[rainie]

This year my carrots and parsnips didn't grow. I tried various types of seed.  One small row of week seedlings came up but didn't develop. When I pulled them up they were covered in ants, it looked like the whole row was an ant run.

Any suggestions what I could have done, and suggestions how best to prepare this bed for the spring would be gratefully received. I have turned it over a few times to allow nature to do her bit. I have an awful feeling someone will suggest the only thing to do is to remove this soil and replace, which isn't really going to be an option unless I can find someone to do it and find more top soil.

Thanks

[Goosegirl]

I had a lot of ants last year in my greenhouse bed. I bought a pack of stuff that looked like four plastic brown saucers (I just needed two) where you removed the sides from them and put under some sort of cover (like a tile or seed tray). No more ants! Don't know what else you could have done nature-wise, but these were great. As ants do fly to other places, see if they return, then go for them! 

[gavinjconway]

My first comment is that ants will only live in the dry so maybe your watering was bad.. keeping ants away is easy with ant powder or baby powder..

[gypsy]

My first comment is that ants will only live in the dry so maybe your watering was bad.. keeping ants away is easy with ant powder or baby powder..

Do you mean baby talcum  powder?

[gavinjconway]

Yup - talcum powder keeps them away.

[gypsy]

I will powder them next time they annoy me then, Thanks for the tip.

[cadalot]

Yup - talcum powder keeps them away.

And it makes their bums so nice a soft 

[rainie]

Thanks for your replies, I will be interested to see what happens by using talcum powder later in the year.  . Goose girl, I think we tried your idea on the lawns but it didn't seem to have much effect. May try it again. I could do one bed with talc and one with the brown saucer project.