Login   |   Register   |   

Hobbies / Books   (Gardening, walking, books, films, theatre etc.)

Started by: ena malcup (4151) 

I have found carrots grow best on a sandy soil, but I guess that is not a factor influencing such a low germination rate.

Seed is very small, easily blown away, or eaten.

It might be worth growing some in a window box, where you can keep good observation of what is happening.

The small/Japanese carrots which are extremely fast growing will produce decent usable crops in a window box or similar trough. Also usually safe from carrot fly.

The late Prof. Alan Gemmell (Keele University and BBC's "Gardeners' Question Time") suggested the following technique for growing carrots.

Plunge a crowbar a couple of feet into the soil, and waggle it around to create a conical hole.

Fill said hole with John Innes No3 compost. (you could mix some sand or grit if your soil is not well draining)

Choose a large variety carrot such as St Valery. (Sutton/Brown/Fothergill all do St Val - it is a classic, but there are probably more recent varieties also worth trying)

Plant about three seeds in each position: discard all but the strongest of emergent seedlings.


A bit of work involved, but I found it produced good results.

PS Also the seedling first emerging from the tiny carrot seed is very delicate. It would take little in the way of wind or rain to destroy it. Spreading the seed sowing over a few weeks so not all of them get caught by undesirable weather might help.

Replied: 28th Sep 2021 at 16:51

Report Abuse

Only use this form to report abuse about the post displayed above. If you have a query or wish to make a comment, do not use this form.

Your IP No. (18.221.112.220) will be logged.

* Enter the 5 digit code to the right of the input box. Don't worry if you make a mistake, you will get another chance. Your comments won't be lost.