Yesterday I decided to empty the carrot bath which was full of overwintering carrots:
When I use to rent allotments in England I once made the wife a raised carrot bed with 2x2 paving flags stood on end and filled with my special carrot soil mix: sieved topsoil mixed with river sand. Sea sand can contain salt and your carrots might say: "We do not like salt".
I did the same filling the baths with soil and sand. You can also grow parsnips like this and with you growing above 12 inches or 30 centimetres old Mr and Mrs Carrot fly can't fly that high and they will leave them alone. You can also cover the baths in fleece or old net curtains to keep any critters away.
My old mayonaise tub runneth over. Do like my new yellow welly Bob's? Oh what fun we had peeling and chopping and blanching and freezing all them.
Anyone else grow carrots or parsnips this way?
When I was walking near Lincoln three or four years ago I passed a field of lovely carrots all in pristine condition. The field must have been more than an acre in size. Funny how that farmer had no problem getting a fine crop of carrots but home gardeners often seem to struggle with them.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine the Lincolnshire soil is very sandy YP. Like most vegetables they originate along the Silk road in places like Turkey, Afghanistan and Persia or Iran. They grow really well in buckets filled with compost or sieved soil and sand. I like growing them higher than twelve inches in baths or raised beds because the carrot fly candle that high and leave them alone.
ReplyDeleteYou're a clever guy , Dave. Good on you for outwitting that carrot fly. Enjoy your crop
ReplyDeleteAye lass. Dave has more brains than a carrot fly.
DeleteAn head full of marbles YP. Can I do an Open University degree in Irrelevance studies, Vegetable Growing and Prog Rock?
DeleteI can imagine you on "University Challenge"...
DeleteJEREMY PAXMAM: Here's your starter for ten. What is the Latin name for a carrot fly?
BUzzzzzzzzzzz!
ANNOUNCER: Open University, Northsider.
NORTHSIDER: Chamaepsila rosae
JEREMY PAXMAN: Correct!
Ha, ha. Well it makes a change from me reading old gas meters and dirty books.😀
DeleteThanks Linda. Autumn King are a good late sowing variety and they don't have many carrot fly problems. Fleece or net curtains covering the carrots also deters the blighters. We try not to thin our carrots because that attracts carrot fly. There's always one kick forwards one kick backwards when you attempt to grow things. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI grow them in raised beds,out of the way of fly, but I may try in one of the old baths instead.Today I prepared some ground, for some fruit bushes that have been standing in pots too long, also managed to sow the rest of my tomatoes and various greenleaved veg. But the weather was very cloudy and chilly,hope tomorrow is better . It encourages me to work.
ReplyDeleteKathy
They grow very well in baths with good drainage holes Kathy. Also in raised beds made from concrete paving slabs stood on end and stuck in the ground.
ReplyDeleteI sowed some beetroots this morning in plastic modules in the polytunnel and repotted a lot of Sedum cuttings. It was chilly here also. Thanks.
I grow my garlic, carrots and parsnips (this summer will be my third summer growing parsnips) in raised beds. Not because of carrot flys, but becai3se my soil is dense clay.
ReplyDeleteBut not yet, we have about one foot of snow.
P usually grows his carrots in large tubs and keeps them in the greenhouse. Ours don't thrive outside where it is generally very cold and wet most of the time. I wish I had a kitchen assistant to help with the peeling and blanching.
ReplyDeleteI JayCee. Autumn King grow really well here on the coast. I always end up dirtying my shirt when I peel vegetables and someone not very far away complains about the Keratin stains from the carrots.
DeleteWatched Julia Bradbury walking in the IOM last night. She's amazing like your scenery. Very impressive.
Julia is very enthusiastic!
DeleteAnd she was born in Ireland. She's a proper lass. Into walking and sups a pint and she bought an house in Portugal. What more could anyone want?
DeleteHi Ulvmor. Carrots and parsnips don't like hard clay and Stony soil with and hard pan. You often get hard pans where site vehicles have been on new housing estates. Compost or sieved soil works really well in raised beds and buckets and containers. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat's an impressive crop of carrots. My grandfather used to grow carrots in an old bath too - but being a northerner, leeks were his big thing really
ReplyDeleteThanks The bike shed. Yes leeks are very northern and also popular with the Welsh. I once rented an allotment in North Wales near Chester. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea for growing carrots.....remain in hope that our house hunt will pay off soon, as my longing to grow things is becoming quite strong as the weather warms up!
ReplyDeleteThanks Vera. Good luck with your house hunting. You can grow a lot of vegetables in buckets and containers filled with compost. When we lived in an upstairs flat. I grew potatoes in a big plant pot in the window. Thanks.
ReplyDelete