What do you do with a 6-pack tray of carrot seedlings

wait4me

I was in a garden centre earlier and they have 6-pack trays of vegetable seedlings (peas, broccoli, parsnips and carrots) for sale.

Can carrot seedlings be transplanted singly? I always thought you sowed carrot seed directly into the ground and thinned the seedlings as they grew.

Any advice for a relatively newbie vegetable grower would be appreciated. Thanks

CelticRambler

wait4me wrote: »

Can carrot seedlings be transplanted singly? I always thought you sowed carrot seed directly into the ground and thinned the seedlings as they grew.

Yes, they can be transplanted singly. I've done it myself on and off over the years. They don't really like it, so you have to think ahead and grow them with a view to being transplanted, and then move them into a well-prepared bed (fine, well-worked, soil; damp, not wet; a hole deep enough to take all of the root ... )

It's a lot of work, so in practice, it's generally easier to sow the seed directly and thin afterwards, but the act of thinning increases the risk of being attacked by carrot flies. You can reduce that by sowing thinly, but then patchy germination can leave you with gaps in the line. As it happens, that's typically what I do, which is where the transplants come in.

magicbastarder

i've never understood the attraction of paying probably a fiver for a tray of seedling veg like that. it's a waste of money.

wait4me

In my case, my carrot seeds planted indoors in trays never took. The rest of my seeds, lettuce, parsnips, brocolli, peas and beetroots, at two euro a pack of seed, came on well and are good enough for transplanting out. I am going to try a tray as well as sow more seed outdoor to see how I get on.

Thanks

Hocus Focus

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've never understood the attraction of paying probably a fiver for a tray of seedling veg like that. it's a waste of money.

If you're behind in your sowing, for whatever reason, or germination failed, due to out-of-date seeds, or total lockdown, as happened last Spring, then this is a good way to catch up.

I found that replanting my thinnings was successful, giving me fresh carrots straight out of the ground at Christmas.

ednwireland

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've never understood the attraction of paying probably a fiver for a tray of seedling veg like that. it's a waste of money.

you wouldnt say that if you saw the state of my seedlings

PeadarOBriain

I always sow direct with carrots. Alternating rows with onion to deter carrot fly. One 8x4 bed in March, one bed in April