Do you have the space or are you looking to plant something a little more heat tolerant?

I planted some a month ago and they are doing great, but the bugs and heat are going to become a factor soon. You might have to spray something on them to keep the bugs off.

I don't really know that much about carrots though so hopefully someone else more knowledgeable will chime in.

You could always plant some okra instead.

I have plenty of space but I've only sewn the seeds about 4 days ago. So I guess carrots aren't heat tolerant? Great! That's just great!! What would you suggest I spray them with? Something organic, I hope.

My area is a little cooler in the winter than you. I always plant my carrots between October and January. I have less problems with bugs and have longer carrots if I grow them in bins. Such as old recycle bins and similar. They aren't suppose to grow here in the warmer weather but, neither are potatoes. They are supposed to be planted here in January which I did for years. Then I found I could plant them the first of October and I had a good crop before planting again the end of January. The last two summers I have had potatoes grow from potatoes I missed at spring harvest and they were good. Not quite as big as the earlier ones. Two weeks ago I planted two rows. We'll see how they do. My point being, gardeners love to push the limits and experiment. Every property has it's own microclimate that can work to your advantage.

Thanks JudyK...lets hope it works....I was trying to find a bin but none were deep enough. Then I got frustrated and just seeded them in the ground a few days ago....

So bugs are the big carrot pest, huh?

YEAH! Bugs Bunny is the biggest carrot pest in my hood.

Lou

YEAH! Bugs Bunny is the biggest carrot pest in my hood.color>

Lou, your such a hoot....

I've not been around much the last year so I feel like a stranger....

Yup, too late for carrots now :-(

Tom

Lou, you are so funny!

Tom, glad to see you back, we miss you!

Greenepastures, you can plant carrots now but in our nematode soil won't do very good, they can get weird shapes. When planted in cooler weather they have better chances to be healthy, nematodes and other bugs are not active. I usually do 2 plantings of carrots, one is already harvested and the other is fully grown now waiting for picking.

Silvia

I have never had any bug problems with my carrots. They just don't like the heat and don't germinate/grow well/taste great. If you just got them in and nurse them along, they might do okay. I plant another batch every 3 weeks are so and am putting my last one in now. I've found that packing the ground, sprinkling the seeds, putting seed starting mix in a line layer on top of them and keeping them lightly watered helps with germination. It seriously seems random some times though. Things that they say will grow in the heat won't and vise verse and every year is different and every person/microclimate is different. I just keep trying different things. Some things if you start cool and it gets hot, it's enough (like napa cabbage) and others you can plant them while it's still hot and start harvesting when it is cooler (like strawberries).

My biggest problem with carrots is germination. They need to stay wet. I wet the beds then cover with something to keep moist until I see the sprouts. If they are in the ground in rows, I may put a board over them, in bins I use newspaper or old screen to keep them shaded. The only bug problems I have with root crops are wire worms and pill bugs. My pest control for them is letting my poultry forage in the beds in the summer when little is in the garden. My plants in bins have fewer problems. Everything in my garden is recycled(scrap). My bins are a broken recycle bin, wash tub, large pots, totes, etc. I don't have neighbors so I can use what I want. For me, finding uses for my treasures (junk) in my garden is as much fun as gardening. One of my cats caught Bugs, but I was able to rescue and relocate him.

Well thanks everyone! Lets see...I did plant the seeds in a seed starter mix on top of the well-composted soil and they have been well watered.The recent rains (monday & tuesday) helped quite a bit but still no germination. The seed packet did say 2 to 3 weeks.

Regarding the nematodes...I till in some coffee grounds and I'm told that helps a little.

WHGille....your beds look fantastic. How big are the carrots you're reaping?