Question for No Diggers

[muckdiva]

Morning lovely grapes. I want to change more if my veg beds to no dig but have two questions for any of you in the know:

1 - What’s your experience of it for growing roots like parsnips and carrots?
2 - what could I use as a (cheap) top dressing now that I’ve run out of home made compost. I have access to straw and horse manure - but it’s not rotted down yet (should have stacked a better muck heap last year and I wouldn’t be asking this question )

[bikermike]

Parsnips have gone very nicely.
Carrots - I've not had much luck.

Mike

[Greenleaves]

I tried no dig on my parsnips...alien shaped, as I think the ground was too rich. Benefit was one parsnip was a meal as it had 3 roots

[mcdood]

Parsnips and carrots fine for me but my nodig beds are well established so not sure how they go on new beds. Maybe try some shorter varieties too if you have them?

[PyreneesPlot]

I used straw last winter (2018/9) and although the soil was wonderful, friable & weed free underneath I also think it was cold - everything was very slow to get away when planted out. It was fine as a summer mulch but I wouldn't put my beds to sleep beneath it again.

[Sweet savory]

Carrots for me appeared to be less affected by slugs on no dig and so easy to pull. Parsnips did seem to be more misshapen.Florence fennel did well

[SarrissUK]

The carrots were alright last year, but I grew them at home last year, as I have no carrot fly here, and although it IS no dig, it somehow doesn't seem the same as on the plot. But yeah, they were decent.

I did sow parsnips on the plot but none germinated last year. It was a rubbish year for a lot of things though, so I wasn't too surprised. and I'm fairly sure it wasn't fresh seed either.

[Logunner]

I grew my carrots and parsnips in a pallet collar filled with a 50/50 mix of MPC ( non enriched ) and coffee grounds, grew very well and straight. Filled collar to top and set the seeds then used another pallet collar to give enough height to keep ‘fly’ off.

[mrbadexample]

I grew my carrots and parsnips in a pallet collar filled with a 50/50 mix of MPC ( non enriched ) and coffee grounds, grew very well and straight. Filled collar to top and set the seeds then used another pallet collar to give enough height to keep ‘fly’ off.

Got a picture of that please?

[muckdiva]

Thanks all for your insights, lots to think about. Going to give it a go - and sow a few extra in dustbins of MPC compost / soil mix as a comparison

[broadway]

I'm going to try carrots and parsnips two ways:-

1 - Upside down recycle boxes with the bottoms cut off

2 - New no dig bed, I don't expect a lot from this as heavy clay but will at least get an indication

[rary]

I used straw last winter (2018/9) and although the soil was wonderful, friable & weed free underneath I also think it was cold - everything was very slow to get away when planted out. It was fine as a summer mulch but I wouldn't put my beds to sleep beneath it again.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]90979[/ATTACH]

I
P P did you put the straw down when the soil was cold, as straw acts as an insulator if it wasn't that I would suggest that the next time you do it move the straw a couple of weeks before planting to allow the soil to heat up, putting straw down protects the soil over winter and encourages worms which keeps your soil friable

[rary]

Morning lovely grapes. I want to change more if my veg beds to no dig but have two questions for any of you in the know:

1 - What’s your experience of it for growing roots like parsnips and carrots?
2 - what could I use as a (cheap) top dressing now that I’ve run out of home made compost. I have access to straw and horse manure - but it’s not rotted down yet (should have stacked a better muck heap last year and I wouldn’t be asking this question )

If you have horse manure that's six months or more old it should be safe to put it on your soil though you can still sow seeds into the soil without having to put a top dressing on it, personally I would put some of the horse manure on part of the garden to see how it effects the plants, that way you get experience for the future

[Logunner]

Got a picture of that please?

Only this years set up.. that’s them under the green netting in case of a sharp frost.