![]() ![]() This is where the slugs will lurk, so if there’s nowhere for them to hide, there’ll be fewer of them about. One of the best ways to reduce slug attacks (aside from setting up slug traps) is to make doubly sure the area around your carrots is clear of weeds. Although seedlings are most at risk, slugs that live in soil can also carve out holes in the roots as they get larger. They can mow seedlings to the ground as soon as they emerge, meaning you have to start all over again. Predictably, it’s those slippery slugs that are the first pest to watch out for, particularly earlier on in the growing season and in wet weather. Slugs attack the young foliage and will sometimes burrow into the roots Sock it to the Slugs! Carrots may not particularly care about soil type or having lots of water, but they do hate having to struggle against weeds, so pull them up every time you spot them. It’s very important to keep weeds in check. The roots will push themselves away from each other at this point, giving good-sized roots to harvest later on. Continue thinning in stages until the plants are about half an inch (1cm) apart. The first tender young roots that you pull as thinnings are great eaten whole in salads or lightly steamed as a rather cheffy addition to the dinner table. Thin your carrots in stages to give them space to grow. It’s a case of treating them a bit mean to keep them keen! Carrots do need moisture to grow, but you’re only likely to need to water them in warmer climates or during a long dry spell. Interestingly, holding back with the watering can pay dividends when it comes to flavor. Only water carrots when absolutely necessary Carrot Care ![]() Keep making small sowings every few weeks, finishing with a final sowing at the start of summer to give fatter, chunkier roots to store over winter. Doing this will help keep the soil surface dry, which will make it less attractive to slugs – more on those shortly.Įarly spring sowings will give a harvest from early summer. Water along the row a few times to really soak it, then sow. ![]() If the weather is dry you can water into the drill you’ve marked out before sowing. Then just cover the seeds over with soil. If you don’t have the steadiest hand, a simple tip is to mix the seeds with fine sand to sprinkle thinly along the drill, which will help spread the seeds out. The seeds are pretty tiny, and it’s very easy to sow them too thickly. Mark out drills about half an inch (1cm) deep and around 10in (25cm) apart, then sow very thinly. It just gives them a bit more character in my opinion! And where else would you get all those comedy-shaped veggies from? Sow carrot seeds thinly directly where they will growĬarrots prefer a sunny spot, though an area in dappled shade would work too, especially in warmer climates. Having said that, I don’t think it’s that big a deal to have forked roots. The soil itself should be free-draining and not too rich, which can also encourage forked roots. It’s easier that way, and helps avoid bent or forked roots, which you may get if you try to transplant seedlings from elsewhere. You can help things along by putting in place a temporary cover of garden fleece or plastic (or use a cold frame) a few weeks in advance to help dry and warm it for the sowings ahead. For the year’s earliest carrot sowings, the soil needs to have dried out and warmed up a little after the winter. ![]()
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