[Ian_A]

What do people recommend to protect carrots on the allotment from carrot fly, fleece or enviro-mesh? I am intending to sow the seeds in the next week and I will make a tent type thing over the carrot bed using either of those materials.

I assume that either of these materials will definitely prevent the fly from attacking the crop if there are no gaps around the material for them to get in?

Secondly what about thinning and weeding once they germinate if I have built such a tent? Do I simply remove the material, thin out/weed and then replace covering immediately or not bother at all? I assume also that if the cover is removed for the brief time for weeding or thinning the fly will not attack carrots during that time window and covering back over straight after that will do the trick. But you know what assumption did.

Thanks

[gowing238]

from what i unhderstand enviromesh is best because the holes are smaller than debry net. I think your best chance of thinning is in the evening when the flys are not so active

[Trikidiki]

You need to have a lot of loose enviromesh over the carrot bed to enable you to climb underneath to do your weeding and thinning. When you emerge you must also rush home to shower to remove any trace of carrot scent. 

[maxie]

Enviromesh will be the best £20 you ever spend on the garden,just get some cloche hoops of some kind and weigh the sides down.
to weed/thin just lift the part of the side you are thinning and work down the rows,i put three rows about six inch apart.
Just got another bit of enviromesh thats three now ill have carrots everywhere this year

[Kristen]

Interesting question. I think that Fleece is more dense, so may let less light through (and may not last as long, particularly "thin lightweight fleece".

But there again Carrots etc. will grow in fairly significant shade, and when I first starting growing Brassicas under debris netting I was appalled at the "shading effect" and actually the plants didn't seem to suffer at all (and weren't eaten which gave then a huge advantage of course!)