Flyaway F1
Worth growing where root fly has ruined crops before, but treat the resistance as a second line of defence, not a replacement for mesh.
Carrot root fly is the defining carrot problem in Ireland and Flyaway is the best known attempt to breed around it. It is a Nantes type F1 with smooth cylindrical roots, developed to be far less attractive to the fly and far less damaged by its larvae than standard varieties. It works, and in a garden with a bad root fly history it can be the difference between usable carrots and a whole row of tunnels, but it is a reduction in damage rather than immunity.
Quick facts
- Botanical name
- Daucus carota
- Type
- F1 hybrid
- Category
- Nantes type, root fly tolerant
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- Hardy, takes Irish frost
- In Ireland
- Cloche or fleece helps
- Germination
- 14 to 21 days at 7 to 25C
- Sowing depth
- 1cm
- Spacing
- 5cm apart, 25cm between rows
- Position
- Full sun
- Containers
- Grows well in pots
- Sowing to harvest
- 12 to 20 weeks
- Harvest
- August to October
- Award
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Sowing and harvest calendar for Flyaway F1
Months shaded below are the reliable windows for Irish conditions.
Where to buy Flyaway F1 carrot seeds in Ireland
Irish suppliers that stock this, so postage stays domestic and seed arrives in time to sow. These are plain links, not paid placements.
Garden centres and mixed retailers
- Mr Middleton Irish Posted from Dublin Mail order arm of a long established Mary Street shop, carries the familiar named varieties the organic specialists skip. Visit Mr Middleton , Co. Dublin
- Johnstown Garden Centre Irish Widest branded range, near Naas in Co. Kildare Third generation family business near Naas with the widest branded range, though popular varieties sell out by midsummer. Visit Johnstown Garden Centre , Co. Kildare
Why it suits Ireland
Carrot root fly is present in every county and it is the reason most Irish carrot crops disappoint. Anything that reduces the damage is worth having, and Flyaway is the most widely available variety here that does.
It matters most for the crops with the longest exposure. An early carrot pulled in July meets one generation of the fly. A carrot standing in the ground from April to October meets two, and sometimes three in a mild autumn, which is why late-lifted crops are usually the worst affected. Flyaway is a reasonable choice for exactly that slot.
It is also useful for gardeners who cannot or will not keep a bed under mesh all season, for example in a small garden where the bed is walked past and picked from constantly. The crop will not be perfect, but it will usually be edible, which an unprotected standard variety often is not.
Growing notes
Sow direct from April to early June, thinly, in drills 1cm deep and 25cm apart. A sowing in the first week of June also misses the first generation of the fly, and stacking that timing on top of the variety’s resistance is the strongest thing you can do short of covering the bed.
Do not manure the ground the same year, and remove stones from the top 25cm.
Cover with insect mesh over hoops if you possibly can, sealing the edges down. The two defences together are far better than either alone.
Thin only if you have to, on a still damp evening, and take the thinnings away from the garden. Crushed foliage is what draws the fly in, and no amount of breeding removes that.
Lift from August through October, and get the crop out before the ground goes properly wet in November, since slug damage and rot in Irish winter soil will undo a clean crop quickly.
Common questions
Does Flyaway actually stop carrot root fly?
It substantially reduces the damage rather than preventing it. The variety is bred to be less attractive to the egg laying fly and to support the larvae poorly, so a crop that would have been riddled comes out mostly clean. In a heavy infestation year, or in a garden that has grown carrots in the same bed repeatedly, you will still find tunnelled roots. The honest advice is to grow Flyaway and still put mesh over the bed, and treat the variety as insurance for the weeks when the cover gets lifted for weeding.
Can I save seed from Flyaway?
No. It is an F1 hybrid, so seed saved from it will not come true and the root fly resistance in particular will not carry through reliably. You have to buy fresh seed each year. If seed saving matters more to you than the resistance, grow Nantes 2 or Chantenay Red Cored 2 under mesh instead and accept that the mesh is doing all the work.
How does Flyaway taste compared with an ordinary Nantes?
Good, though not the reason you would choose it. It is a clean, sweet Nantes type carrot rather than a memorable one, and it was selected for the resistance first. Plenty of Irish gardeners grow a row of Flyaway for reliability and a row of something else for flavour, which is a sensible way to handle it.
More carrots to consider
Nantes 2
Open pollinated / Nantes type, early maincrop
The carrot to grow if you only grow one: sweet, quick, reliable and forgiving of an average Irish summer.
Growing notes and stockistsAmsterdam Forcing 3
AGMOpen pollinated / Amsterdam type, first early
The one to sow first and eat first, and the best choice for a shallow container or a March cloche.
Growing notes and stockistsAutumn King 2
Open pollinated / Maincrop, storage
The maincrop worth the space if your soil is deep, and easily the best of the common types for storing.
Growing notes and stockistsChantenay Red Cored 2
Open pollinated / Chantenay type, early maincrop
The answer to heavy or shallow Irish ground, because it never needed the depth in the first place.
Growing notes and stockists