Branching Out's Seeds and Sprouts

[digitS']

Advice from left field, okay?

That ¼ inch planting depth presents difficulties for carrot seeds. If the soil settles too much, they may have too much to  climb through to reach the light. Their slow, slow germination speed (Cornell says 1 - 3 weeks) adds to the possibility that, by the time the seed sprouts, the seed isn't where it was placed.

My carrots are vulnerable to the soil drying over the weeks it takes them to emerge. During that same time, the soil surface can become compacted with irrigation water inefficiently applied. Pamper the fragile things !

Steve, who has significant problems harvesting carrots if they are longer than the tines of his spading fork

 

[flowerbug]

...
I have a LOT of straw right now to use, and my biggest problem, besides direct planting seeds and never seeing most of them again (even when fresh) is pulling carrots out of the ground and watching them break.
Any advice is appreciated!!

dig a hole next to them and then lift them from below.

 

[Branching Out]

Do you think that mixing in straw with the soil could loosen it up?
I have a LOT of straw right now to use, and my biggest problem, besides direct planting seeds and never seeing most of them again (even when fresh) is pulling carrots out of the ground and watching them break.
Any advice is appreciated!!

I've never tried straw so can't offer an opinion on that, but carrots do like loose or sandy soil. I would think that lifting the carrots from the ground using a garden fork could do the trick as well, as long as you stay far enough away so the carrots aren't impaled by accident.

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks, @Branching Out I appreciate your advice, since you are officially a carrot GODDESS!!

 

[Branching Out]

13cm(5") of rain has fallen here in March, and the slugs are out in full force. For about a month I have been catching them using liquid bait traps filled with a slurry of flour, water, and a pinch of yeast-- and so far it's working really well. The slugs are attracted by the fragrance of the fermenting flour, so I mix up the stuff the day before so it can develop a nice aroma (and if a beer can needs rinsing out I add that hoppy liquid to the container as well.) My radicchio was heavily infested so I placed a container of this liquid nearby, and within a few days there must have been 30-40 small snails and slugs in the 60ml(2oz) cup. I make the rounds every few days with fresh slurry, scooping or pouring the slugs out and then topping up with fresh yeasty mixture in the trap. A few containers have been picked up and moved by critters (likely racoons,) so where possible I cover the trap with a board or a rock to make them harder to tamper with and to prevent them from filling with rain water.

 

[flowerbug]

13cm(5") of rain has fallen here in March, and the slugs are out in full force. For about a month I have been catching them using liquid bait traps filled with a slurry of flour, water, and a pinch of yeast-- and so far it's working really well. The slugs are attracted by the fragrance of the fermenting flour, so I mix up the stuff the day before so it can develop a nice aroma (and if a beer can needs rinsing out I add that hoppy liquid to the container as well.) My radicchio was heavily infested so I placed a container of this liquid nearby, and within a few days there must have been 30-40 small snails and slugs in the 60ml(2oz) cup. I make the rounds every few days with fresh slurry, scooping or pouring the slugs out and then topping up with fresh yeasty mixture in the trap. A few containers have been picked up and moved by critters (likely racoons,) so where possible I cover the trap with a board or a rock to make them harder to tamper with and to prevent them from filling with rain water.

if they are all dead that is some excellent fertilizer...

 

[Branching Out]

if they are all dead that is some excellent fertilizer...

They are indeed dead, and ready to nourish the soil. Much better than sprinkling iron pellets, and more effective than hand-picking them as they are hard to find among the leafy greens.

 

[Dahlia]

13cm(5") of rain has fallen here in March, and the slugs are out in full force. For about a month I have been catching them using liquid bait traps filled with a slurry of flour, water, and a pinch of yeast-- and so far it's working really well. The slugs are attracted by the fragrance of the fermenting flour, so I mix up the stuff the day before so it can develop a nice aroma (and if a beer can needs rinsing out I add that hoppy liquid to the container as well.) My radicchio was heavily infested so I placed a container of this liquid nearby, and within a few days there must have been 30-40 small snails and slugs in the 60ml(2oz) cup. I make the rounds every few days with fresh slurry, scooping or pouring the slugs out and then topping up with fresh yeasty mixture in the trap. A few containers have been picked up and moved by critters (likely racoons,) so where possible I cover the trap with a board or a rock to make them harder to tamper with and to prevent them from filling with rain water.

I used to have to do a similar thing. I put out lots of Dixie cups halfway filled with cheap beer. It worked like a charm! I learned that slugs love to drown their sorrows in beer!

 

[flowerbug]

It's Murphy's Law that if a plant really impresses at

They are indeed dead, and ready to nourish the soil. Much better than sprinkling iron pellets, and more effective than hand-picking them as they are hard to find among the leafy greens.

flat boards left along the edges. in the morning go out and flip the boards over and squish 'em.