Vegetable Growing 2025

You might get lucky this spring and have no late frost but dont worry if you do kill them by accident as when it gets warm the seedlings grow very fast.

 

Okay I haven’t much success with carrots, I don’t have a veg patch or an allotment and I have had several free seed packets from Gardeners’ World magazine. So a shame to waste these. So have a couple of questions.

I am growing in containers, so firstly do I start carrots off inside in a seed tray or do I just directly sow? Secondly I’m going to grow some first earlies, so wondering if I had time after the harvest of potatoes if I could then grow them in the same container?

 

Hands up, in spite of being a veg grower for nearly 6 decades, I don't often have much success with carrots either. For what seems such a basic crop they can be difficult. So I can only quote the standard advice. They do need to be direct sown, they do best on light sandy soil. Do not sow too thickly to avoid having to thin them too much as the scent attracts the carrot root fly.
That said if you are growing in a container, you have more control over soil and conditions. Yes growing after potatoes could work well as the soil will be loose and not too rich.

 

Sown last year but the small number of salads I have remaining in my greenhouse have grown a fair bit this week, I should be able to add a few mustard and parsley leaves to this weekends salad. Most of the lettuce got fungus, I think I'll stick to mustards next year as I've had mixed results with lettuce over winter. My greenhouse is shaded by trees all winter which doesn't help. Two varieties of garlic in there too, the early hardnecks is up to 7 leaves

 

WE also had no success with carrots when sown outdoors. So some years ago we experimented by sowing directly in the ground in the polytunnel. Amazing harvest so we continue to sow in the tunnel again directly into the soil. We use a different area each year and make sure that it hasn't been given fresh compost. We also sow in succession so we have carrots for a long time.

 

Just sowed my first container of carrots, in the greenhouse to begin with, Amsterdam 3.

 

I have found that you don't necessarily have to direct sow carrots. Can be sown in cells but you need to be pretty quick to transplant them once germinated.
For me, it's getting the beds "sandy" enough to avoid the mis shapen harvest. The short fat jobs such as Chantenay do well in containers but beds are best for the larger types.
A good thing about the forum is reading about personal experience and what works for some but not others

 

I do not agree that carrots are difficult. Demanding , yes but due to needing proper conditions and facing potential pest attack. To this end, adapt your methods to maximise your chance of success. viz:
Grow in rich soil, need not be sandy but requires good humus content, adequate water during whole season .
Sow thinly, but cover by 20mm. of fine tilth. Single line of seeds not necessary but space to 25mm apart.Discourage slugs at seedling stage.
Do not disturb foliage by thinning.(to avoid attracting carrot flies by scent) Consider companion sowing (Tagetes)
Keep crop weedfree.
These were grown in 2018 in a no dig bed of London Clay mulched in 2017 with old stable manure
Realseeds Giant Red. £1 coin for scale

 

@infradig well you are going against much advice about the conditions for sowing carrots. So many tell us not to use rich soil and yes use companion plants to hopefully keep out the fly but can we all do this in a limited area?
How to discourage slugs at the early stage when you don't use pellets etc?
Maybe many of us grow in clay soil so have more problems.

 

I've not grown carrots for years but I used to every year.
To be honest it was always hit and miss,some years I'd get decent results others not so good.
Must admit I didn't faff around too much with them.
Once I started getting carrot fly I didn't bother any more.

 

Carrots require bountiful P &K, less so N
Not adverse to using pellets in moderation but not finding ferric phosphate effective. Dusting of woodash and removal of hiding places(such as grass paths, bed sides etc)and nightime patrols.
My reason for growing at all is to produce flavorsome carrots, which is not found in the ubiquitous supermarket carrot; and which are not sprayed every fortnight like those. Slug damage, wireworm, carrot fly are a downside but one can accept a little.
The carrots shown (its the only photo I have ) were grown into London clay soil.

 

@infradig I agree 100 times that when you pull up your own carrots the scent is there straightaway and then when you cook them or eat them raw they are FABULOUS! We will keep sowing in the tunnel and harvesting throughout the year.

 

I have got bad carrot fly before but will probably try some again this year, just an early sowing I think in a couple of weeks. Last year I tried 3 or 4 sowings and the slugs got them all