[BumbleJo]

I also had quite a good straight crop, beat off the carrot fly this year.  Unfortunately they don't taste of anything. Zilch.  Very disappointed 

[Goosegirl]

What variety did you use? I chose Nantes 2 as they've been around a while and are a good flavour. I don't tend to go for hyped-up varieties of veg just the usual ones people grow.

[Liverpool Brick]

I'm a bit miffed! I thought my carrot success was due to my good husbandry but it looks like we've all done ok!!
2 sowings of Nantes II, second lot still in the ground, some of which I had for lunch y'day. Well done everyone!
Andy

[oldgrunge]

I'm a bit miffed! I thought my carrot success was due to my good husbandry but it looks like we've all done ok!!
2 sowings of Nantes II, second lot still in the ground, some of which I had for lunch y'day. Well done everyone!
Andy

Don't be so hard on yourself. Sure, it's been a good year for carrots, but it doesn't matter how good the season is, you still need good husbandry to achieve a good crop.

[BumbleJo]

What variety did you use? I chose Nantes 2 as they've been around a while and are a good flavour. I don't tend to go for hyped-up varieties of veg just the usual ones people grow.

Amsterdam Forcing was one, I think the other one was Autumn King.  The seeds were a bit old and it's only the second time I've grown them on the allotment.  Last year's was devastated with the dreaded fly.  Will maybe try Nantes 2 next year and grow some in a bucket also as was suggested on an earlier post.  Such a disappointment after spending on veggie mesh and creeping under it to weed.

[Goosegirl]

IMHO I think I was just lucky! I did no actual husbandry, just made a furrow and bunged the seeds in. Reminds me of when my late-MIL came round and I fancied making a sponge cake for her. Got a bowl plus ingredients, wacked the sugar and butter together, bunged the eggs in and gave it a good mix, added the flour and turned the mix over, put it into two cake tins, bunged it into the oven and - lo! Best sponge cake I've ever made!! Perhaps a no-faff experiment would be good to try. 

[snow white]

I now buy fresh seeds every year as I found even a year old seeds only do 50% germination.  Even then this year was so dry I sowed seeds three times to get any germination even though I was watering.

[mrsbean]

Nantes 2 is what i planted in old black bin into a mix of soil compost and anything else to fill it, lovely straight carrots. Did later sowing in old bath but think  i was heavy handed with sowing. like GG i have,nt thinned, , lots of lovely green tops not sure whats underneath yet, can see orange but they maybe skinny.

[Thrutchington]

Mine have done well this year after using enviromesh to deter carrot fly. The ones in the back garden are unfortunately getting chewed on by slugs despite a copious broadcast of slug pellets, ones on the allotment are looking good. I get less slugs on the allotment, maybe due to a toad that's taken up residence under my shed step! Grand.

[Goosegirl]

Slug pellets need to be scattered quite sparsely; if not, you can get more slugs (so I believe).

[MrsPea]

I haven't dug mine up yet possible this weekend before it gets to bad re weather wise or has anyone left them in all winter ?? if I do it I shall have to freeze them 

[trunk monkey]

I planted two carrot pens; one filled with compost and the other with soil. I have had a good crop from the compost and nothing from the soil! A few of the carrots w ???ere hollowed out from the crown; our allotment guru said it looked like vole damage. Always keeps you guessing this allotment game.

[mjg000]

I've been sowing carrots since the spring and have had intermittent but fairly regular pickings.  My raison d'etre for getting an allotment was to follow in my FIL's footsteps and produce wonderful small tasty carrots which were a legend in our family. 

This year has been a definite step forward with this. Regular sowing has had something to do with it.  In the past I have found wonderful carrots in soil as I was clearing and preparing to sow something in the spring, but I don't count those as my success - just chance that though the tops were chomped somehow the carrots were missed!  I look forward to more success next year - I really will thin-out and also sow regularly into well prepared soil, I'm not looking for the longest or biggest, I just want lots of small and tasty please!

[Growster...]

I think it's the regularity of sowing, or succession perhaps, which makes the crop worthwhile.

Positive gardeners always think they've had a good year, despite the fact that just one - maybe two, sowings don't do all that good, but the other three/four/five sowings; WOW!

Roundabouts and swings spring to mind...

Carrots are the epitome of this syndrome, it says so on the packet;0)

[Goosegirl]

As far as I'm concerned, I think you've hit the carrot top on the head there, Growster. Regular sowings should overcome any weather problems so at least you will end up with a decent crop rather than relying on one or two sowings that don't come to anything.