Protecting container carrot seeds from too much rain?

[Jonathan1977]

hi!

I just planted carrot seeds into a nice fiberglass container this afternoon. I'm pretty excited as this is my first time doing carrots but worried about how to protect them as I read they take a while to germinate.

I will be putting some horticultural tarp/crop cover as there's still a slight chance of frost. The tarp says it allows water, air, sunlight to pass through. Which means if it rains a lot, a lot of water will go through, won't it?

Do I need a plastic tarp? (I know they don't breathe though). what if there's like a really heavy rain storm coming/

I live up here on the rainy west coast (British columbia) and it rains in a lot. in fact this week, it will be raining most days and I can't move the pot indoors.

Any advice from your experience is greatly appreciated!

thanks,
jonathan

[Kisal]

My first choice would be to put the container in a place protected from rain. My house has deep soffits, so if I put the containers up against the outside of the wall, the rain can't get to them. Of course, then you have to be sure to water the container. Seeds don't need direct sun to sprout, so you could even put the container on a covered deck or porch, until the seedlings emerge. Being up against the wall of the house also adds some protection against low temperatures, because of heat radiated by the wall.

Putting the container in a cold frame would provide good protection.

A makeshift alternative would be to lay a piece of clear hard plastic or glass over the container. It would have to be removed once the seeds sprouted, though. I would make the cover large enough to extend 2 or 3 inches beyond each edge of the container. If there's still alot of rain when the seedlings sprout, you could use some kind of supports to prop up the cover on one edge, to allow for air circulation.