Carrots - my experiment

 I have had the dreaded fly from year 1 of my venture into growing veg, year
2 was the same and it nearly put me off growing the things.
Year 3(last year) I made a timber frame and covered it with pvc around, not
the top as water will not get through. I had no fly and someone here
suggested that it might be because the fly and its larvae died during
winter. I tested this year. I sowed seeds in the frame and a few in open
ground.

The carrots in the frame are perfect whereas the ones in open ground are
riddled with the thing.

To me this is case proven though when I first heard of the barrier method I
was very sceptical.(Isuppose some wiseass is going to make a joke about
barrier method)

It's a faff and expensive making the frame but a carrot fresh out of the
ground is something to write home about, and the frame will last a few
years?

Baz  

 
"They" also say thet carrot root fly are active when Cow parsley is in
flower.

 

A large "Country " House not far from me has turned to commercial veg
gardening to help make ends meet. We visited the gardens and the owner had a
section put to carrots. the Plot was surrounded with a plant (can't rememer
the name) which grew to about 18 ins tall. This we were told kept the carrot
fly away as the fly likes to approach the plants near the ground.  To me
this sounded bizarrebut apparently it works.  This might explain why the
polythene screen round your carrots prevented the fly getting to your
carrots.

Don't laugh - just throw pennies :-)

Bill

 

I have sowed them as thinly as possible in both cases and have not thinned
out any of them.

Baz

 

snippy

I just use pea sticks at 3ft intervals, then run kitchen cling film around
the area, taping to the sticks. Works fine
Pete C