Veg experts - what has happened to the carrot seed that I planted?

[handlemecarefully]

I planted some carrot seed 3 weeks ago (3 weeks tomorrow). It was the Nantes variety and so an 'early' carrot. I took soil temp and it was 10 degrees and I planted in shallow drills.

Anyway - about 2 days later there was a sharp frost and there have been a couple of frosts since.

The drills are covered by a felt tunnel.

There is no sign of germination. Does this mean the carrot seed is unharmed but will germinate a bit later when the weather is more consistent? or had the seed had it?

(sorry - I really don't know much about all this malarky)

[raspberryberet]

My dad is a veg gardener, and he reckons that it can take up to three weeks for the seedlings to appear, so all is not (quite!) lost yet. The tunnels should have given enough protection against the frost but if the frost has got to them, they won't germinate.

Do you have enough room to sow some more drills, so that if the originals come up you have successive crops? You can sow Nantes until August so there's plenty of time - even if you don't get them as early as you thought you might!

[handlemecarefully]

Thanks raspberry - yes I do have quite a bit of room left so I will sow some more.

I hope the originals come through though - hate wasted effort!

[nowornever]

watch over them like your newborn baby - my slugs love carrot seedlings

[handlemecarefully]

Will slugs be able to penetrate my felt tunnel arrangement? [eek]