Carrots

[greenfingers007]

I know it's a bit early for thinking about these sorts of things but I read somewhere recently that to get good carrots you should dig sand into your bed? is this right does anyone else do this is it a good idea or am I being gullible, I t sounds like it makes sense as they like sandy soil?

[zazen999]

Exactly!!!

It also means that no stones get in the way so you get longer and straighter carrots.

[greenfingers007]

cheers Zazen999 will bear that in mind in spring when preparing the beds.

[zazen999]

I made deep carrot beds this year, they sit on the soil on the raised beds, giving an extra 6 inches of depth. I dug deep just that little bit, and filled it with sand and compost 50/50 mix - and the carrots and parsnips have been really good from there. Really long and clean.

[greenfingers007]

Zazen999, exscuse my ignorence, is that easy to rotate the crops then, as the soil left behind will be sandy? is that ok for other crops to follow.?

[Snadger]

What you can do is decide where your carrot rows are going to be and go along them with a spade easing the soil into a deep vee. Fill the vee with a sand soil mix and sow your carrots.
There's also the crowbar method if you want whoppers. Hammer a crowbar in and shake it aropund to form a large cone. Take it out and fill with a sand soil/mix. Sow three seeds in the middle and thin to the best when they gerninate.
Carrots can also be grown in plastic drain pipes and barrels.

[zazen999]

I will move my carrot beds, yes. I'll just leave the sandy soil there and dig it in. Fresh sand in next year's beds.

Actually, I'll probably take most of the sand to the lottie, it's really clayey there and could do with a bit of sand to cut the clay down.

There's all sorts of amazing ways with carrots, you could do worse than follow Snadger's methods. The deep carrot bed idea came from one of his earlier posts, when
I got to thinking about some wood I had in the garage and the cone method as described above.

[greenfingers007]

brill, cheers Zazen999 and Snadger.

[Demeter]

My carrots were crap this year because I didn't follow any of this advice! They tasted all right but were all sorts of funny shapes. Next year I will try the Vee method I think, see if I can get a few straight carrots.

[zazen999]

Demeter.

They laughed at me during April, when I first got the lottie. I took my sieve up [in the rain], dug 3 deep squares and religiously sieved the lot [they were about 60cm square. I added sand, compost and some coffee grounds, mixed it in and sowed the carrots and onions direct, in pinches, with coriander on the corners. I built it up with some small wooden square frames [knocked up with some other old wood] to add a little depth.

They weren't laughing when I was pulling 8 inch, perfectly clean and straight carrots, and 2 inch onions [they did get crowded out by the carrot foliage].

Mwa haha.

[Demeter]

Demeter.

They laughed at me during April, when I first got the lottie. I took my sieve up [in the rain], dug 3 deep squares and religiously sieved the lot [they were about 60cm square. I added sand, compost and some coffee grounds, mixed it in and sowed the carrots and onions direct, in pinches, with coriander on the corners. I built it up with some small wooden square frames [knocked up with some other old wood] to add a little depth.

They weren't laughing when I was pulling 8 inch, perfectly clean and straight carrots, and 2 inch onions [they did get crowded out by the carrot foliage].

Mwa haha.

Brilliant. I'd have been in the laughing camp too, I'm afraid - which is why I've got rubbish carrots... Not sure I would have the time to go to quite those lengths but I will at least make a bit more of an effort next year!
(Unless of course you fancy coming to Gloucester and sieving my clay??!!)

[zazen999]

Brilliant. I'd have been in the laughing camp too, I'm afraid - which is why I've got rubbish carrots... Not sure I would have the time to go to quite those lengths but I will at least make a bit more of an effort next year!
(Unless of course you fancy coming to Gloucester and sieving my clay??!!)

Hmm..I'll have a think on that one - can I come back to you?

If you do one small bed at a time, you can do enough for 2-3 months worth of carrots in a couple of hours. Honest.

[Demeter]

Hmmm - unconvinced about sieving 60cm squared by ?? deep of my lumpy soil in only a couple of hours - I don't think they do sieves with big enough holes... Still, if the Vee thing doesn't work, I reckon I'll be eating some of that home-grown humble pie and giving it a go

[Snadger]

My carrots were crap this year because I didn't follow any of this advice! They tasted all right but were all sorts of funny shapes. Next year I will try the Vee method I think, see if I can get a few straight carrots.

Freshly manured soil, stoney soil and failure to sow thinly enough or not thin to a reasonable distance between plants are the reasons for twisted or funny shaped carrots!

[Hans Mum]

we're on clay too and lots of my fellow lottie holders grow carrots in old baths and get fantastic results......my next door neighbour is having a new bathroom fitted, i've now got their old bath