[birmancats]

All my first sowing of carrots germinated then vanished (all fresh seed).   The second sowing hasn't shown at all.  Lots of others down the allotment are also struggling to get their carrots germinating.  Any tips or clues welcome.

[thrapston]

Mine and a lot at my allotments suffered the same way

[birmancats]

Thanks.  Made me feel a lot better.  I think carrots are my nemesis.  lovely crop the first year - all stolen, second year nowt, third year, I'm not beaten yet.  Garden centre for more seed tomorow

[thrapston]

Mine is Cucember, look at one and its dead

[gobs]

Mine is Cucember, look at one and its dead

Quite normal for Telegraph, so I'm told.
 :roll:

[gobs]

All my first sowing of carrots germinated then vanished (all fresh seed).   The second sowing hasn't shown at all.  Lots of others down the allotment are also struggling to get their carrots germinating.  Any tips or clues welcome.

Slugs, damping off or other specialised bugs on site. Try in raised bed, in compost, keeping just evenly moist, cover with fleece and use slug measures from sowing or even prior to.

[birmancats]

Hi Gobs.  They're in a raised bed and the second sowing when into a layer of moist council compost.   They've been protected with enviromesh but didn't think about the slug factor :roll:   Fingers crossed it's third time lucky.

[waddecar]

I usually endure poor germination but this year has been good - this is what worked for me:

Autumn last year I prepared raised bed, got a really good deep tilth then covered with black plastic and left covered until spring to prevent leaching and compaction and to warm up the soil in spring.

Made my first sowing in early May, watered the drills before sowing, and on an impulse recovered with the black plastic for 7 days.

Peeled the plastic back after 7 days, watered once with fine rose and seedlings came up about 7 days later. Kept covered with enviromesh thereafter.

I have repeated this 4 times with successional sowings and it has worked every time.
I'll be doing it again next year.

[theothermarg]

sounds a good way to go! I,m hopeing 2nd time lucky 1st lot were not brilliant then got ate (wabbits?) reseeded and covered and so far good germination, fingers crossed
marg