What am I doing wrong with my carrots?
 

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.

What am I doing wrong with my carrots?
 

It sound as if you have something eating your seedlings. If it were on my
little plot I would give odds on it being slugs. There is a very safe and
effective product called "Sluggo" . The active ingredient is iron phosphate
and I have recently seen some generic on garden shop shelves.
Steve
"Suzanne D." wrote in message
...
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.

What am I doing wrong with my carrots?
 

Do you think you might have underground critters eating them? Because what I
did in the first raised bed I made is put 1inch chicken wire at the very
bottom of it then piled all the soil on top of it, so I didn't have to worry
'bout something burrowing up to them and getting them from underneath.
Hardwear cloth would probably work too.

"Suzanne D." wrote in message
...
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.

What am I doing wrong with my carrots?
 

I also think that it sounds like you have something eating your carrot
seedlings, most likely at night. Slugs have been mentioned. (Some
areas their shelled cousins, snails might be the culprits). I'll throw
in earwigs as another. And there are people who have reported isopods
(aka pill bugs or woodlice) feeding on tender seedlings.

These are pests whose populations can vary a lot from year to year,
depending on rainfall and temperatures.

It might take some midnight investigations to see what might be out
there eating your garden.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"So, it was all a dream."
"No dear, this is the dream, you're still in the cell."

email valid but not regularly monitored

Suzanne D. said:


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.

What am I doing wrong with my carrots?
 

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...

I also think that it sounds like you have something eating your carrot
seedlings, most likely at night. Slugs have been mentioned. (Some
areas their shelled cousins, snails might be the culprits). I'll throw
in earwigs as another.

We definitely DO have a lot of earwigs. Would they eat the seedlings even
before they emerge, though? This is what is so mystifying--that most of the
seeds don't even seem to be sprouting at all. (As opposed to, say, my
cucumbers, which sprout wonderfully but are nibbled down within a few days
by bugs.)

These are pests whose populations can vary a lot from year to year,
depending on rainfall and temperatures.

Many of my seedlings seem to be eaten this year. Hopefully, next year might
have a lower population. Or maybe the praying mantises will start taking
over soon.
--S.

What am I doing wrong with my carrots?
 

Suzanne D. said:



"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...

I also think that it sounds like you have something eating your carrot
seedlings, most likely at night. Slugs have been mentioned. (Some
areas their shelled cousins, snails might be the culprits). I'll throw
in earwigs as another.

We definitely DO have a lot of earwigs. Would they eat the seedlings even
before they emerge, though? This is what is so mystifying--that most of
the seeds don't even seem to be sprouting at all. (As opposed to, say, my
cucumbers, which sprout wonderfully but are nibbled down within a few
days by bugs.)

Hmmm...if the carrots were sprouting at night and were immediately eaten,
would you ever know it? Earwigs can be really destructive to tender sprouts.
(They are easily killed by soapy water, if hit with it directly.)

I've occasionally had problems with seed corn maggot. They wiped out
one planting of parsnips. (I actually found the a small maggot in several
parsnip seeds.) Usually they go after bigger seeds.

http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/vegpest/seedmag.htm
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"So, it was all a dream."
"No dear, this is the dream, you're still in the cell."

email valid but not regularly monitored

What am I doing wrong with my carrots?
 

In article ,
Pat Kiewicz wrote:

Suzanne D. said:



"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...

I also think that it sounds like you have something eating your carrot
seedlings, most likely at night. Slugs have been mentioned. (Some
areas their shelled cousins, snails might be the culprits). I'll throw
in earwigs as another.

We definitely DO have a lot of earwigs. Would they eat the seedlings even
before they emerge, though? This is what is so mystifying--that most of
the seeds don't even seem to be sprouting at all. (As opposed to, say, my
cucumbers, which sprout wonderfully but are nibbled down within a few
days by bugs.)

Hmmm...if the carrots were sprouting at night and were immediately eaten,
would you ever know it? Earwigs can be really destructive to tender sprouts.
(They are easily killed by soapy water, if hit with it directly.)

I've occasionally had problems with seed corn maggot. They wiped out
one planting of parsnips. (I actually found the a small maggot in several
parsnip seeds.) Usually they go after bigger seeds.

http://www.vegedge.umn.edu/vegpest/seedmag.htm

I'm having my best luck ever with carrots this year and I attribute it
to preparing the soil with nutrients, and having removed all litter from
the bed. The last time I grew them, my feeling was that they were eaten
by Armadillidium vulgare (Pill Bugs) which lived in the litter.
--

- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2TzBE0lp4

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050688.html