I planted them singly in cardboard tubes. This was so that they each had their own space, I could put them on a shelf in the g/house away from carrot flies and I only needed a small quantity as TOH is not keen on them.

I can now reveal the results of the experiment.

It was, in the words of Graig Revell-Horwood,...........a complete deesarster.

They were about the size of my little finger, or smaller, so it's back to the drawing board.
Of course, there is a possibility that they were not well looked after in terms of watering etc. I am a bit forgetful about watering things.

I may try them in the actual plot next year, after all things couldn't be any worse.

[lucywil]

oh well, it was worth a try!!!

[tam]

Storage boxes One storage box (about 18"x12"x12") gave us loads of carrots, half a dozen meals plus odd ones. They weren't giant, about 3-5 inches but certainly usable.

[kermit]

Yea, we used containers and had great crop considering - no fly damage.  One problem I kept having was how to thin seddlings effectively.  Seed is obviously tiny so hard to avoid any thinning, and when I did think, hard to avoid pulling clumps out.  Any tips?  Maybe I was waiting too long to thin  :blink:

[janet12000]

I planted half my carrots in loo roll middles, and half without. The ones in the loo roll middles came out great. 
The ones not in them came out like a knobbly knee competition.

[tam]

I didn't thin at all. I mucked about when sowing making holes an inch apart with the end of a pencil and dropping a seed in each 

[DavidT]

Yea, we used containers and had great crop considering - no fly damage.  One problem I kept having was how to thin seddlings effectively.  Seed is obviously tiny so hard to avoid any thinning, and when I did think, hard to avoid pulling clumps out.  Any tips?  Maybe I was waiting too long to thin  :blink:

Sow thinly, then let them grow on until the plants are big enough to use as baby carrots. Leave the rest to grow on to maturity.

[Piccolo]

If you want to try something a little different - try the cone shaped hanging baskets - we tried sowing the carrots in the middle and then french marigolds around the edge, although you don't get a huge crop we thought it was good and it made the most of some space.

[Paul Plots]

Yea, we used containers and had great crop considering - no fly damage.  One problem I kept having was how to thin seddlings effectively.  Seed is obviously tiny so hard to avoid any thinning, and when I did think, hard to avoid pulling clumps out.  Any tips?  Maybe I was waiting too long to thin  :blink:

That, I think may have been the answer - thin them when they are still small - I do. Then you can pull a few more when they are big enough to eat leaving well spaced ones to grow on. I tend to sow carrots too thickly for fear of not having a good solid row...

My experiment with carrots this year was to grow them on a new half-plot... Not next year - it's back to the old plot where the soil is finer rather than the still hard-to-work clay. The dry summer and the compact soild did not suit them at all. 

[strangerachael]

Were they in the greenhouse all summer?

[Lupin lurcher]

What is good post,I have found it very interesting,  really learnt alot especially the loo roll idea, will start saving them until its time to sow. Thanks Mandy