[DD.]

The may not fly high, but they can glide in on a gust of wind, which is where mesh wins out over a vertical barrier.

[Ivor Backache]

Don't know how long your rows are & carrots must be quite cheap around your way, as you can get a 10m x 2.6m piece, for about £35. I know it still sounds expensive, but it should last at least 7 years - that's only £5 a year for carrots tasting better than those in a bag.
[/quote]

The rows are nearly 20' and Asda has 2X1kg carrots for £1 so that has now become 70 bags per double row.

But I do agree with your point on averaging. What I need first is a frame with hoops to fix the netting. The allotment is too far away for regular visits and even enviromesh is no good if it has been flapping in the wind for a couple of days.

The sawdust idea is to reduce/inhibit weeding and thus reduce the interference of carrots and lessen the  smell. But if it is deep enough it could stop the carot fly maggots from getting to the roots. I have never read anything on this so I presume it must be a no no.
I will still have a system of netting in place.

[DD.]

Apologies, but my mind immediately went to the large net bags!

[gardener247]

i use a grass mulch which isnt too heavy and the carrots have plenty water but they fork and are hard to peel this year i've double dug and sieved the soil and added sand so hopefully they'll be straight any tips for straight carrots. my mom wont use them if they are forked cause they are too hard to peel

[penance]

They may be forking due to the grass mulch, it may put to much nitrogen in the soil as it breaks down.

[Paul Plots]

When I have no carrots on the plot my OH is inclined to buy "organic" carrots (and I try not to look at the price tag!)

Far too many supermarket carrots have very little taste and the texture can seem almost soapy at times. There really is nothing to beat a good allotment carrot - the smell alone is wonderful... poor little carrot flies... I can't blame them... too much!

A couple of carrots for them and the rest for me. Had thought of environ-mesh but the peeler really does usually take care of them. (I think I would be miffed at all the lifting up of mesh to hoe in-betwen rows).

Grow big carrots then peel away and you have a decent sized carrot left for eating!!  Thank heavens for the work my dad put in to produce such fantastic soil on our old plot... you can push into it and shake hands with an Australian! (Unlike the new 1/2 plot that has clay suitable for brick making). 

[rowlandwells]

thank you all for your replies its given me something to think about i am going to try a variety called Trevor this season its pelleted seed F1 nates type together with a variety called  artemis again a pelleted seed starting them of in paper pots before transferring them to the allotment don't know if it will work but worth a try i had thought about treating  the carrot ground with Jeyes fluid prior to planting don't know if this will denture the carrot fly?

[Ivor Backache]

Forget the Jeyes fluid.
1. Its a banned substance.
2. You do not want the taste of Jeyes in your carrots.

[DD.]

don't know if this will denture the carrot fly?

It'd give them something to get their teeth into.

But seriously Jeyes are not allowed to advertise it as a soil sterilant any more. Think of the benficial organisms you'd also kill off.

[philsmith1967]

I use the high method with great success. An upside down plastic dustbin with the bottom cut off is perfect. The other main advantage, apart from being to high for the fly, is that you can fill it with a lovely mix of sharp sand and compost (sifted) and get perfectly sraight carrots which in some cases are good enough for the Village Show!

[philsmith1967]

You can also try a seed type called 'Resistafly' or 'Flyaway'.  If planted with a sacrificial row of another common type they usually just attack these and leave the other resistant types alone

[DD.]

If these varieties tend not to attract the fly in the first plsace, I'd have thought that logic would say not to plant them alongside a variety that does.

Have you actually tried it for yourself?

[Jonajo]

i planted a few rows last year, covered with a wall of fleece (1 layer thick) around them and the put a layer of fleece on top too - just to be extra cautious. And perfect carrots with no carrot fly.

Not terribly "sightly" on the plot, mind, seeing such a fleece "tent" but there are far worse visual things that go on on the plots! And it worked brilliantly.

[DD.]

I'd got enviromesh supported by a few rough cut posts banged into the ground. It was weighed down by empty 4 pint milk bottles filled with water.

This covered 3 x 32' rows of carrots & the same length row of parsnips.

It was just as effective as the manufactured one that someone paid £200 for that only covered about 2 x 10 rows, but theirs looked neater all stretched out on a metal frame.

[Rampant_Weasel]

some of the farmers locally say to put a really fine hose on a watering can and walk up and down the rows watering with paraffin.anyone heard of this?
its not something im going to try now enviromesh is available.