[Kirpi]

I know what all good UK gardeners say - that tranplanting Carrot seedlings will result in twisted, knotted roots, but ...

I intend to conduct an experiment to see for myself.  We all have to thin out carrot seedlings - well what if those thinnings could be transplanted to grow on?

I'll keep you posted.

[GrannieAnnie]

Some people do actually start their carrots and parsnips off in modules or seed trays.  I've never done it, but they also say beetroot don't like being transplanted, but I always start my first ones off in modules, they take a few days to buck up once transplanted, but still do well.

[Kirpi]

Keeping them straight is the problem with transplanting, but there is so much wastage in thinning out and the smell of disturbing seedlings brings the Carrot Fly in, I understand.

I have root trainers I could try, or good old toilet roll middles which I use for Parsnips. Wouldn't work for those who plant Carrots in their hundereds, but I only want to grow a few dozen for me an my missus.

[Trillium]

As Kirpi says, the problem in trying to transplant carrots is keeping the roots straight. It seems simple but can actually be very difficult. If the root doesn't go in straight, the carrot will either stunt, fork or be very disfigured. I find it easier to simply not seed as thickly as tv folk do as I too hate the waste. We leave ours all in and they all grow to a good size.

[Kirpi]

Thanks Trillium - do you prime your sowing lines for Carrots with fine compost or is your bed usually a fine enough tilth not to bother?

I know someone who swears by digging over the first six inch depth where carrots are to grow and passes the topsoil through a riddle to remove large stones, roots etc, then sows in the fine tilth.

[JayG]

My soil is sandy so it's pretty easy to get parsnip seedlings out and into a new position without damaging them, and it seems to work OK. Not tried it with carrots but I wouldn't do it with either as a matter of policy (only to fill any gaps if germination is patchy.)

Trillium has logged off as I write this, but for my part I'm sure that sieving stony soil must be helpful - in fact I started to do this this year but even my soil was so wet in April I began to lose the will to live.............

[arugula]

Be prepared for the possibility of growing carrots like this.....

[JayG]

Did you grow them yourself Argyllie (or did you take the picture "for a friend"?!!)   

(Either way, I bet they were scrubbed rather than peeled before cooking!) 

[arugula]

I think you'll find that picture as easily as I did by doing a forum search JayG.

[AlaninCarlisle]

I noticed that our local Homebase was selling carrot, parsnip, turnip and beetroot seedlings last month at £1.99 for about a dozen in long plastic containers. I sneered  at both the price and the concept and moved on

[savbo]

Had a good demo of why you need very deep containers for starting carrots and parsnips...

For half my parsnips this year I used the method of dibbing a hole, filling with spent compost and sowing 2 or 3 seeds. It's worked really well. When I was thinning down to 1 seedling per hole, one of the plants i pulled out came out more or less intact - a very fine root over 6" long even though it was only at seed leaves stage...

[fred-quimby]

Not sure if this works but I read/saw somewhere that you can sow in toilet paper tubes and keep them damp and you can plant out still in the tubes.

[Kirpi]

I am yet to have a success with station sowing parsnips although I like the idea - the slugs take out the seed leaves as soon as they emerge.  Toilet rolls are too short really as the tap root shows at the bottom well before the true leaves are through.

[Trillium]

I know someone who swears by digging over the first six inch depth where carrots are to grow and passes the topsoil through a riddle to remove large stones, roots etc, then sows in the fine tilth.

You have to consider your own soil and whether or not you have this problem. My mum has fantastic loam that we just seed straight into. I have horrid stoney clay and find the clearing first a better idea. Easier still is to simply dig a nice deep trench, not too wide, maybe 4", fill with decent soil mixed with a bit of sharp sand, gently firm it down, seed on top and cover very lightly with sifted compost and water with a gentle spray to not shift the seeds. perfect conditions for carrots, and if you get carrot fly you might want to net it asap. Even if you seed now you should still get a decent crop by late fall (provided you don't get flooded).