First carrot seeds sown

A long day but I've got 32 out of my 48 carrot stations sown. I got 24 in the raised slab and wooden plank bed in the foreground and another 8 in the first of 3 drums against the fence. As I keep saying this is really too close for top quality roots and I know top growers will only put 3 or 4 in drums, but I took great care coring out the holes with the plastic tubing and then finishing off with a crowbar. I really do think that as carrot foliage is so fine and 'willowy' it can get away with close planting, especially as each hole will hopefully have equal amounts of nutrients. It's all down to the amount of time and care and attention you put into the preparation of the growing medium. You cannot rush the mixing but have to turn it over again and again until you're sure everything is nice and evenly mixed. (see my compost & nutrient mix in a previous posting). If germination is nice and even hopefully subsequent growth will be too. I hope to erect a mesh cover over all my long roots before the seedlings get too big to deter carrot fly (and canker in the case of my parsnips).


So I only have two more drums to fill which I'll do over the next couple of evenings and then it's onto the potato planting. But I always feel relieved when the carrot and parsnips are sown as it's most of the really hard work is now done. Here is the view looking from the bottom of my garden towards my carrot and parsnip drums. This time next year I'm hoping to have a walk-in structure over the entire area.