Using Flame Gun after sowing carrots

Hi I have a Sheen Flame gun and have previously used it immediately before sowing the carrots, to kill off any weeds. It gives the carrots a head start. I make the drills 10 days or so before sowing.
I'm getting a bit braver now and want to try a second pass before the carrot seedlings emerge. The trick is to cover a short length of the carrot seeds with wood and check under the wood daily. When the seedlings under the wood emerge, flame the rest.
Anyone done it? I have a propane roofing type flame gun too, which one do you think I should use? How close to the soil with the gun?

 

This is why I grow carrots in tubs - much easier to manage the weed problem than in-the-open, which is exacerbated because Carrots take quite a while to germinate.

Sorry, that's no help with your question.

 

Misterroy, don`t be so bloody lazy. Get on your hands and knees and WEED, like real gardeners do.

 

:D:D:D Come on Dai, don't beat around the bush :D

 

Misterroy you are my new hero.

Flame thrower for pre-emptive weeding? A literal scorched earth gardening policy.

Now that is rock and roll gardening.

Misterroy- A flaming role model.

 

A chancy tactic! I use a Sheen flame gun but only well away from anything I want to continue growing. 2000 degrees F is great for zapping what you don't want but the heat spreads quite wide.
Covering your seeds with wood will probably slow germination as it will prevent the sun warming the soil.
You could in future reduce the difficulty of weeding by sowing pinches of 3 or 4 seeds spaced at the appropriate distance then thinning down to one seedling. Weeding between seedlings/carrots is much easier though still a fingertip task.
I sow my autumn.winter carrots by dibbling 12" holes, filling the holes with a mix of spent growbag compost and sieved garden soil and this seems to reduce the number of weeds growing very close to the carrots. This does take a bit more time and effort but I reckon it's worth it due to the nice big straight carrots and reduced weeding time.

 

I defense of Rock n Roll gardening:
PHOTO TOUR

Good point about the wood, I'll use a bit of glass instead.

I don't thin my carrots, I use a hand seeder, something like this:

mini hand seeder | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

and sow them thinly. THE seeder is by far the best bit of gardening kit I have.

I'll have about 300 meters of carrots, hand weeding is a long process, I want to skip one of the passes.
cheery

 

Say it like it is Fred is my motto. People nowadays want the produce without putting in the work, and to my mind that is just taking the Mickey out of nature. Please or offend, if they are not prepared to get their hands dirty then they don`t deserve to have a garden.:happydance::happydance:

 

There's quite a difference between a 10 yard row of carrots and Roy's 300 metres!

 

Dai, I wouldn't have it any other way. The place aint the same without you :D

 

Oh, just to add, I wouldn't relish the idea of weeding 300mtrs either

 

Are we talking 300m long rows? Or 300 sq metres? or what? Weeding 300 sq m would take about 5 hours. Or the weeds can be hoed off in an hour or so. Or if it`s that much of a commercial enterprise then he should be using a mechanical hoe.:D

 

The flame weeder in the 'Flame Weeders.com' looks like one that is specially adapted to flame narrow rows and it obviously does the job well. A Sheen gun is a different kettle of fish as the spread is very much wider and it's not designed for weeding narrow rows.