Good day,

Carrot seeds are so small that they may be difficult to handle when planting. Here are some tips that you may find helpful in this article on growing carrots and parsnips in the home garden. (Note the section on thinning.)

It is important to thin out the seedlings when they are about 3-4” tall to allow room for their roots to develop. After thinning, your carrots should be about 2-4” apart. Not thinning can result in limited root growth because of crowding and less nutrients getting to the roots. I understand your husband’s concern for wasting seeds. My granddaughters are too small to understand that seeds must be separated and often dumped too many in a small space resulting in 2-3 carrots growing together. To help prevent this, I have used carrot “seed tape” which is a paper ribbon embedded with carrot seeds spaced evenly apart. This is more expensive yet wastes less carrot seeds as you obtain better results (larger carrots) with less thinning. Some seed companies coat the seeds with an inert material which makes the seeds larger and easier to handle.

You also mentioned that your garden could use more sun. You didn’t elaborate on why it isn’t receiving enough sun which is so vital to growth, but if it is because of nearby trees this is a good time of year to limb up or prune trees. If it is because of nearby hedges you might consider raised beds.

I hope this resolves your argument and you enjoy your carrots together this summer.

Yes, sometimes you can't control what your neighbors do with their trees but as you said the positive is that you get the benefit of shade in the summer.  You might check to see if there are any community gardens nearby that you could rent to grow your own veggies.  If not there are plenty of veggies to fill your new root cellar at the Farmer's Markets.

My best to you!