Do carrots and onions from seed normally work?!

[DaffodilTime]

I'm fairly new to growing veg and already a bit disappointed with planting outdoors and it's been very mild! I carefully prepared a large bed and sowed rows of seeds but 2 weeks or so later only weeds seem to be appearing - is this normal ?
My indoor stuff is faring better as mice were otherwise eating my peas. Would they eat carrot seeds too? Please Help!!!

[shovetheholly]

I find that whatever veg I sow outside, something likes the taste!! :) I now wow virtually everything indoors. This is difficult for carrots, however, as they hate being moved, so I tend to do trills and then cover with enviromesh to keep at least some of the critters out.

Carrots and onions can be tough to germinate on heavy soils. Plus, even though it's been mild it is early to be sowing. The soil is still quite cold in most places. You might want to give the carrots another go in a couple of weeks.

[MewlingQuim]

I think you are expecting a bit much for March, especially if you are up north. It's still early in the year, the weather is only just starting to warm up. Maybe try overing the seedbed with some horticultural fleece to warm it up?

Carrots need to grow from seed, they don't like being transplanted. I have clay soil and they don't like it at all, they do much better on sandy soil. Onions can be grown from seed but are more successful from sets (immature bulbs). Seeds are cheaper though.

[DaffodilTime]

Thank you so much, this really helps me to hear as I'll try again next month. We're in the south west and nights are sometimes a bit cold still (7 degrees) and my beans and sunflowers are managing as i cover them with glass jars at night. One wasn't well covered and something ate it though!!

[TheWiseWoman]

Carrot seed need a minimum soil temperature of around 7C. I have sown some in cooler conditions and they do germinate eventually, when the soil has warmed up a bit but you do run the risk of the seed rotting the longer they are hanging around in the cold soil.

I personally don't sow onion seed at this time of year, I sow them indoors early January, soil temperature is probably the issue here too.
You could put some clear plastic over the bed to help heat it up a bit.

Happy growing :)

[sizeofalentil]

I've always grown carrots in a bucket and they work brilliantly.

Somehow last year's ones managed to self-seed so I keep finding random carrots growing in tubs.

[Athrawes]

They do take a while, and onions seem to take forever! Like AGES, you will think that they are a total failure and abandon all hope and come back at the end of summer and there they are! Luckily they do ok with weeds around them. Carrots need thinning and weeding.

[DaffodilTime]

That's exciting as still nothing has happened other than new weeds sprouting on my carefully prepared soil and I was assuming it now won't!
Don't buckets not drain well enough? I love that idea !