Two years ago, I tried planting carrots in one of my raised beds. Most of
them didn't sprout, and those that sprouted disappeared in a few days.

The following year (last year), I prepared a bed with commercial potting
soil. I planted several different types of carrot. Many sprouted, and most
of them grew very well.

This year, I used a similar bed with similar potting soil. I started
planting carrots in February, and have planted them every few weeks since
then. (It was regularly frosty in February, and currently gets up to about
90-95 degrees in the daytime, so they have seen a great temperature range.)
I have planted about ten different varieties, from three or four different
seed companies. I've tried scattering them and covering them with a thin
layer of commercial soil, and I've also dug shallow furrows for them and
covered them. Most of these did not sprout at all, and the few that did
were gone within days.

So...does anyone know what I did RIGHT last year? I can't see why there was
such a big difference between the massive success of last year and the utter
failure of this year.
--S.