View Category:Carrots
Carrots have been growing in the area now know as Afghanistan for about 5,000 years. They probably got to Ireland about 600 years ago. Orange ones were developed in Holland in the 17th century, before that they were yellow and purple.
Carrots are not easy to grow here in West Cork. When sown early in the year they are slow to germinate and slugs love those first two leaves. You optimisticly sow them in spring watch them emerge and then see them disappear over the course of about a week. If you haven't been watching you think they haven't come up at all and the seed company has sold you bad seed. If you diligently hunt the slugs out of your patch and the seedlings get to have some more leaves they are usually attacked by carrotfly soon afterwards riddling them with little brown holes that make the carrot taste bitter. Carrot fly attack can be prevented by fencing your carrot patch off with a 60cm high fence, as Carrrot Fly fly close to the ground, or covering with insect proof netting or fleece.
If I haven't put you off completely, sow carrot seed thinly in rows 20cm apart and 1cm deep, you can try from March on but that dry spell in June puts the slugs under pressure and works best for me. Cover with fleece or fence off immediately. When the seedlings are established and the sun has gone down, (the Carrot Fly goes to bed early) weed, and thin the seedlings to about 3cm. Keep well weeded and covered with fleece until harvest time.