How to Seed Those Tiny Carrot Seeds Easily
Most gardeners sow the basic carrot, peas, beans, etc., but sowing some seeds is indeed a hard task. Carrot seeds are often a problem in the garden, and most people that tell me their carrots did not come up had either not maintained a moist area, had watered too hard and washed the seeds away, or they simply forgot to water at all. So here's the skinny on how to grow carrots successfully.
First, carrots need a moist environment to germinate, and since you have to plant them so close to the surface, that can be an issue in warmer climates. The solution is actually simple, you can cover them with a board for up to six days (because they can start germinating in 7 days). I check mine because a few times I have been surprised to see the shoots before it was time because I planted a variety other than my normal. (Some people do not have allotments and instead grow in their flower beds and may not have a board handy, then just take newspaper dampen it and place over the top, if newspaper dries out, then just spray with a spray bottle to rewet it).
Because carrot seeds are so small, it is very easy to sow too many and it looks like little tufts across the whole space with no room to grow. If you do that, then thin out the row so they have room to grow. BEST TIP: It is actually easier to sow them and they are then equipped with their own moisture source, if you take 5 minutes and 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and boil in 1 cup of water for 1 minute. Let that cool, then put into a ziplock bag, (for those of you that bake and decorate cakes) - we are going to decorate the garden. Once you have the starch in a ziplock bag, mix in the seeds, then head to the garden where you have already prepared your row or bed, (which should be 1/4 inch deep and cut the tip off the ziplock back, and simply go down the row squeezing out the gelatin and seed mixture. Then all thats left to do is to cover them with a bit of dirt. If you did my trick of using your hand shovel to make the row with, then all you have to do is just pinch the row together and your seeds are covered. I still cover mine with a board because that's the way my grandparents taught me, (most seeds will germinate when kept in the dark for a few days). The board also keeps the birds from scratching and pushing the seeds where you didn't plant them.
If you don't have gardening space it is possible to grow carrots in a container, there are round carrots that are delicious and they do not take up much space, or use a deep container and grow normal carrots (I use sand in the container. When you use a container with sand, (you can mix the seeds in some damp sand and sow easily also).
NOTE: Thinning carrots -- space them at least 1-1/2 to 4 inches apart (look at the size of the carrot on the package and see what their estimate is on the package for best results, but I find that usually 2-1/2 inches is enough space for most.
Friends to Plant With Carrots - Use Companion Planting by planting with tomatoes or peas and DILL.
To keep away carrot flies you need to plant Dill between your plants, and do not kill the spiders, they are actually there hoping to make a meal off of the carrot fly larvae.
Characteristics to look for with carrot fly invasion - rust colored leaves that turn yellow. Take out the plants and dispose of them (not in compost pile). Ground beetles are also great helpers with carrot fly issues, so don't step on them please.
If you love color, or you are trying to get your children to eat their carrots, try one of the varieties that has them in black, yellow, purple in addition to orange. Bright colors capture young children's attention (eye candy), and they are more prone to eat them without a fuss.
It's a low wait time for most carrots although the round variety was only 90 days, the normal time from start to harvest is usually 120-180 days. You can leave carrots in the ground until the first light frost if you prefer, and when I lived in the states I planted in large black containers filled with sand and I left them in the sand and took out as I needed. The only issue with that was my friendly (somewhat wild rabbit) also found the carrots. I found out why my carrot supply had seemingly dwindled in the container. The rabbit was sitting in the container having a nice lunch. I had a love and hate relationship with that rabbit, every spring there would be babies of course and my garden was a perfect place for eating out, but after the first year I found if I planted enough containers with lettuce and carrots and placed on the outside edges of my garden, they left the rest alone, That's where succession planting and quick growing lettuce is a garden saver, also a bowl of rabbit food helped with the babies. I loved seeing them, especially the young ones, they play while they eat and then get scolded. So be a good neighbor to the wildlife when you can, they reward you with moments like the one I mentioned above that are unforgettable and bring a smile when you remember.
Lastly, when gardening, it's a learning experience, each season is different, every place you garden from one city/state/country is different, temperatures, the weather unpredictability, the type of soil, so when you have a failure, don't see it as a failure, see it as a learning experience and grab another package of seeds and enjoy the journey. With most things the journey may be better than the destination.
DON'T FORGET TO PLANT THE DILL!!!!! Plus you will be rewarded with beautiful visitors to the dill.
TOT VOLGENDE KEER (Until the next time) .... Safe and happy gardening.
