How do YOU plant carrots??

[nes]

. . .Using fluid seeding for alfalfa seed, is not uncommon. That's another tiny seed that's hard to handle but, I'm not going to recommend fluid seeding to avoid thinning. Putting the lettuce seed in the bag with the gel just resulted in "drips" of lettuce coming up after a few days. There wasn't really anyway to have drips with just 1 seed each.
...

That is really neat though because I've tried germinating on paper towel and the roots get so intertwined into the towel it's difficult to get the seedlings out. I don't remember the results but it didn't go well when I tried that.

If you can get them to sprout in a fluid medium that would definitely solve the problem. I'd go with a plastic container so I could pick the seedlings out though.

[stella1751]

I am getting some great ideas with this thread! I don't usually grow carrots, but I decided to this year because I read they will go well with garlic, and I have two-thirds of an 8 x 4 bed invested in some spring garlic.

My latest favorite idea is little peat pots. I bought a bunch on sale several years ago. They've just been sitting around, wasted, because they are too small to do much with. They are 1" tall and 2" deep. How soon before planting should I go with these? I have some bigger ones, too, probably 2" x 3".

I also have a bunch of those peat plugs that expand when wet, but I suspect they will expand too wide for carrots. Right now they are about the size of three stacked silver dollars.

[nes]

Don't use peat pots!!

They don't degrade (hence peat bogs preserving mummies!) so if you try to plant them out the seedlings only have the space of the pot to grow and the roots get entwined in the peat so you can't remove them from the pot with out damaging the seedlings.

I didn't have much luck with newspaper pots for the same reason.

I usually direct seed my carrots and things go fine . I either twist them between my fingers or really throw them over a large area & don't have to thin that much.

[stella1751]

I've heard people say that about peat pots, Nes, but I've had good luck with them. There was one time when I forgot to tear off the bottom on one, and its growth was delayed by about two weeks, comparative to the ones around it. (I remembered it afterwards and didn't want to dig it back up. Should have, but didn't.) Otherwise, they work great!

I may as well use up these tiny ones, anyway. I only have a sixteen of them, and it will be an inexpensive experiment

[jal_ut]

Stella, wait until mid April, then plant carrot seed in the garden where it will grow. Try to not get it too thick. It should be planted about 1/4 inch deep. It takes about 3 weeks to germinate. You end up with something like this:

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/carrots_09_2.jpg[/img]

These are Royal Chantenay carrots.

[stella1751]

Stella, wait until mid April, then plant carrot seed in the garden where it will grow. Try to not get it too thick. It should be planted about 1/4 inch deep. It takes about 3 weeks to germinate. You end up with something like this:

Won't their tops freeze, Jal_UT? Our average last frost is near the end of May, May 22. (I think)

[stryper]

Stella, wait until mid April, then plant carrot seed in the garden where it will grow. Try to not get it too thick. It should be planted about 1/4 inch deep. It takes about 3 weeks to germinate. You end up with something like this:

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/carrots_09_2.jpg[/img]

These are Royal Chantenay carrots.

Now THAT is some carrots.

Do all home grown do that? My last experience was a bit hit and miss. But I remember the cucumbers being huge too..

[jal_ut]

Won't their tops freeze, Jal_UT? Our average last frost is near the end of May, May 22. (I think)

Looks like your last frost date is about the same as mine. (average) I plant carrots around the 5 of April to the 15 of April. Depends on the weather. I have not had any trouble with them freezing. They seem to have some cold tolerance, but not as much as spinach.

[soil]

holy junk jal, those carrots are amazing. they look as big as your boot.

[jd81635]

I've always mixed carrot and radish seeds and planted together - as the radishes grow and are pulled, the carrots get thinned without work. I've also planted the carrots in patches, using a garden rake lightly but firmly to thin the carrot seedlings when they reach an inch or slightly more in height, the spacing is ideal.

[Avonnow]

There are two seeders I have seen, this is the better quality one ....

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7235-mini ... eeder.aspx

Maybe his will help, I wish I could tell you from experience but I have a small garden.

[Amy Is Growing]

Tons of great info here. Jal_ut, beautiful picture! I planted all my seeds this year in jiffy peat pots. This was of course before reading the negative reviews of peat pots (not like me to not do my homework, but I was attracted to the convenience of the mini peat pots). Thankfully I'm in southern California, and with our dry, hot weather, I don't seem to have a problem with them staying too wet. Anyway, I've had great luck so far considering this is my first time growing anything in quite some time. I planted 50 cells of carrots, and 49 came up. Once they are ready, they will be transplanted into deep raised beds.

I wanted to ask if someone could describe the growth rate of carrots. How quickly could we expect they get to the thinning stage? I'm gathering that the census is to thin when they are 1-2" tall. Also, how big should they be before transplanting into my beds?

Thanks for all the info here and thanks in advance for any help or input you all might have!

[Amy Is Growing]

Tons of great info here. Jal_ut, beautiful picture! I planted all my seeds this year in jiffy peat pots. This was of course before reading the negative reviews of peat pots (not like me to not do my homework, but I was attracted to the convenience of the mini peat pots). Thankfully I'm in southern California, and with our dry, hot weather, I don't seem to have a problem with them staying too wet. Anyway, I've had great luck so far considering this is my first time growing anything in quite some time. I planted 50 cells of carrots, and 49 came up. Once they are ready, they will be transplanted into deep raised beds.

I wanted to ask if someone could describe the growth rate of carrots. How quickly could we expect they get to the thinning stage? I'm gathering that the census is to thin when they are 1-2" tall. Also, how big should they be before transplanting into my beds?

Thanks for all the info here and thanks in advance for any help or input you all might have!

[GardenRN]

you guys have a lot of patients. I just sprinkle into about 1/2 inch deep furrows made with my fingers, cover, water, and keep moist~ish as time allows. I don't thin...except when we just have to pull a carrot out to taste check. they do fine. I don't care about funny shapes and stuff. Last year we got a cool pair that twisted around one another. It looked like two carrots hugging, my kids thought it was great This year I didn't even put em in furrows, just sprinkled them over the bed and raked em in with a hay rake. They are doing fine. Not orderly, but probably spaced enough to not need thinning anyway.

[GardenRN]

oops sorry, double posted.