SOW

Carrots need a well dug and crumbly soil if they are to grow long and straight. Remove all stones and ensure that any large clods of earth are broken up. If the ground is too stoney, the carrots will fork

Do not grow carrots in a newly manured bed or where a nitrogen rich feed has been applied as this will encourage them to bolt. Instead use organic multi-purpose feed such as blood, fish, and bone meal.

Sow the seeds directly into the soil, 1.5cm deep, in drills spaced 30cm apart. If possible, sow thinly as thinning out can bring issues with carrot fly later.

GROW

1. Watering: Keep the soil evenly moist until the seedlings are established.
2. Thinning: When the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to approximately 10cm apart. *Be aware that carrot fly is a common pest in the UK, which lays its eggs at the base of the plants. To reduce the risk of carrot fly, it is best to thin the seedlings in the evening, or to cover the soil with horticultural fleece.
3. Mulching: Apply a layer of mulch, such as compost or well-rotted straw, around the plants to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
4. Fertilizing: Feed the plants with a balanced fertilizer every 4-6 weeks.
5. Watering: Water the plants regularly, especially during dry periods, to ensure consistent growth.

HARVEST

1. Harvesting: Harvest the carrots when they are of the desired size, usually around 12-16 weeks after planting.
2. With proper care and attention, you should be able to harvest a crop of healthy and delicious carrots in approximately 16 weeks.

VARIETIES

COMMON PROBLEMS

CARROT FLY

The chief pest of carrots is without doubt the carrot fly. Unfortunately, the only sure way of avoiding attacks by carrot fly is to sow seed no earlier than June.

There are, however, a few things that you can do to reduce the risk of an attack by this pest. Physical barriers can prevent the carrot fly from ever reaching your crop. Environmesh netting is one method that many gardeners use. Carrot flies are low flying so growing carrots in a raised container can help as can surrounding the carrots with a 60 cm high physical barrier.

Carrot flies are attracted by the scent of carrots so try to avoid the need to thin out your carrots by sowing very sparsely. If you must thin them out, do it in the evening when carrot flies are not about and when the air is still. Make sure you remove the thinnings to a place well away from your carrots (and everyone else’s!)

Planting your carrots next to alliums can help disguise the scent and confuse the flies.

There are some varieties that are bred to be resistant to carrot fly- for instance Flyaway and Resistafly.

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