[Anton]

I tried twice during last month to sow some early carrots but none of them came up at all! Any idea where I am going wrong please?

Anton

[AnneB]

When carrots fail to appear for me, slugs are usually the culprit.

[Kleftiwallah]

Did you plant the seeds upside down!

I'll get me coat!

Cheers,  Tony.

[Anton]

Well, I have never tried carrots in this new allotment before (second year). The first lot I sowed in April (I think) did great. With the second row a few weeks later the first half of the row came up fine but the second half was a bit threadbare. With the two planted in August no sign at all. Although I did see a single carrot-looking seedling. If it's the slugs, how do you keep the pests at bay?

Anton

[Kleftiwallah]

There are some slug & snail killing products on the market where you water a dilution onto the soil.  I used to use Fertosan, but sadly it is no more.

Cheers,  Tony.

[Anton]

Thanks Tony.

Anton

[Yorkie]

I agree about likely slugs / snails. But if your weather in August was hot and dry, they may just not have germinated?

[Hampshire Hog]

Don’t think mine have made it either.
Probably a light breakfast for a slug!!!

[Anton]

Thanks for these answers.
No I come to think of it the rows I successfully sowed in spring were done with pre-chitted carrot seeds. I let them germinate in a box before sowing. How silly of me not to repeat this operation the last few times.
I suppose it's much too late now, even with early carrot seeds!

Anton

[Growster...]

Anton, you may just be in time to get some short-horn carrots in, but why not try what's worked for me this year, but sowing in a 6" deep planting tray, and kept off the ground on a table-top?

If you have the time - and I have actually done this once with great results, you can try to sow individually, (yeah I know it's a faff, but it's easier than you think), and by rights, you should get some small roots, even a couple of inches or more, and they really do taste good, so may be worth a half hour and some new ordinary compost, preferably with some peat-based as you'll need the moisture retention!

[Anton]

Thanks for your reply Growster. The idea sounds good. What do you mean by "grow individually" though?

Anton

[Yorkie]

I'd think that Growster meant sowing individual seeds, well spaced apart, in the tray - rather than the small clusters of seeds that are often suggested in order to ensure something comes up every spacing (and then thinning out).

[Anton]

Thanks Yorkie.

Anton

[Growster...]

Yes, one year, I just sat down, and using a pencil with a dampened tip, I just picked up the seeds and spaced them in a long planter tray, dusted them over with sieved compost and the results were impressive, as there was no thinning out needed!

But it did take some time to do and that isn't always an option these days, so this year, I just spread the seed very thinly onto the tray and the best carrots are about 4" long and as sweet as a nut!

[Anton]

Thanks Growster.

Anton