Hint w/e 20th April - Carrots

If sowing carrots now you will need to protect them from Carrot Root Fly. They are attracted by the strong aroma that carrots give off when disturbed by weeding or thinning - or even by strong winds on the foliage. There are several tactics you can use to prevent infestation.

• Sow them between highly scented crops like onions. Sow very thinly to avoid having to thin later as much as possible.
• Erect a barrier round the crop about 18"  high.
• Grow them under a screen of either fleece or better (& more expensive) Eviromesh. You can use wire hoops to form a small tunnel - or let the foliage push up to make its own tunnel. (The fence or tunnel will have to remain in place right through until they are harvested.

​If thinning is necessary leave it until as late in the evening as you can - after Carrot Root Flies stop flying - and dispose of thinnings as far as possible away from the crop.)

Another problem some experience is getting them to germinate. Now the soil temperature is high enough they will germinate but many seedlings die off when still very small because they dry out. Carrots need constant moisture when small. One day's sun can dry them out and none survive!

Obviously you can water daily - and even sow in a small trench to ensure the moisture is concentrated where it is needed.

Another strategy suggested by some is to cover the row with something to shelter them from the sun. A plank of wood serves well - but be sure to remove it as soon as seedlings appear or they become thin and drawn!