Carrots and parsnips in poor soil

[tootles]

I have come across a technique for growing carrots and parsnips in unsuitable soil (just like I have). You make a large carrot sized hole, fill with decent soil and sand mix and then station sow on top as normal. One hole per root.
Makes sense to me and saves on costly compost.
Has anyone tried this though?

[snuffer]

Hiya tootles, I've grown parsnips in this way for several years. Using a steel bar to make a good deep conical hole. One advantage is that you can ensure that whatever you fill the holes with is stone free therby reducing the risk of forked roots. Just make sure that whatever you use to fill the hole is not to rich in nutrients.

[tootles]

How about the same soil, seived to within an inch of it's life and mixed with sand??

[snuffer]

That should be fine, especially for parsnips, they don't need a lot of nutrients. If you add any compost to the mix it's probably best to use a cheap all purpose. Your own home made compost would, in all likely hood, be to nutrient rich.

[bobleponge]

I vaguely remember reading on another thread something similar, I think Zazen posted it. This was a similar thing but I'm sure she mentioned coffee grounds as well???
Logicaly it should work, cant see any reason why it wouldnt.

[Snadger]

I had success growing parsnips in 6 inch plastic pipes about 5 foot long filled with a sand soil mix.

This year I'm going to try a few carrots in a blue water barrel filled with the same medium with holes in the bottom as well.

Crowbar does work as does a spade pushed in to it's full depth along the row and eased backwards and forwards. Fill vee shaped trench with a suitable medium and sow a row of carrots along middle!

[zazen999]

As long as it's got no freshish manure or stones, I'm sure it will fine - if it's long straight roots you want.

[tootles]

I just want something worth eating!! Nothing I grew last year was bigger than a mouthful (except the Chantenay - which went in far far too late)

[Reks]

Hi,
How about something like top soil, would that have very little nutrients. I am preparing a new bed on my allotment and will not add any manure. I could take some of the soil off and use that to top up my potatoe bed when the potatoes start growing big. I could then add top soil on my new bed mixed with coffee grounds and grow raddish, carrots (I have round varieties), parsnips, shallots, garlic. Does that sound ok? Should I refrain from adding fish blood and bone to this bed?
Thnx

[snohare]

Poor quality topsoil is low in nutrients, good quality has more - it varies enormously, and what you call it depends on what you want to grow there. But generally, normal unmanured, unfertilised topsoil will do fine for root crops like carrots and parsnips, and may well do fine for all the others. I don't know about radishes, but I'm fairly sure that garlic and shallots will do okay in medium nitrogen soil, which is what topsoil usually is.
Personally I wouldn't add FBB to a bed like this, but others may know better.
I cannot remember what the coffee grounds are likely to do for carrots as regards pH, but no doubt someone else has an idea based on their experience !