attempting carrots this year

Yes! I am attempting to grow carrots this year, but due to my garden, I need to do them in containers - will they grow ok in containers? How deep should they be?

 

Carrots will do fine in containers as long as the soil isn't too rich, you don't mention which variety, this may have a consequence!

 

I've always been reluctant to try to grow carrots because of innumerable reports that they are fussy about conditions and vulnerable to pests, and generally a nightmare to grow.

Last year my son (then just turned 3) took a packet of carrot seeds I'd given him (got them free on a magazine) and randomly threw them on a patch of ground I'd given him. He didn't get an amazing crop because unfortunately a few weeks later I forgot and weeded half his seedlings out before I remembered what they were, but he did get regular carrot treats straight out the ground right through summer.

A mate of mine also had a go. It was his first attempt at growing anything at all (barring the cress head egg shell at primary school). He got an excellent crop. About a carrier bag full of carrots out of an area about 3ft x 3ft.

In light of that, I'm going to have a go this year. I think apart from the risk of carrot fly, the main issue (as I understand it) is that you'll get crooked carrots if the soil isn't right for them, but that wont bother me, I intend to eat them not show them.

 

Asda!! haha!

The packet says Nantes 2

 

I grew some carrots last year in one of those potato growing bags. Worked just as well as in the ground. I would suggest using a large laundry tarp bag instead of a container as I imagine it may be difficult to harvest the crop. It depends on how big your container will be though.

 

Containers are good if they are a foot or so high, the Carrot Fly doesn't like flying higher than 6 inches or so, they are scared of getting caught in The Jet Stream.

 

Nantes are an early variety, they should do just fine in containers!

 

I am a real novice at gardening, so this is pretty new for me. 2 yrs ago I grew courgettes, green beans & broccoli in containers and they did really well - I'll never do broccoli again though, can't even think about the lil green caterpillars that may get cooked in amongst them!

I'm trying to think of the veg we eat a lot of, hence the carrots. Doing courgettes & green beans again this year as I found them pretty straight forward.... hopefully I get as good a crop this year as I had 2 years ago - I was feeding my neighbours on green beans cos I stupidly sowed the whole packet haha

 

Zigs Knew I could count on you to pop in - I think you need to move nearer to me and just come teach me some gardening :D

 

We all make mistakes Snowbaby, just maybe not as many as we get more experienced? It's part of the fun of growing your own!

 

I totally didn't grasp the concept that 1 seed (if it grows successfully) = 1 plant

I had 6 green bean plants but we used every bean off every plant so we did fine lol!

I didn't do any veggies last year as I didn't have the same enthusiasm but I feel it this year, esp with the rising cost of groceries. I bought a blueberries bush from Dobbies last week which is perched on my doorstep so I'm hoping it will sprout plenty of blueberries - I can't keep my 4yr old daughter in bluebs!! Little monkey would sit and eat the whole punnet if allowed. If the bush grows a decent crop it will save me a lot of money as those lil fellas are expensive

 

I think you're doing really well Snowbaby, especially as i've heard Scotland is permafrost.

Hope it wasn't me that put you off Brocolli? With my tales of Mum cooking up huge Cabbage white catterpillars She'd eaten hers before I spotted them, always eat with your glasses on

 

Only water the Blueberries with rainwater & if you re pot it, make sure you get Ericaceous compost, they don't like lime.

 

LOL It was you :P
I didn't eat ANY of the broccoli I had grown, but I was so relieved you had warned me as there were quite a lot of the critters in each broc head

 

I don't think I will need to water them with our rainfall!
My plan is to try and find some type of large barrell or something to collect rainwater and use it for watering the garden during sunny periods rather than tap water. Recycle and all that!