[Zippy]

I have light sandy soil on the lotty and have tried direct sowing - not one has come up.

I tried sowing singly into toilet rolls - limited success.

The thing is i would have thought Carrots should be one of the easiest things to grow but I find better success with Parsnips!

I know about keeping Carrot Fly off and all that but how to get the damn things to germinate would be a good start.

[Manlea1]

Im having a hard time myself with carrots so your not alone 

[Lupin lurcher]

Hi mine took about 25 days to germinate, now they are up and away and looking very good. Sorry can`t help more this is my first year on the allotment.

[strangerachael]

It sounds daft but I try not to even look for at least two weeks, they are like the proverbial watched pot. They can take a very long time but keep the soil moist and they should show eventually

[JayG]

Yup, parsnip, carrot, and parsley are all from the same plant family and are all slow germinators, especially in the less than ideal conditions we are experiencing at the moment.

Don't despair; they'll make it eventually (as will something resembling summer!  )

[jimmytheshed]

Carrots came up fine last year, then the carrot fly got them  :mad:this year i thought i would grow the under fleece 2weeks after i sowed them they were all up, lovely i thought, i will leave the fleece on no fly will get in there . Thought i might have a weed though then today, lifted the fleece to find only a feww carrots and a few stumpy carrot tops If its not the fly its the slugs! One day i WILL  grow a good crp of carrots.

[maxie]

After sowing keep the seed bed moist(one of kitchen garden magazines best tips) i usually water lightly every day till the seeds come through then i dont bother again.
Cover with an enviromesh cloche when you sow and use slug pellets as soon as you see the carrots showing as i found out the hard way myself.

[skywalker]

Is there an effective more organic method than slug pellets I have had the same problem. As soon as they are up the slugs move in 

[Zippy]

Hmmm - sounds like organic slug pellets you need young Skywalker! get rid of slugs they do without the birds harming they do.

[Manlea1]

Is there an effective more organic method than slug pellets I have had the same problem. As soon as they are up the slugs move in 

Beer traps 

[Ivah]

I don't reckon you can use slug pellets after they show. I used to think I couldn't grow Carrots then years ago I noticed a nicely germinated row one evening were completely missing the next morning so ever since then I have sown, watered, pelleted and covered with mesh. It is a bit of a pain renewing the pellets if it rains much before they are through, not a problem this year, but the combination of mesh and pellets now means Carrots are reliable. The new Organic Approved Ferric Phosphate pellets are magic!