Thanks for the tips. I’ll try that next spring. I think what happened this year, is that they weren’t kept damp long enough. The bed I used was completely Mel’s mix with some fresh compost added.
I’ll be planting some rye or clover to the bed this fall, and step up the compost content when I prep the bed for next year.
I just ordered a 50 pound sack of winter rye seed today. I can pick it up anytime a week from Monday at the “local” elevator: 7 miles to town; 5 miles to the junction; 7 miles to the next junction, then 2 more miles to the elevator.
Fortunately, except for the last 2 miles, it’s on the way to Rapid City, so we’ll combine the trip into an multipurpose shopping & tank repair run....and stop for a double feature at the new drive-in theater on the way home.
Also at the elevator, I’ll spring for a 100 pound sack of chicken feed for $18. The feed stores sell it rebagged at $14/50 pounds.
A simple way to improve carrot germination is to sow the seeds, gently water them in, then cover the area with an old board or even thick cardboard (weighted down). For small patches in a raised bed, scraps of wood leftover from other projects work fine. Start checking daily after a week and remove the cover as soon as the plants are out of the soil.
The cover retains moisture and reduces temperature swings, so you get high germination rates without needing to water constantly.