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Carrot seed tape

gardeners26gardeners26 Posts: 8
in Fruit & veg
Carrot seed tape.  I’ve never been very successful sowing carrot seed either loose or mixed with sand – I get either bare patches or many seeds germinating too close to one another.
So this year I will try either seed tape or pelleted seed.  Does anyone have experience of using these methods? Thanks, Roy.



Roy

(Not so proud holder and custodian of the national collection of weeds.)


Posts

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    We tried different seed tapes and had very little success. Sowing carrots outside for us is a no go. Don't know why but we have nil germination. So we have for the past 4 years sown in the polytunnel and have a great return. We are still harvesting carrots now.
  • CrankyYankeeCrankyYankee Posts: 504
    My ex's sister used to roll out a length of toilet paper (1 ply), spritz it lightly with water, then carefully sprinkle seeds down the length.  If you get a section with too many seeds, you can see them enough to manipulate them to another more bare spot.  Then she would fold the t.p. in half, roll it up, and take it out to the garden plot, unroll it in a prepared trench and cover it all with soil.  I've never tried it, but she had great success with it.  Homemade seed tape of a sort.
    New England, USA
    Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
  • WhiterotWhiterot Posts: 51
    I have never used the seed tapes my dad did donkeys years ago but without success.
    In the past I have used pelleted seeds but you are limited for variety and the ones that I grow are not available in the UK in pelleted form. The other problem with the pellets in that in a really hot summer I found that the ants moved them so my perfect rows became imperfect with carrots appearing all over the place. I do actually use pelleted parsnips and the germination rate is almost 100% as I have them treated. The ants don't seem to bother the parsnips maybe its the coating that puts them off. I now only grow Sugarsnak carrots 6 rows under netting its a full mornings job. One of the problems that people have with carrots is that they set them too early before the soil has warmed up and the slugs will happily take the equivalent of a row out in one night which the gardener has put down to poor germination. As soon as I have set I put slug pellets down and always have good germination. I hope that helps.
  • gardeners26gardeners26 Posts: 8
    Thanks all. I'm tempted to have a row of tape plus a row of pelleted. I grow all my veg in  raised beds which is covered by a thick wire frame due to foxes and badges continually digging deep doles. The frames will also be covered by very fine mesh fleece.
    Roy

    Roy

    (Not so proud holder and custodian of the national collection of weeds.)


  • gardeners26gardeners26 Posts: 8
    Looking at Mole Seed website for pelleted Autumn King carrots it says "This product is only available in an untreated format."
    Apologies for my ignorance but what does this mean?

    Roy

    (Not so proud holder and custodian of the national collection of weeds.)


  • war garden 572war garden 572 Posts: 664
    gardeners26  some seeds are treat with anti mold coating. 
  • war garden 572war garden 572 Posts: 664
    the secret to seed tape is you can not let them dry out after planting.
    also carrots can take 3-4 weeks to germinate. 
    I make my own seed tape with loo roll, and liquid corn starch 
    as a glue to get the seed to stay on seed tape.
    you also want the loo roll to be type that easily breaks down after getting wet 
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