Planting Carrot Seed

[Durgan]

Now I have almost 100% germination.
11 April 2011 Planting Carrot Seed 11 April 2011 Planting Carrot Seed

Carrot seed is small and if temperature is above 27 C the seed fails to germinate. I mark the row with 4 inch board and carefully lay the seed about two inches apart on the board pattern. A board is then laid to cover the seed until germination. The seed is just pressed into the soil.

The board tends to limit the temperature from rising too much when the sun is shining, and also prevents the seed from drying out, and protects the small seed from washing away when it rains. Experience has indicated that carrot seed can be planted very early in the Spring.

6 July 2011 Carrot Juice 6 July 2011 Carrot Juice The carrot row is shown in two of the garden pictures. Indicating the planting system works.

[Dave'sGirl]

Durgan, I find carrots very difficult to sow and thin. I usually fail to thin enough and as a result don't get the harvest I desire. How do you handle this?

[sinopa27]

Durgan, I find carrots very difficult to sow and thin. I usually fail to thin enough and as a result don't get the harvest I desire. How do you handle this?

Have you tried seed tape?

[Durgan]

Have you tried seed tape?

Of course, everybody tries seed tape once.

[Durgan]

Durgan, I find carrots very difficult to sow and thin. I usually fail to thin enough and as a result don't get the harvest I desire. How do you handle this?

People will complain about handling the small seed and want to plant by pinching a bit of seed and sowing, or mixing with sand often mentioned in some silly garden book. If the sowing seeds touch there will be a twisted carrot harvest. Thinning is difficult and time consuming.

Spend the time planting carefully. I only have a 25 foot row and do it this way.

Make sure the soil is really loose. I have gone so far in the past to filter the soil in the row through a wire mesh in the wheelbarrow and putting the soil back in the row to a depth of say 8 inches or more. This if your soil is heavy clay for example. Now my soil is loose and filtering is not necessary.

Place a 4 inch board along the desired row and stand on it to make a pattern, which of course is smooth on top.

Place the carrot seeds in a bowl so they can be sorted and one seed can be picked up with the fingers. Place a kneeling board along the row and wearing knee pads crawl along the row and take the time to plant each seed individually about an inch apart and three or four across the board pattern. Simply drop and later just push the seed into the surface. I put a board on top of the seed and stand on it to press the seeds into the soil. No seeds are touching and are about an inch apart. Do not cover the seed or at most a thin sprinkling of soil after pressing if desired.

Place a board over the seeds and water with a can on top of the board, enough water will trickle under under to dampen the seeds without floating them out of position. Leave the board in place until the seeds germinate. It helps if a stick is placed under the board to lift about half and inch so the emerging plants are not obstructed.

Remove the board after germination, and insure the seeds are kept damp until firmly established, by watering with a can meaning gently. This only takes a few minutes, since the roots are shallow. Do this often enough so the soil surface does not dry out under a blazing hot sun.

You reward will be: No twisted carrots at harvest, no thinning later which is almost impossible anyway. At harvest use a fork and loosen the soil and with one width of the fork, you will have a nice bunch of perfect carrots.

The same procedure can be used for area planting, which I do not practice, since I have sufficient room to row plant.

Yes, this is a tedious procedure, but the desired result is perfect carrots. If the soil is ideal the carrot seeds can almost touch, since they can force their way away from each other when growing, but most people do not have the perfect loose soil.

Nothing is more irritating than thinning vegetables plants. Much care at planting time is the solution, and the end result is perfect vegetables , less energy and time expended.

[Russ]

Of course, everybody tries seed tape once.

Isn't that the truth?

[Dave'sGirl]

yup...tried it last year

Before that I tried two years to pre-germinate in a moistened paper towel. I felt rather smug, thinking this is a good idea, but also a bit ridiculous out there with my tweezers, carefully picking out the little seedlings, hoping to not break the tap root. Didn't have too much luck with that method.

Durgan, thanks for your input. I already did create a nice deeply cultivated bed for next year. I do like your idea about the board to keep the soil moist.

[Durgan]

yup...tried it last year

Before that I tried two years to pre-germinate in a moistened paper towel. I felt rather smug, thinking this is a good idea, but also a bit ridiculous out there with my tweezers, carefully picking out the little seedlings, hoping to not break the tap root. Didn't have too much luck with that method.

Durgan, thanks for your input. I already did create a nice deeply cultivated bed for next year. I do like your idea about the board to keep the soil moist.

After viewing a number of gardens it is obvious to me that people spend little time in planting. Throw the seed into the space and get some vegetation seems to be the result.

After some reflection, I plant the seeds very carefully with proper spacing in the row. My rows are close,since my garden is small and access for harvesting is not an issue.

At one time it was necessary to use excessive seed, since often seeds were of poor quality and germination was an issue. I suggest this is not an issue with modern commercial seeds. My row spacing is around 12 inches just enough for access for harvesting, and sometimes even closer.

When my garden is in full bloom, I like to have the plant rows close enough, so the vegetation essentially shades space between the rows. Room for plant growth is supplied by adequate spacing the plants or seeds in the growing row. Thinning is hard work, does much damage to roots, packs soil between the rows due to one's feet, hence is self defeating. Looking at my garden, it appears to be one mass of green vegetation. The access rows are hardly visible.

I might add, I am a great advocate of heavy mulching to retain moisture. I happen to have access to wood chips, but straw is also effective, but not as convenient.

If the top two or so inches is hard packed the plant roots are effectively deprived of sufficient oxygen for good root growth. When it is necessary to harvest, sometimes I lay a board between the rows to limit soil packing.

My views, obtained from observation.

[Dave'sGirl]

At one time it was necessary to use excessive seed, since often seeds were of poor quality and germination was an issue. I suggest this is not an issue with modern commercial seeds. My row spacing is around 12 inches just enough for access for harvesting, and sometimes even closer.


Durgan, I think you may be right about that!I never really thought about it but really, when was the last time you planted seed and didn't have everything (or very nearly everything) come up when you provide the proper germinating conditions.

[Durgan]

Durgan, I think you may be right about that!I never really thought about it but really, when was the last time you planted seed and didn't have everything (or very nearly everything) come up when you provide the proper germinating conditions.

In general, I have almost complete confidence in commercial seeds germinating nearly 100%, under the ideal conditions. Even the few seeds that I save, mostly tomato, germination is nearly the same.