To keep the seed moist & get fast germination, I do what we call 'boarding in' the carrots. After careful planting, I use mist setting and water well. Then I lay 1" x 6" boards, usually scrap lumber, on top of row, covering the moist, shallowly planted carrot seed. Keep checking to see when seeds sprout, then remove the boards. It's a tip from an old gardener 40 yrs ago, it works great for me.
I do almost the same thing: I water my bed, pull the rows, spread my seeds, cover them lightly with compost, use mist sprayer, and then cover with boards. Usually by day ten all of them have germinated and I remove the boards. Works also with moist cardboards or soaked old jeans.
I use the boarding method also and don't even cover my seeds with soil. I break up the soil, water, broadcast the seed and then cover. Once I see good germination I uncover.
Some people have suggested to use boards to keep in the moisture. You need to keep checking them and then lift up the boards when they start popping up out of the soil. I tweaked this method and used cardboard cutouts for the containers that I was growing in. I put small rocks on the cardboard so they didn't blow away. This method worked great since you don't even need to lift up the cardboard when you water. Just let the water soak through the cardboard and you're good to go. This method worked great for me this year. Very high germination rate.
I absolutely LOVE how you have the younguns out there and are teaching them. I noticed that you instructed the youngest and then her older sister followed up with showing her, again, how it's done. I have a daughter that has told me that she is waiting till her sons are older and will be out of her way, before she starts gardening. I think they are all missing out on a wonderful life experience. Kudos to you Josh.
in addition to keeping the soil moist, for hard to germinate seeds, putting them in a jar of water and running them through a marinade cycle with a vacuum sealer does a good job of getting moisture inside the seed quickly.
Gardening with my son has been a fantastically rewarding experience. He's the only one that's been interested. Both my girls couldn't care less! He started helping me at 3 - they don't need to be old to dig holes!
On the Farm, my brother and sisters ALL worked together. Planting, weeding, and harvesting. Ours was bigger than your place, but seeing your girls helping, is beautiful to see. Memories Flashback ! The kids will love eating those carrots later !
A couple of years ago I decided to go deeper with my planting also. 1/4" +or-. And I had much better results with germination. The other thing that happened was that the top of the carrots, when they grew, were mostly below the surface, and that kept them from getting green. 🥕
This spring I planted my carrots in a raised bed, I covered with sifted compost like you did and then a thin layer of pine shavings, about 1/2-1 inch worth, and watered well. Having a covering over the soil really helped with holding the moisture in and protected the seeds a little more during the watering process as well. I did the board method last year and that was okay, but doing the layer of pine shavings has given me the greatest success yet!
Good morning!! I’m happy you touched the topic of not stressing out about covering the seeds. To be honest, that was my biggest worry until you said so. Thank you Uncle! The girls did a great job dispersing the seeds.❤❤❤
I just watched a RUclips on spacing carrots. It was ingenius! She made a gel out of cornstarch and water. Put the seeds in after soaking them until they just started to sprout. Put in a zip lock bag, using it like a pastry bag. Amazing how evenly the seeds came out!
@@monav1423 Hi! I saw it today too, and this #1 HACK! method alone or both combined would be great! They're from Quebec and it was called perfect spacing and they germinate the seeds first before pouring them into the cornstarch thickened water. Then planted the gelled seeds. They thought it was much easier to drizzle along and helped to keep some moist and spaced. At harvest time she showed a link to the outcome video and I'd suggest that you watch both before trying it.
For years now, I’ve had great success soaking almost all of my seeds before planting. Usually 4-24 hours, depending on the size of the seed. The seeds then have the moisture to start sprouting. Since they sprout a lot faster, there is less time for soil to dry out before green starts popping up.
@@Zeldabug24 I strain them in a small mesh kitchen strainer, flip the strainer over onto a paper towel, and gently pat them dry. Sometimes I let them air dry a little if needed. Then plant.
I love that I know when you give tips, you've used them (probably more than once) yourselves and tried other ways as well most likely. And if it's a tip you've just heard, you say so.
This! This is one of the only channels i feel comfortable taking at face value! Many other people will do something in a video without the knowledge behind it & its wrong info.
Those girls did an absolutely amazing job!! I would hire them to help with my garden. They are learning the most important life skills from y’all. May god continue to bless your beautiful family. ❤️
I had good luck using a thin plastic, like for over spray when painting, laying over the seeded area. I'm able to keep soil moist and I can easily see when they've sprouted to be able to remove the plastic, which I reuse many times.
Has anyone had success with soaking seeds? This was my first year to try it with other seeds like tiny basils. It worked really well. Actually, I lined up tiny glass containers with water and soaked a ton of seeds before putting them in dirt and I had the best germination ever! I’m in zone 8 far west Texas.
I have experimented with soaking seeds. I put them in Petri dishes. It is a good way to check for germination. After the seeds germinated I put them in small pots with potting soil. This works with most all seeds although makes more work for yourself for those seeds that you can direct sow in your garden. A few seeds like spinach seem to prefer being started in soil.
I tried with a few other seeds but our water contains chemicals which killed the seeds.Never tried on carrots,the seeds look to small but you might try rain water
finally. a very good video with somebody ( a bit older) who is not hyperactive. I think all this market gardening stuff is great .... there is just a certain flavor about many of these videos that puts me off. Thanks for this.
Pelleted seed really makes the job easier, allows a seeder to be used, and ony costs a buck or three extra over tens of thousands of seeds. Even if hand seeding, makes it easier to singulate/space the seed and eliminates the need to later thin.
I have a tiny garden in comparison but I water well and cover with cardboard for the first week to two weeks. Works for me. Found some growing still in January 😂 last yr in Missouri.
Carrots seed their 2nd year. I plant in a raised bed and even had my soil freeze over the winter in it and covered in a few inches of snow for a few days. My carrot and beets I didn't fall harvest survived fine and are seeding now. My sweet peas I planted early November also made it through winter and I began harvesting pods in May.
Your methods are terrific, I will give them all a try. My opinion is that carrots germinate only in warm enough soil. Last year I planted carrots three times in different parts Of the same row approximately ten days apart. They all germinated and grew at the same time. We had way, way too many!
"There are no mistakes, just happy accidents."😂 I love it when our children teach us how to do something.💕 We currently have some carrots in a container...so far so good. I've all but given up on them, but maybe there's still hope.😉 Thanks for the tips, they make a lot of sense.
I put my carrot seed directly on the soil. Water them. Then I place a sheet of cut plywood that fit my boxes. Check them after 7bdays. Then every day after. Been they sprout and root. I pull the plywood and POOF! No fail.
This year my carrots sown in the sunny part of the garden hardly came up. Contrarily, those sown in the (partial) shade came up beautifully. Other conditions - depth, watering, soil - identical. Which proves that keeping seeds moist is the critical condition. Covering with planks or cardboard is one option.
One of the tips for showing carrots seeds is to cover with 1/8 - 1/4 soil water then cover with a 2/4 for to give days up to ten days. Keep checking each variety is different. It worked every time close to a hundred percent sprouting. Works for me hope it works for you.
Soaker hose / leaky hose works to keep the beds damp without overhead sprays. I'm also a board fan and use the fine compost cover, but use a length of 2x2 pressed in to make a shallow V trench. Good video.
I like to use white row cover right on top the soil after seeding, had successful germination with carrots 2 years in a row with this method. I also tried straw mulch one year👌
Nice garden! I have a 23' x 50' garden that used to be lawn. After cardboard, leaves and my broadfork, it works! ❤ I remember learning how to plant garden seeds with my Mom when I was around your girls' ages, 60 years ago! Wonderful, lasting and important memories ❤
Thought you might consider this tip I got from another gardener's post : she soaked her coated seeds in water till they Start to sprout (apprx 2 days). She mixes 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in 2 cups of water which she heats on medium until the solution is like a fluid gelatin, when cooled she adds the liquid & the sprouting coated carrot seeds to this gelatinous liquid. This combo is poured into a ziplock back. In the garden bed (she has prepared as you did) she snips the corner of the bag as you would for a pastry bag; and squeezes out a stream of this seed jelly into her rows. She says this coating of cornstarch maintains the moisture for a longer period & the distribution method nearly eliminates thinning. She grows a lot of carrots. Found her post just before yours. Happy gardening & thank you.
Thank you. Couple of things I done different was that I planted my rows closer ... maybe three inches apart...carrots still have plenty room to grow and develop ... then I tamped them down and then I water them with a fine mist from a hose till they were very damp ... then I covered them all with a tarp to hold in the moisture ... and they sprouted within 8 days (not two weeks) that's the secret: hold the moisture in - don't leave them open to the atmosphere until they sprout. Lift tarp every four or five days and water them well...
I would call that tilling, but since I'm not married to the no-till method it doesn't bother me. Most root crops want loose soil, and that looks like a great setup for carrots!
In Buckeye, AZ. it gets hot quick from spring to fall. One of the things I have to do is plant them about half of an inch deep and cover them with mulch and top them with wood chips. It takes a little longer for them to come up but it keeps the soil moist and allows for better growth.
I'd like to see more videos from you sir. Your wife's kitchen skills are fab, but your outdoor info is very valuable as well. There's nothing to can if the garden won't grow. And I like your quiet style a lot.
I use a combination of seed starter and potting mix to cover. Mist the seeds at not to keep most or when needed.The one mistack I made was using last year's seed,I use a small seeder I found at Walmart to space.Thin early and space the carrots.Thanks for the extra advice
Great tips Jess on finding a starting path to a sustainable food system. Folks have come to believe that such a thing is so complicated and unattainable that they refuse to even start to try. You have pointed to some great tips that anyone can begin with and apply to success. Thanks for sharing!
This is my first year sowing carrots in my home garden. My metal bed is small, so I placed some thick styrofoam strips over the carrot rows and a hoop cover over the bed. It's been rainy and very windy, so I have to go back and secure the strips with landscape staples, because even through a pest screen, the wind has moved them a little. Just repurposing something I already have to keep the seeds moist and undisturbed by the wind. I have seen people place boards over the rows until germination, too. I also plan to plant more carrot seeds in a large tub. I like the idea of using a 3/4" mesh wire cut in a circle to measure the distances to sow each seed for a compact space. But, I think I'll leave it in place, and just lay wet carboard cut the same size and place that on top so seeds don't get disturbed when removing it. 🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕
Never had a problem getting my carrots to grow. This year is an exception. I’ve planted and replanted and they still haven’t grown. And I planted them into loose soil and potting soil.
Your girls are darling and you are training them for sustainable living! My daughter city raised, when found out that you kill chickens to eat them just couldn’t comprehend eating beautiful chickens! My dad grew up on a farm but never taught us!
I dont plant rows that long` I put sheets of one ply bathroom tissue on top of the seeds without soil. I mist to keep moist. Works everytime and I tried it with my marigolds this year and it worked for them also!
Interesting and informative video! I especially like your method of covering carrot seeds with finely-sifted growing medium. I've had success with two different approaches to keeping carrot seeds moist. The first is by seeding in well-watered soil and covering with old carpet and then removing the carpet when the seeds start pushing up above the soil. The second method (I'm small-scale) is to use a drip system with fine-mist sprayers and misting the seeded bed for about a minute or two 3 times daily.
has anybody tried mixing carrot seeds with dry sand, ratio roughly 1:5, and sow it that way? much easier handling, spacing is about right, it works for me. good luck, happy gardening to everyone
I would trash the method with the rake(planting rows). Your no till fork would make better groves and it's pre-spaced already. Take what other's are willing to help you with and use your own brain, create your method. Your garden space looks great! You definitely have experience and knowledge! Thats more than I can say for most RUclips Gardners .
These are very good suggestions. I've grown carrots for years and used very similar process, if you don't have a watering system take care they don't dry out when geminating.
I was taught by an old farmer to use a pepper shaker filled with sand/carrot seed/radishes. The side naturally spaces them. The carrots are spaced when you pull the radishes. Other than thT he never thinned. You could pull up handfuls of beautiful carrots 🥕
Awesome!! This year I've been experimenting with different germinating techniques, ive Found what's working best/fastest way for me. I put a bunch of seeds in a mason jar , a piece screening over top and put the metal ring on, I add water and then drain ad put jar sideways resting in bowl, I cover with tea towel and every day I rinse with water , in less than a week they are all sprouted ( then I use the cornstarch method to plant, it's been working like. Charm.
Try this, after making the four rows to plant in, take a thin straight piece of wood (like 1/2” plywood x 4” x48” nailed to a 3 ft handle (1 1/2” by 3/4”)and go down the rows lightly pressing the thin wood into the bottom of the rows the entire length of the rows. Then plant the seeds and cover with screened compost like you did. This method flattens the bottom of the row so that the seeds make better contact with the soil giving them more consistent moisture for germination. It only takes a few minutes to do this added step.
We love carrots, and i have 2 more varieties I want to try out and will be planting them soon. I have been sifting compost for two years like your lovely girls. It's a wonder I don't have Popeye arms! My beloved husband decided to build an electric trommel after he had to sift in the hot weather for an hour! Can't wait for it to be done!
I have used this method for years. I put old curtains over the bed to keep the soil moist and dark until they sprout . I can water right through the curtains. Even old sheer curtains will work. They all come up quickly.
I think we need to look at the way we do things so our bodies last as long as possible. Very long rows. Squatting, especially, wrecks the knees over time and bending all day long is best avoided, although you have no trouble sleeping. I prefer to use a seeder and plant plugs using long handled planter. No bending or kneeling! I've done it both ways and know which I prefer.
Carrots are easy, but the main issue as was stated here is that the seeds are tiny and not planting to deeply. But watering is the key and he states the reason most mess up. Large drops of water including rain water will scatter or move the seed or worse bury them with soil runoff from heavy rain or watering! This is key. Misting or drip irrigation with a close eye will prevent this from happening along with shelter from heavy rain or any rain until the plant is established. Enjoy, but baby them. Great tips! Thank you!
I like to plant carrots in feb when there is a patch of time with no snow on the ground and when the ground is thawed out. they come up great doing this when it gets warmer and the soil keeps moist that way. Never had a problem germinating.
I flipped through a website search and for depth recommendations and found them between 1/4 to 1/2 inch depths. Thinking we can enjoy what turns out without getting too worried! I don't have 80' rows! I sure love this method!
Raising Gardens in Kentucky, we always plant our carrots in planters. We usually use the 12" wide by 3 ' long type and use a slightly loose soil. In using containers we can control the soil type and moisture the soil retains.
Have u tried the jang seeder? Ive had success using an Earthway light carrot disc or tape up extra holes in regular carrot disc, 1/2" deep... I have red clay and plant Danvers 1/2 long. But I wouldn't trade those lovely children for any seeder...
Thanks so much Homesteading Family for all the tips. Extending a landscape rake is new to me. What I do with tiny seeds is mix them with sand and use a salt or spice shaker. That usually disperses the seed pretty evenly.
I was hit and miss with my carrots for quite a while until I started putting some old weather boards over my rows until they germinate and just Mist them several times a day depending on the heat. 👍
Have you ever seen people use sand with the seeds depending on how many seeds you use then you add sand to keep them spread out when you are direct sowing the seeds. I've seen it work for others it's an old tip that some of the older gens give to us so that we don't drop so many seeds in one area and have to get rid of some. Waste is what they are trying to avoid so that we can keep our seeds. :)
I used to have a small plot in a nearby community P-patch. So space was at a premium. Using the "square foot gardening" method, I laid out a grid of 1-ft squares in a raised garden bed. Then using the eraser end of a pencil, I pushed half inch deep holes every one inch, such that each square foot had 12x12=144 holes. Using a jar lid to hold some of the seeds, I then used a tweezers to carefully plant exactly one seed per hole. Then filled in the holes by brushing the surface lightly with my hand. Being diligent to water every day and keep the soil moist until the seedlings were well established, not only did I achieve nearly 100% germination and no need for thinning, the carrots matured very well, growing to nearly a foot long and were mostly 1 inch in diameter, making maximum use of the space available. I ended up with way more carrots than I could use and gave a lot of them away.
I planted carrot seeds in Peet pellets indoors and they sprout in 2 days. That's bolero and the rainbow variety carrots. I transplant them after that. If your careful with the Peet's they don't seem to have any shock or ill effects.
My grandmother used to plant one or two radish seeds for about every nine inches of carrot row, before the carrot seed was gently covered by agitating her rake on top of the row,tines held parallel to soil surface. This marked the row from when radishes sprouted (much quicker than carrots) until the carrots were big enough to thin and weed around. It helped prevent carrots being uprooted if not planted in straight row per plan. For crop of radishes, she planted them in their own row.
Pelleted seed makes it SO much easier, and no thinning! It also helps to cover the seedbed after watering to prevent evaporation, but you have to be quick to uncover them as soon as they germinate!
As I recall you mentioned the deeper planting of carrots seeds in a past video which led me to start planting this way. Works great, I don't even bother sifting the soil on top, just dig trench and cover seeds with it. Thank you for spreading the word to help people have better success with our gardening adventures.
Good stuff! I actually read the seed packet this year and I'm pretty sure they said to plant them 1/2 inch deep...I had always planted them too shallow too.
Excellent video. I have great germination even through woodchips, I love that even after all these years you are experimenting and doing a test with more soil cover. I bet they do just as well as the rest of your row!
I saw a tip about how to control the carrot seed placement easier & more precise. You mix up corn starch with water to a thin consistency of say, icing on a cinnamon roll maybe even thinner but not watery, add to a ziplock bag along with seeds, gently mix in together. Snip off a small corner of bag & apply in ur rows.much easier way to control amount of seeds plus they are premoist without the seeds moving around.
To keep the seed moist & get fast germination, I do what we call 'boarding in' the carrots. After careful planting, I use mist setting and water well. Then I lay 1" x 6" boards, usually scrap lumber, on top of row, covering the moist, shallowly planted carrot seed. Keep checking to see when seeds sprout, then remove the boards. It's a tip from an old gardener 40 yrs ago, it works great for me.
Old dutch method: cover up with burlap bags and keep them moist
I do almost the same thing:
I water my bed, pull the rows, spread my seeds, cover them lightly with compost, use mist sprayer, and then cover with boards. Usually by day ten all of them have germinated and I remove the boards. Works also with moist cardboards or soaked old jeans.
@@earlshine453 I've heard of this. Where can you buy burlap bags?
Yes, the board method works. I have high germination under boards and its easier to keep moist
I use the boarding method also and don't even cover my seeds with soil. I break up the soil, water, broadcast the seed and then cover. Once I see good germination I uncover.
I love that a mistake lead to a revelation! Gardening is all about learning + observing.
Amen!
Hi Heather how are you?
Some people have suggested to use boards to keep in the moisture. You need to keep checking them and then lift up the boards when they start popping up out of the soil. I tweaked this method and used cardboard cutouts for the containers that I was growing in. I put small rocks on the cardboard so they didn't blow away. This method worked great since you don't even need to lift up the cardboard when you water. Just let the water soak through the cardboard and you're good to go. This method worked great for me this year. Very high germination rate.
I absolutely LOVE how you have the younguns out there and are teaching them. I noticed that you instructed the youngest and then her older sister followed up with showing her, again, how it's done. I have a daughter that has told me that she is waiting till her sons are older and will be out of her way, before she starts gardening. I think they are all missing out on a wonderful life experience. Kudos to you Josh.
in addition to keeping the soil moist, for hard to germinate seeds, putting them in a jar of water and running them through a marinade cycle with a vacuum sealer does a good job of getting moisture inside the seed quickly.
I gardened with my mom, who gardened with her mom. I garden now as an adult, and my sisters do as well.
Gardening with my son has been a fantastically rewarding experience. He's the only one that's been interested. Both my girls couldn't care less! He started helping me at 3 - they don't need to be old to dig holes!
Yes! My son has his kids help garden - so enjoyable to see!
Our girls help us too. Something they'll remember.
On the Farm, my brother and sisters ALL worked together. Planting, weeding, and harvesting. Ours was bigger than your place, but seeing your girls helping, is beautiful to see. Memories Flashback !
The kids will love eating those carrots later !
Man, this family is truly blessed. All these videos are either great lessons or just beautiful, joyous things.
LOVE THAT YOU HAVE YOUR GIRLS LEARNING WITH DAD!!
Best way to teach and form a great bond♥️
This brings tears to my eyes seeing your children help you! What a gift you are giving them.
A couple of years ago I decided to go deeper with my planting also. 1/4" +or-. And I had much better results with germination. The other thing that happened was that the top of the carrots, when they grew, were mostly below the surface, and that kept them from getting green. 🥕
This world needs more MEN like this man. Thank you for sharing 💜
This spring I planted my carrots in a raised bed, I covered with sifted compost like you did and then a thin layer of pine shavings, about 1/2-1 inch worth, and watered well. Having a covering over the soil really helped with holding the moisture in and protected the seeds a little more during the watering process as well. I did the board method last year and that was okay, but doing the layer of pine shavings has given me the greatest success yet!
Thanks for this because I was just wondering about using some rice straw for thT same purpose. I'll go ahead.
Hi Raylin how are you?
Good morning!! I’m happy you touched the topic of not stressing out about covering the seeds. To be honest, that was my biggest worry until you said so. Thank you Uncle! The girls did a great job dispersing the seeds.❤❤❤
I just watched a RUclips on spacing carrots. It was ingenius! She made a gel out of cornstarch and water. Put the seeds in after soaking them until they just started to sprout. Put in a zip lock bag, using it like a pastry bag. Amazing how evenly the seeds came out!
I saw that too :)
I’ve got to try that. Thanks for mentioning it.
@@monav1423
Hi! I saw it today too, and this #1 HACK! method alone or both combined would be great! They're from Quebec and it was called perfect spacing and they germinate the seeds first before pouring them into the cornstarch thickened water. Then planted the gelled seeds. They thought it was much easier to drizzle along and helped to keep some moist and spaced. At harvest time she showed a link to the outcome video and I'd suggest that you watch both before trying it.
Any idea what the video name was? I need to see that...
@@kathymc234
Sowing carrots in cornstarch
PLEASE do more vegetable planting guides. Very helpful!
Hi Katherine how are you??
For years now, I’ve had great success soaking almost all of my seeds before planting. Usually 4-24 hours, depending on the size of the seed. The seeds then have the moisture to start sprouting. Since they sprout a lot faster, there is less time for soil to dry out before green starts popping up.
Are the carrot seeds hard too plant after being soaked? They are so small I would think they would clump together?
@@Zeldabug24 I strain them in a small mesh kitchen strainer, flip the strainer over onto a paper towel, and gently pat them dry. Sometimes I let them air dry a little if needed. Then plant.
I love that I know when you give tips, you've used them (probably more than once) yourselves and tried other ways as well most likely. And if it's a tip you've just heard, you say so.
Agreed. Everyone these days is a "RUclips" expert.
This!
This is one of the only channels i feel comfortable taking at face value!
Many other people will do something in a video without the knowledge behind it & its wrong info.
Hi Salem how are you?
I learned the exact same thing. I plant them about 1/4 inch or a little less and they do much better for me now.
Those girls did an absolutely amazing job!! I would hire them to help with my garden. They are learning the most important life skills from y’all. May god continue to bless your beautiful family. ❤️
I had good luck using a thin plastic, like for over spray when painting, laying over the seeded area. I'm able to keep soil moist and I can easily see when they've sprouted to be able to remove the plastic, which I reuse many times.
Oh! Good idea!
You blew my mind with the PEX over the take tines!
That was a cool trick we'll have to try
Has anyone had success with soaking seeds? This was my first year to try it with other seeds like tiny basils. It worked really well. Actually, I lined up tiny glass containers with water and soaked a ton of seeds before putting them in dirt and I had the best germination ever! I’m in zone 8 far west Texas.
I think carrot seeds are too tiny to soak and plant. Unless you use twizzers to separate them.
I have experimented with soaking seeds. I put them in Petri dishes. It is a good way to check for germination. After the seeds germinated I put them in small pots with potting soil. This works with most all seeds although makes more work for yourself for those seeds that you can direct sow in your garden. A few seeds like spinach seem to prefer being started in soil.
I tried with a few other seeds but our water contains chemicals which killed the seeds.Never tried on carrots,the seeds look to small but you might try rain water
finally. a very good video with somebody ( a bit older) who is not hyperactive. I think all this market gardening stuff is great .... there is just a certain flavor about many of these videos that puts me off. Thanks for this.
Pelleted seed really makes the job easier, allows a seeder to be used, and ony costs a buck or three extra over tens of thousands of seeds.
Even if hand seeding, makes it easier to singulate/space the seed and eliminates the need to later thin.
Seed tape is even easier. I too have had trouble with carrots. This year I tried seed tape and have had fantastic success!
I much preferred the pelleted seeds when planting baskets of petunias and snap-dragons this spring! It is insane how small some seeds are!
Johnnies seeds sell pelleted carrots seeds
The later need to thin produces nice and tender carrots. The best tasting ones. So i prefer to oversow this crop.
So I planted some seeds in our Florida winter. They didn't come up. Now that it's in the 90s they are growing! My free range rabbits are happy now Lol
🤔 Interesting. I was waiting till September to possobly plant them....hmmmm
I have a tiny garden in comparison but I water well and cover with cardboard for the first week to two weeks. Works for me. Found some growing still in January 😂 last yr in Missouri.
Carrots seed their 2nd year. I plant in a raised bed and even had my soil freeze over the winter in it and covered in a few inches of snow for a few days. My carrot and beets I didn't fall harvest survived fine and are seeding now. My sweet peas I planted early November also made it through winter and I began harvesting pods in May.
Your methods are terrific, I will give them all a try. My opinion is that carrots germinate only in warm enough soil. Last year I planted carrots three times in different parts
Of the same row approximately ten days apart. They all germinated and grew at the same time. We had way, way too many!
I would love to have "way, way too many!" 😅
"There are no mistakes, just happy accidents."😂 I love it when our children teach us how to do something.💕 We currently have some carrots in a container...so far so good. I've all but given up on them, but maybe there's still hope.😉 Thanks for the tips, they make a lot of sense.
I put my carrot seed directly on the soil. Water them. Then I place a sheet of cut plywood that fit my boxes. Check them after 7bdays. Then every day after. Been they sprout and root. I pull the plywood and POOF! No fail.
This year my carrots sown in the sunny part of the garden hardly came up. Contrarily, those sown in the (partial) shade came up beautifully. Other conditions - depth, watering, soil - identical. Which proves that keeping seeds moist is the critical condition. Covering with planks or cardboard is one option.
I used your method, but with a small patch I covered them with old bath towels to keep moist. After 7 days all germinated. Thanks for the info!
I grow carrots in Arizona and they grow the size of large great fruits, And yes they're mostly round very Orange, Is very delicious
Hello how are you?
@@morris.d5233 A property owner in Ashfork Arizona, a mile high, With very fertile soil , I have features that will blow you away.
One of the tips for showing carrots seeds is to cover with 1/8 - 1/4 soil water then cover with a 2/4 for to give days up to ten days. Keep checking each variety is different. It worked every time close to a hundred percent sprouting. Works for me hope it works for you.
Soaker hose / leaky hose works to keep the beds damp without overhead sprays. I'm also a board fan and use the fine compost cover, but use a length of 2x2 pressed in to make a shallow V trench. Good video.
Sifted compost is a joy to work with...Some vermicompost will make some happy carrots will make them very sweet;
I like to use white row cover right on top the soil after seeding, had successful germination with carrots 2 years in a row with this method. I also tried straw mulch one year👌
weed prevention fabric or frost protection fabric?
Nice garden!
I have a 23' x 50' garden that used to be lawn. After cardboard, leaves and my broadfork, it works! ❤
I remember learning how to plant garden seeds with my Mom when I was around your girls' ages, 60 years ago!
Wonderful, lasting and important memories ❤
Hi Nancy how are you?
I did the cornstarch method this year and results are great. Less thinning and less watering.
Thanks for the video. I look forward to seeing those girls doing videos themselves. They have a natural aptitude for gardening.
I love your channel. Just started following you. It’s so enriching to watch your family and see the cooperation and love of a traditional family.
Thought you might consider this tip I got from another gardener's post : she soaked her coated seeds in water till they Start to sprout (apprx 2 days). She mixes 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in 2 cups of water which she heats on medium until the solution is like a fluid gelatin, when cooled she adds the liquid & the sprouting coated carrot seeds to this gelatinous liquid. This combo is poured into a ziplock back. In the garden bed (she has prepared as you did) she snips the corner of the bag as you would for a pastry bag; and squeezes out a stream of this seed jelly into her rows. She says this coating of cornstarch maintains the moisture for a longer period & the distribution method nearly eliminates thinning. She grows a lot of carrots. Found her post just before yours. Happy gardening & thank you.
Hello how are you?
Such a fuss! Wish they'd just grow by themselves! 😅
The Jang seeder works for carrots. It works really well.
Great. video and a fab way to get the kids involved.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you.
Couple of things I done different was that I planted my rows closer ... maybe three inches apart...carrots still have plenty room to grow and develop ... then I tamped them down and then I water them with a fine mist from a hose till they were very damp ... then I covered them all with a tarp to hold in the moisture ... and they sprouted within 8 days (not two weeks) that's the secret: hold the moisture in - don't leave them open to the atmosphere until they sprout. Lift tarp every four or five days and water them well...
I would call that tilling, but since I'm not married to the no-till method it doesn't bother me. Most root crops want loose soil, and that looks like a great setup for carrots!
Thank you so much for the actual video lesson. I learn by watching and doing. And this will help me with my carrots that I just started.
You've got some great helpers there!
In Buckeye, AZ. it gets hot quick from spring to fall. One of the things I have to do is plant them about half of an inch deep and cover them with mulch and top them with wood chips. It takes a little longer for them to come up but it keeps the soil moist and allows for better growth.
I'd like to see more videos from you sir. Your wife's kitchen skills are fab, but your outdoor info is very valuable as well. There's nothing to can if the garden won't grow. And I like your quiet style a lot.
I use a combination of seed starter and potting mix to cover. Mist the seeds at not to keep most or when needed.The one mistack I made was using last year's seed,I use a small seeder I found at Walmart to space.Thin early and space the carrots.Thanks for the extra advice
I had an amazing carrot harvest this year. Thank you for this tutorial!
Great tips Jess on finding a starting path to a sustainable food system. Folks have come to believe that such a thing is so complicated and unattainable that they refuse to even start to try. You have pointed to some great tips that anyone can begin with and apply to success. Thanks for sharing!
This is my first year sowing carrots in my home garden. My metal bed is small, so I placed some thick styrofoam strips over the carrot rows and a hoop cover over the bed. It's been rainy and very windy, so I have to go back and secure the strips with landscape staples, because even through a pest screen, the wind has moved them a little. Just repurposing something I already have to keep the seeds moist and undisturbed by the wind. I have seen people place boards over the rows until germination, too.
I also plan to plant more carrot seeds in a large tub. I like the idea of using a 3/4" mesh wire cut in a circle to measure the distances to sow each seed for a compact space. But, I think I'll leave it in place, and just lay wet carboard cut the same size and place that on top so seeds don't get disturbed when removing it.
🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕
I LOVE my broad fork!! Best garden tool I’ve EVER purchased!! Also a great work out 😉
Never had a problem getting my carrots to grow. This year is an exception. I’ve planted and replanted and they still haven’t grown. And I planted them into loose soil and potting soil.
Your girls are darling and you are training them for sustainable living! My daughter city raised, when found out that you kill chickens to eat them just couldn’t comprehend eating beautiful chickens! My dad grew up on a farm but never taught us!
I love seeing how you guys teach your kids everything. You are preparing them excellently🙏❤️
Hi Essie how are you?
I dont plant rows that long` I put sheets of one ply bathroom tissue on top of the seeds without soil. I mist to keep moist. Works everytime and I tried it with my marigolds this year and it worked for them also!
Hi hope you are fine?
Interesting and informative video! I especially like your method of covering carrot seeds with finely-sifted growing medium.
I've had success with two different approaches to keeping carrot seeds moist. The first is by seeding in well-watered soil and covering with old carpet and then removing the carpet when the seeds start pushing up above the soil. The second method (I'm small-scale) is to use a drip system with fine-mist sprayers and misting the seeded bed for about a minute or two 3 times daily.
has anybody tried mixing carrot seeds with dry sand, ratio roughly 1:5, and sow it that way? much easier handling, spacing is about right, it works for me. good luck, happy gardening to everyone
I was looking for a sand comment!! This is good for many reasons, look it up and give it a try.
Hi Lenka how are you?
The girls are such good helpers !
Personally i trench and pinch the trench. No issues. I'm also throwing all rules out the window and not thinning them.
I would trash the method with the rake(planting rows). Your no till fork would make better groves and it's pre-spaced already.
Take what other's are willing to help you with and use your own brain, create your method.
Your garden space looks great! You definitely have experience and knowledge! Thats more than I can say for most RUclips Gardners .
Thank you for keeping the camera steady or if it moves, it moves very slowly -- easy on my tired eyes. I love the row-maker tip!
These are very good suggestions. I've grown carrots for years and used very similar process, if you don't have a watering system take care they don't dry out when geminating.
I was taught by an old farmer to use a pepper shaker filled with sand/carrot seed/radishes. The side naturally spaces them. The carrots are spaced when you pull the radishes. Other than thT he never thinned. You could pull up handfuls of beautiful carrots 🥕
Hi Heidi how are you?
Aren't the carrots disturbed when you pull the radishes?
Awesome!! This year I've been experimenting with different germinating techniques, ive Found what's working best/fastest way for me. I put a bunch of seeds in a mason jar , a piece screening over top and put the metal ring on, I add water and then drain ad put jar sideways resting in bowl, I cover with tea towel and every day I rinse with water , in less than a week they are all sprouted ( then I use the cornstarch method to plant, it's been working like. Charm.
Try this, after making the four rows to plant in, take a thin straight piece of wood (like 1/2” plywood x 4” x48” nailed to a 3 ft handle (1 1/2” by 3/4”)and go down the rows lightly pressing the thin wood into the bottom of the rows the entire length of the rows. Then plant the seeds and cover with screened compost like you did. This method flattens the bottom of the row so that the seeds make better contact with the soil giving them more consistent moisture for germination. It only takes a few minutes to do this added step.
We love carrots, and i have 2 more varieties I want to try out and will be planting them soon. I have been sifting compost for two years like your lovely girls. It's a wonder I don't have Popeye arms! My beloved husband decided to build an electric trommel after he had to sift in the hot weather for an hour! Can't wait for it to be done!
I have used this method for years. I put old curtains over the bed to keep the soil moist and dark until they sprout . I can water right through the curtains. Even old sheer curtains will work. They all come up quickly.
The Meadow Creature is legit. I've had mine for 4 years and it still works like the day I got it
I like the cornstarch gel that Malorie of Quebec Homestead uses to transport her carrot seeds from the germinator into the planting rows.
Very informative as usual. The homestead looks so beautiful with the neat rows and trees in the landscape. Breathtaking!
Hi how are you?
I think we need to look at the way we do things so our bodies last as long as possible. Very long rows. Squatting, especially, wrecks the knees over time and bending all day long is best avoided, although you have no trouble sleeping. I prefer to use a seeder and plant plugs using long handled planter. No bending or kneeling! I've done it both ways and know which I prefer.
Nice video and really great to see the girls learning about gardening.
OAG
Carrots are easy, but the main issue as was stated here is that the seeds are tiny and not planting to deeply. But watering is the key and he states the reason most mess up. Large drops of water including rain water will scatter or move the seed or worse bury them with soil runoff from heavy rain or watering! This is key. Misting or drip irrigation with a close eye will prevent this from happening along with shelter from heavy rain or any rain until the plant is established. Enjoy, but baby them. Great tips! Thank you!
I like to plant carrots in feb when there is a patch of time with no snow on the ground and when the ground is thawed out. they come up great doing this when it gets warmer and the soil keeps moist that way. Never had a problem germinating.
I flipped through a website search and for depth recommendations and found them between 1/4 to 1/2 inch depths. Thinking we can enjoy what turns out without getting too worried! I don't have 80' rows! I sure love this method!
Raising Gardens in Kentucky, we always plant our carrots in planters. We usually use the 12" wide by 3 ' long type and use a slightly loose soil. In using containers we can control the soil type and moisture the soil retains.
Have u tried the jang seeder?
Ive had success using an Earthway light carrot disc or tape up extra holes in regular carrot disc, 1/2" deep... I have red clay and plant Danvers 1/2 long. But I wouldn't trade those lovely children for any seeder...
Thanks so much Homesteading Family for all the tips. Extending a landscape rake is new to me. What I do with tiny seeds is mix them with sand and use a salt or spice shaker. That usually disperses the seed pretty evenly.
Awesome! And absolutely no rocks in the garden. Gorgeous soil.
I was hit and miss with my carrots for quite a while until I started putting some old weather boards over my rows until they germinate and just Mist them several times a day depending on the heat. 👍
I can always sit down and give some time to a homesteader. Thanks for the wisdom!
Have you ever seen people use sand with the seeds depending on how many seeds you use then you add sand to keep them spread out when you are direct sowing the seeds. I've seen it work for others it's an old tip that some of the older gens give to us so that we don't drop so many seeds in one area and have to get rid of some. Waste is what they are trying to avoid so that we can keep our seeds. :)
Its great to see young ones out and learning how to grow food. I believe it will be imperative one day when the world loses its farmers.
I used to have a small plot in a nearby community P-patch. So space was at a premium. Using the "square foot gardening" method, I laid out a grid of 1-ft squares in a raised garden bed. Then using the eraser end of a pencil, I pushed half inch deep holes every one inch, such that each square foot had 12x12=144 holes. Using a jar lid to hold some of the seeds, I then used a tweezers to carefully plant exactly one seed per hole. Then filled in the holes by brushing the surface lightly with my hand. Being diligent to water every day and keep the soil moist until the seedlings were well established, not only did I achieve nearly 100% germination and no need for thinning, the carrots matured very well, growing to nearly a foot long and were mostly 1 inch in diameter, making maximum use of the space available. I ended up with way more carrots than I could use and gave a lot of them away.
I planted carrot seeds in Peet pellets indoors and they sprout in 2 days. That's bolero and the rainbow variety carrots. I transplant them after that. If your careful with the Peet's they don't seem to have any shock or ill effects.
Mix the seed with sterile sand (put sand in the oven and heat to 100 c) and put it in a salt shaker and put it on the big hole annd sow
Brianna and Abigail...thank you! Love your mom and dad, but love seeing you and your sibs in these videos!
My grandmother used to plant one or two radish seeds for about every nine inches of carrot row, before the carrot seed was gently covered by agitating her rake on top of the row,tines held parallel to soil surface. This marked the row from when radishes sprouted (much quicker than carrots) until the carrots were big enough to thin and weed around. It helped prevent carrots being uprooted if not planted in straight row per plan. For crop of radishes, she planted them in their own row.
Experience is the best teacher
I adore broadforks! It sounds stupid but they are a great tool even in clay soils.
Pelleted seed makes it SO much easier, and no thinning! It also helps to cover the seedbed after watering to prevent evaporation, but you have to be quick to uncover them as soon as they germinate!
Hi Laurie how are you?
As I recall you mentioned the deeper planting of carrots seeds in a past video which led me to start planting this way. Works great, I don't even bother sifting the soil on top, just dig trench and cover seeds with it. Thank you for spreading the word to help people have better success with our gardening adventures.
Good stuff! I actually read the seed packet this year and I'm pretty sure they said to plant them 1/2 inch deep...I had always planted them too shallow too.
Great video. I tried growing carrots but it is a struggle for me. I may try a small row again this year.
Excellent video. I have great germination even through woodchips, I love that even after all these years you are experimenting and doing a test with more soil cover. I bet they do just as well as the rest of your row!
Hi Megan how are you?
I saw a tip about how to control the carrot seed placement easier & more precise. You mix up corn starch with water to a thin consistency of say, icing on a cinnamon roll maybe even thinner but not watery, add to a ziplock bag along with seeds, gently mix in together. Snip off a small corner of bag & apply in ur rows.much easier way to control amount of seeds plus they are premoist without the seeds moving around.
Hi Cater how are you?
I love it when we learn from our children. Thank you for a great vid. Would u list the company’s where you got the tools u used in this vid? 🦋
You are doing a great job raising those kids ..GOOD JOB ! Even better than raising carrot Tanks too, for your carrot wisdom, Paul