Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

It was probably my fault - because I had been adding discarded
root-fly-infested bits of carrot to the compost heap - so that probably
went back into the earth.

Anyway - I want to do better this year.
Someone on Gardeners Question Time recommended growing carrots under
fleece for the whole of their lives.

But if you do that, what about harvesting the carrots?
Won't the flies get in then?
We harvest only half-a-dozen carrots at a time - just enough for a meal
- and so we can't dig up a whole fleece worth of carrots at one go.

Any suggestions?
--
Chris

Chris wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

It was probably my fault - because I had been adding discarded
root-fly-infested bits of carrot to the compost heap - so that
probably went back into the earth.

Anyway - I want to do better this year.
Someone on Gardeners Question Time recommended growing carrots under
fleece for the whole of their lives.

But if you do that, what about harvesting the carrots?
Won't the flies get in then?
We harvest only half-a-dozen carrots at a time - just enough for a
meal - and so we can't dig up a whole fleece worth of carrots at one
go.
Any suggestions?

Probably entirely wrong as I don't grow them, but I seem to remember an
article on tv which said that carrot root fly flies very close to the
ground. To keep them off your carrots, all you had to do was erect a
polythene screen about 3 feet high around your plants (but not over them).
When they hit this, the flies would just treat it as an obstacle and go
round it, never trying to fly over it.

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
Chris wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

It was probably my fault - because I had been adding discarded
root-fly-infested bits of carrot to the compost heap - so that
probably went back into the earth.

Anyway - I want to do better this year.
Someone on Gardeners Question Time recommended growing carrots under
fleece for the whole of their lives.

But if you do that, what about harvesting the carrots?
Won't the flies get in then?
We harvest only half-a-dozen carrots at a time - just enough for a
meal - and so we can't dig up a whole fleece worth of carrots at one
go.
Any suggestions?

Probably entirely wrong as I don't grow them, but I seem to remember an
article on tv which said that carrot root fly flies very close to the
ground. To keep them off your carrots, all you had to do was erect a
polythene screen about 3 feet high around your plants (but not over them).
When they hit this, the flies would just treat it as an obstacle and go
round it, never trying to fly over it.

That's the received wisdom but covering the crop completely would be better
because as soon as a carrot is pulld a scent is released which attracts the
fly, it seems.


I doubt that putting 'infected' carrot in the compost would do any harm, the
holes are made by the inscet coming out of the root rather than going in.

Mary

On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:58:40 -0000, Jeff Layman wrote:

Chris wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

It was probably my fault - because I had been adding discarded
root-fly-infested bits of carrot to the compost heap - so that
probably went back into the earth.

Anyway - I want to do better this year.
Someone on Gardeners Question Time recommended growing carrots under
fleece for the whole of their lives.

But if you do that, what about harvesting the carrots?
Won't the flies get in then?
We harvest only half-a-dozen carrots at a time - just enough for a
meal - and so we can't dig up a whole fleece worth of carrots at one
go.
Any suggestions?

Probably entirely wrong as I don't grow them, but I seem to remember an
article on tv which said that carrot root fly flies very close to the
ground. To keep them off your carrots, all you had to do was erect a
polythene screen about 3 feet high around your plants (but not over them).
When they hit this, the flies would just treat it as an obstacle and go
round it, never trying to fly over it.

As I recall, the barrier was more like 3" than 3', however I have a fair
success by growing them next to spring onions and leaving the bruised onion
thinnings among the carrots, but never leaving carrot thinnings.
--
Jim S
Tyneside UK
www.jimscott.co.uk

"Jim S" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:58:40 -0000, Jeff Layman wrote:

Chris wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

It was probably my fault - because I had been adding discarded
root-fly-infested bits of carrot to the compost heap - so that
probably went back into the earth.

Anyway - I want to do better this year.
Someone on Gardeners Question Time recommended growing carrots under
fleece for the whole of their lives.

But if you do that, what about harvesting the carrots?
Won't the flies get in then?
We harvest only half-a-dozen carrots at a time - just enough for a
meal - and so we can't dig up a whole fleece worth of carrots at one
go.
Any suggestions?

Probably entirely wrong as I don't grow them, but I seem to remember an
article on tv which said that carrot root fly flies very close to the
ground. To keep them off your carrots, all you had to do was erect a
polythene screen about 3 feet high around your plants (but not over
them).
When they hit this, the flies would just treat it as an obstacle and go
round it, never trying to fly over it.

As I recall, the barrier was more like 3" than 3', however I have a fair
success by growing them next to spring onions and leaving the bruised
onion
thinnings among the carrots, but never leaving carrot thinnings.
--
Jim S
Tyneside UK
www.jimscott.co.uk

After watching "The Big Dig", on our site we have made compartments, raised
beds about 3 feet high and for the first time have had wonderful carrots. We
filled the beds with compost collected in bulh from our recycling centre and
for extra protection put a vertical length of fleece around the top of the
3' compartment.


--
Rowdens Reservoir Allotments Association
www.rraa.moonfruit.com

On 12 Feb, 10:12, Chris ] wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

It was probably my fault - because I had been adding discarded
root-fly-infested bits of carrot to the compost heap - so that probably
went back into the earth.

Anyway - I want to do better this year.
Someone on Gardeners Question Time recommended growing carrots under
fleece for the whole of their lives.

The enviromesh covered cages in this picture are my solution, that was
taken in spring last year. We are still eating undamaged carrots from
the cage nearest to the camera. As an added benefit, any unused space
in there is now covered by a ground cover mat and my overwintered
flower and veg seedlings and first sowing of peas in pvc guttering are
sitting in there.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/rodsgarden/Rod's%20plot01/images/image0001.jpg
A problem I find with fleece and eviromesh is that most simple ways of
using them end with the fabric damaged making re-use difficult. I
expect these cages to last for several years.

Rod wrote:
On 12 Feb, 10:12, Chris ] wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

It was probably my fault - because I had been adding discarded
root-fly-infested bits of carrot to the compost heap - so that probably
went back into the earth.

Anyway - I want to do better this year.
Someone on Gardeners Question Time recommended growing carrots under
fleece for the whole of their lives.

The enviromesh covered cages in this picture are my solution, that was
taken in spring last year. We are still eating undamaged carrots from
the cage nearest to the camera. As an added benefit, any unused space
in there is now covered by a ground cover mat and my overwintered
flower and veg seedlings and first sowing of peas in pvc guttering are
sitting in there.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/rodsgarden/Rod's%20plot01/images/image0001.jpg
A problem I find with fleece and eviromesh is that most simple ways of
using them end with the fabric damaged making re-use difficult. I
expect these cages to last for several years.
I also suffer from this bug (add g e r)I have yet to find a complete
solution. I have tried enviromesh, no fly but poor carrot crop. another
solution is, as already posted, plant alternatively with onions. As we
use a lot of pickling onions that works quite well, but does not
completely irradicate them. My best crop were grown in Builders
merchants 1 ton bags, a bout half filled with soil, so that there is
quite a bit of bag surrounding the sowings. Works well but is a lot of
work. How do professional growers manage?

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Rod wrote:
On 12 Feb, 10:12, Chris ] wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

snip work. How do professional growers manage?

I worked on an organic farm for several years, and we laid about half an
acre of plastic mesh screen (about 2mm mesh) over our carrots. When it came
to harvesting them it would take three of us to roll up several yards of
screen lengthwise and then dig them out through the length, replacing the
screen afterwards. It took a lot of effort but it worked.

s.

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Rod wrote:
On 12 Feb, 10:12, Chris ] wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.
snip

I forgot to add that you can buy a variety of carrot seed called 'Fly Away'
which is carrot fly resistant and quite commonly available. Whether it
works or not, I don't know.

s.

In article , someone
writes

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Rod wrote:
On 12 Feb, 10:12, Chris ] wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.
snip

I forgot to add that you can buy a variety of carrot seed called 'Fly Away'
which is carrot fly resistant and quite commonly available. Whether it
works or not, I don't know.

Tried that - it didn't work.
Sytan seeds were better.
--
Chris

In article , someone
writes

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Rod wrote:
On 12 Feb, 10:12, Chris ] wrote:
Last year our carrots were ruined by carrot root fly.

snip work. How do professional growers manage?

I worked on an organic farm for several years, and we laid about half an
acre of plastic mesh screen (about 2mm mesh) over our carrots. When it came
to harvesting them it would take three of us to roll up several yards of
screen lengthwise and then dig them out through the length, replacing the
screen afterwards. It took a lot of effort but it worked.

How was it held down?
Buried at the edges?
Was it flat on the ground after sowing?
Did the carrots push it up as they grew?
--
Chris

In article ], Chris ] writes:
| In article , someone
| writes
|
| I forgot to add that you can buy a variety of carrot seed called 'Fly Away'
| which is carrot fly resistant and quite commonly available. Whether it
| works or not, I don't know.
|
| Tried that - it didn't work.
| Sytan seeds were better.

Yes :-(

Why did they stop selling Sytan?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ], Chris ] writes:
| In article , someone
| writes
|
| I forgot to add that you can buy a variety of carrot seed called 'Fly Away'
| which is carrot fly resistant and quite commonly available. Whether it
| works or not, I don't know.
|
| Tried that - it didn't work.
| Sytan seeds were better.

Yes :-(
Why did they stop selling Sytan?

Aha - I wondered why I couldn't find any at the garden centre!
They were the best variety I had tried.
Any suggestions?
--
Chris