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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 24, 2018 18:06:08 GMT -5
Mine is Flakkee.
whats yours?
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 25, 2018 10:19:28 GMT -5
Danvers Half-Long, mostly because it is reliable. Having said that, I am always trying new carrots. I am a sucker for the exotic colors, too (in fact I just ordered some purple ones to try), though I have yet to find a purple or red carrot that produces consistently. Fortunately, with carrots you can try a bunch without tying up much garden space. Also, there is just something fun about pulling carrots. Pulling carrots is almost like opening presents, in that you never know for sure what you're going to get until you see it.
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Post by september on Jan 25, 2018 10:52:39 GMT -5
Nantes, Chanteney, Danvers - don't really have a favorite, but I like the stouter carrots as opposed to long and slender ones. I try a new variety or two every year, but never got into the other colored carrots. I guess I just like the orange color best in soups and stews.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 25, 2018 11:02:46 GMT -5
september , Laura_in_FL , Ever try Flakkee? Idig member "Train" turned me on to these a few years ago. Here is a video of a fellow pulling one of his "small" ones.
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Post by brownrexx on Jan 25, 2018 12:16:01 GMT -5
I just bought seeds for Danvers half long. We have heavy clay soil here so I don't want carrots that go too deep or I just get deformed looking carrots.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 25, 2018 12:22:53 GMT -5
I just bought seeds for Danvers half long. We have heavy clay soil here so I don't want carrots that go too deep or I just get deformed looking carrots. Me too. These do well in heavy soil.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 25, 2018 13:06:46 GMT -5
I did try Flakkee last spring, and they did not do well overall. I got a few really big carrots, but I also got a number of ones too small to use. But I have more seeds, so I will try them again and see if they fare better.
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Post by september on Jan 25, 2018 13:38:00 GMT -5
Never tried Flakee, don't think it's offered in my most commonly used sources of seed. Will look for it in the future.
My success with carrots seem to hinge on how well I get them thinned and watered (and fenced!) during the season. I was slow putting up a separate chicken wire fence around the small carrot bed last year, and the rabbits kept the tops trimmed so short I didn't get anything worth digging. Lesson learned.
Anyone heard from Train lately? Was he ever on other boards besides IDig?
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 25, 2018 13:39:39 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL, The one I've had no luck with was a pretty purple carrot. I sure did want to grow it too!
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Post by guruofgardens on Jan 25, 2018 15:58:55 GMT -5
I grow only Scarlet Nantes.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 25, 2018 20:57:20 GMT -5
Scarlet Nantes is another one that has done pretty well for me in the past, but I don't have seeds for it at the moment. (I have lots of other carrot seeds, though. So I am not fishing for carrot seeds!)
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Post by paquebot on Jan 26, 2018 0:41:23 GMT -5
Almost all of mine did well last year. I had 7 or 8 pots and only Oxheart was a flop. There was Nantes, Nelson, Kuroda, Short 'n Sweet, Purple Dragon, Laguna, Candysnax, Sugarsnax, and Rainbow mix. These were all in 7-gallon and bigger pots with 100% old composted horse manure for medium. Had some go down 15" and turn for another 3" or more. They were all planted on 5 December, 2016. Still one more to harvest and that's in the basement. Only 5 pots planted right now. If I plant in the ground, has to be a Chantenay or Nantes.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by horsea on Jan 26, 2018 18:36:30 GMT -5
Flakkee wouldn't grow for me. How a person can fail at carrots I do not know.
My fave over the years are: Muscade (old var. from Baker Creek) & Bolero (because it's pelletted). Sugarsnax is great, too.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Jan 26, 2018 18:42:30 GMT -5
Flakkee wouldn't grow for me. How a person can fail at carrots I do not know. Me too. I'm pathetic at them. Now having said that, I keep trying. Rainbow mix because I love the white ones although they never put enough of white seed in the packet. And I like the purples as well.
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Post by paquebot on Jan 26, 2018 20:08:29 GMT -5
The Rainbow Hybrid is not a blend but a single hybrid variety. I don't think that it's possible to predict the colors of Rainbow. The last packet gave mostly coral, white, and yellow. Previous had a large percentage of orange. Some of the whites were monsters. The pot had 15" of medium and some kept growing sideways when they hit the bottom. One kept going out through a drain hole and into the soil below.
By the way, will never plant another carrot seed into the ground. Three years of growing in pots have convinced me and others of the same thing. No weed problems and they self-thin. With long varieties, length is limited only to depth of the pot. I use 15" and 18" nursery pots that hold between 7 and 10 gallons. Pots are set about 1½" into good garden soil and left there. Early on, consistent watering is important. After a month, the roots will have followed the water trail out through the drain holes. Then just need to assure that the medium never completely dries out. Harvesting is easy for just a few--pour some water where you want to pull and they'll slip right out. Or, tip the pot over and dump it if you want to harvest all of them.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 27, 2018 2:03:02 GMT -5
paquebot, I don't understand. How do carrots self-thin in pots, and why does it happen in pots but not in the ground?
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Post by paquebot on Jan 27, 2018 11:18:32 GMT -5
In the ground, each seedling has an equal chance to survive. In pots, only those which get their tap roots established first will survive. Just like when carrots are first germinatinig, if they dry out once they are done.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jan 27, 2018 13:22:54 GMT -5
Gotcha, thanks. Which reminds me, I have to go water my newly-sown carrots...
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 27, 2018 14:14:07 GMT -5
paquebot, Ok Brother, You've convinced this hillbilly. I'm gonna try it.
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Post by paquebot on Jan 27, 2018 15:27:28 GMT -5
One key to growing carrots my way is to select varieties which do not have shoulders. They will grow in a solid mass and straight down. I have 5 pots planted right now. They are Candysnax, Laguna, Nelson, Rainbow, and Sugarsnax. Laguna and Nelson are in 7-gallon pots while the others in 10-gallon. (15" deep vs 18".) The medium is again horse manure which has been composted to the point of looking exactly like black silt. Another friend did the same thing last year and recently told me that she will never plant them any other way.
Planting into an organic medium also will teach something about Nature's recycling. You can start with 7 gallons of medium but there will only be 5 gallons after the carrots are removed. That will show you how important compost is for getting a good harvest. The plants eat it!
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 27, 2018 21:11:47 GMT -5
One key to growing carrots my way is to select varieties which do not have shoulders. They will grow in a solid mass and straight down. I have 5 pots planted right now. They are Candysnax, Laguna, Nelson, Rainbow, and Sugarsnax. Laguna and Nelson are in 7-gallon pots while the others in 10-gallon. (15" deep vs 18".) The medium is again horse manure which has been composted to the point of looking exactly like black silt. Another friend did the same thing last year and recently told me that she will never plant them any other way. Planting into an organic medium also will teach something about Nature's recycling. You can start with 7 gallons of medium but there will only be 5 gallons after the carrots are removed. That will show you how important compost is for getting a good harvest. The plants eat it! Martin The truth is more important than the facts. Don't have any Horse Manure. Also don't have those particular varieties. I do have a huge pile of algae from our catfish pond that is well composted. I did pick up some Nantes.
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Post by paquebot on Jan 27, 2018 22:08:12 GMT -5
Whatever is used as a medium for pots must be both rich and loose. All of the nutrients will come from it. When the tap roots go out through the drain holes, they are only looking for water. Carrots need room to expand so it must be loose. And, must be able to hold moisture. The old horse manure that I use comes from a stable that uses sawdust rather than straw. The sawdust breaks down to humus and that's great for holding water.
There should be no reason why someone can't find horse manure. You can't miss them in their pastures! Pastures are usually connected to barns and they in turn have manure piles. I have 5 sources ranging from fresh from the horse to totally composted. Three of those came about by stopping to ask. It's out there, just have to look for it.
And since this is a carrot thread, there is always a warning to not use fresh manure. Reason is that it will cause forked or palmated carrots. I've used fairly fresh manure for tomatoes in pots but never carrots. I would say it should be at least a year old before using it for carrots.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jan 27, 2018 22:25:15 GMT -5
paquebot, Thanks. There's plenty of horses around here, but I'd need to get someone to bring it here. I'm not able to drive or lift anymore. I bet I could find some teenaged boys to work for a few bucks though. I had planned to get a couple to plant my tomatoes for me. Kids around here are always stopping and asking if I need any work done. Last year, I had a fellow stop by that was looking for work. He cleaned Algae from my catfish tank, trimmed trees, mowed grass and did some work on my RV roof.
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