kenr1963, please add your location identifier to your profile. It will help for those who want to respond to your question.

grandad location is not required to help kenr1963 is not relevant to question.
you want soil mix of 1/3 sifted compost, 1/3 sharp sand and sifted good soil.

grandad; is right a location would be helpful I have gardened in Texas and Minnesota and there is a lot of difference.
A generic question will get a generic answer like huggy's and might not be of use. Now here is my generic answer. Constant, consistent watering is required for young carrots. ;)

Curt

Carrots don't like too much fertility, so don't try and grow them in really good soil
Here's what I do: mix seed with sand/dry soil, sprinkle on surface, tamp it down well, cover with an old sack/piece of carpet etc then water way more than seems reasonable. In a few days, water through 'blanket' again to avoid disturbing the seed.
Carrots can take ages to germinate and if the seed dries out once, it's done for. Don't forget to check regularly, or all your seedlings will lift up with the sack!

folks I live in the mountains of western North Carolina.And this mostly hard clay soil as I said I'm trying to move it back to fertility.when would you recomend that I plan carrots

folks I live in the mountains of western North Carolina.And this mostly hard clay soil as I said I'm trying to move it back to fertility.when would you recomend that I plan carrots

Well, kenr1963, you said you had no luck with your last batch of carrots, but how did they fail? Did they fail to germinate? Did they germinate but never develop big roots? Did you get roots but they were twisty?

I try to work in any amendments at least 3 weeks prior to direct-seeding anything, because some additions can impede germination. Well-finished compost is probably the safest in this regard, but I'd still try to work it in in advance.

Carrots do like to have deep, loose soil, which could certainly be a challenge if you've got clay. Don't automatically knock your clay soil for fertility (clay's got good stuff in it!), but you will need to put some effort into making it more workable. Organic matter, organic matter, and more organic matter will help the situation, though it may take a bit of time to get the soil to an ideal point. Adding compost is definitely a good idea. Personally, I like to use aged or composted manures, too. I use rabbit manure currently, which is readily available in my area, but when I lived in an area with clay soil, I had a lot of luck with aged horse manure.

rigsbyhuggins, my thought on location identifier was related to when best to plant. We plant carrots in September in our neck of the woods. I would not think that folks in Minnesota would do likewise.

grandad carrots can be planted all season after the last frost.
Carrots have tendency to take as long 3 weeks to germinate.

grandad; You are right I start the first of April and plant up to August. I like to lay That cheap plastic shelf liner over them and water through it a dry wind can kill them of quick. I also like to work up a deep soft bed with some compost added. The short rooted seem to do better in my soil Danvers 1/2 long and Nantes being most common. After about a month I pretty much ignore them till harvest. I will check and cover the top of the roots with soil so they don't turn green from the Sun

Curt

Just reading your post has shown me some of my mistakes I planted on a winrow of four inch compost and walked away had about 25 plants out of four packs germanate.And only about two of these had eating size roots.This year I'm going to till in my compost maybe that'll help with the moisture problem.I'll have to carry water in jugs since this garden is not close to any water sources.

I am tempted to suggest " do not grow carrots there" because hard clay and carrots do not mix. I have both beds in sandy loam where they grow well, and beds in clay where they can not be extracted. Yes, clay can be amended, but it takes years and a lot of hard labor. IMHO, it is best to use only short varieties.

Then there is the problem of no irrigation. Carrots need water for optimal production, and they need heavy watering before harvest. There are other veggies which will do much better in a hard clay, no irrigation situation, for example most of the fruiting veggies, but also chard and beets, brassicas and potatoes. Do your carrots in loamy beds with irrigation. They are a trouble-free crop if you have such a site.

I have clay soil, Heck I live in Clay County. You can grow carrots, just amend with compost and make raised beds.

I have found that germination is the hardest thing. Here is what I do and it works really well. Germinated 4, 32 foot beds in 90-100 August heat last year.

Prep your soil, plant your seed. Then if you have drip irrigation, put those in and turn on. Cover the whole bed with row cover, landscape fabric, cardboard, paper mulch and keep wet. Wet down the cover 2-3 times a day and you will have very uniform germination in 5-10 days.

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Outside carrots, prior to moving hoophouse
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Carrots Dug for the week of January 24th

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jrslick,

What spacing do you plant your carrots with? Your garden looks great!

ribsbyhuggins, you made my point. Yes, carrots "can" be planted at any time, but there is a recommended planting period depending on your region. You indicated the recommended time for your area is all season long after the last frost. Our area is different. Our last frost date is typically March 15th. Recommended days for planting carrots in our area is Jan 15 to Feb 15, and Sept 1 to Nov 1. I have much better luck with the Fall planting.

I put 4 rows in a 30-32 inch bed and 6 rows in a 36-40 inch bed. I plant them with an Earthway seeder. They go in a little heavy, but I thin some, if I have time.

Jay

I live in WNC too. I'm gonna try growing some in 5 gallon buckets with a few holes drilled in them. Might try some short ones in an old tire with the sidewall cut out

I had REALLY good luck a couple years back with carrots. the Fall before I planted them, I found 2 square straw bales that had been rotting (still held together but were black with little mushrooms growing on them) next to a hair salon. I took them home and worked them into my soil the best I could (I have red clay). The following spring I planted the seed on top of the leftover straw and covered it with just a little good dirt. I got really good germ rates and the roots weren't screwy. I'm doing raised beds from now on, but that straw really helped me out.

Abby