Jamie your garden looks awesome! I'm trying an old timer recipe for starting carrots. Have a row of early scarlet hoorn carrots under this 2x4.

And a row of cosmic purple carrots under this one. (Tomatoes are going against the trellis later)

Theoretically the 2x4 keeps the soil moist until germination, then prop it up a bit to provide shade until growth starts...we shall see. If it works I will use same idea with cardboard on blocks of carrots elsewhere.