Various Vegetable Growing Issues!

[davebriggs12]

Hello everyone.

I started growing fruit and vegetables a couple of years ago - but not really had much success. Before the growing season starts this year properly, I wanted to ask for your help and advice. I'm also going to be posting a few things in the fruit forum!

Carrots
Everyone seems to be able to grow carrots fairly easily. I don't! Mine always turn out to be a total nightmare. None of them look like carrots, they fork multiple times, and don't ever really ever come to anything. I have tried growing them in soil and in compost.

Question 1. What should I grow carrots in - the ground or in pots/potato bags etc.
Question 2. What kind of soil/compost should I use? And should I feed them (if so, with what, and when?)
Question 3. Is there any other advice you have for me that could help me grow carrots (please!)?

Potatoes
This is the same story as with carrots. I have grown potatoes the last few years. I have tried growing them in potato bags, and in the ground. All have had the same problem - I get really ugly lumps and brown blemishes growing all over the potatoes - they look awful, and not sure whether they are ok to eat or not. Are these ok? How can I stop them from growing this way?

Question 1. What should I be growing them in - the ground or bags?
Question 2. Should they be grown in soil or compost?
Question 3. Should I feed them? If so, with what and when?
Question 4. Do you have any other advice to help me grow them?


Parsnips
Here, I have the same experience as I have had with carrots - they don't grow in recognisable parsnip shapes, and end up being really short and stubby and forking in multiple places.

Question 1. What should I grow parsnips in - the ground or in pots/potato bags etc.
Question 2. What kind of soil/compost should I use? And should I feed them (if so, with what, and when?)
Question 3. Is there any other advice you have for me that could help me grow parsnips (please!)?

[Greenleaves]

As regards carrots and parsnips are you sowing direct? If you start them I'm modules what you describe will happen, another cause maybe that you have added too feed to the soil too late.

As regards the spuds it sounds like scab. Choose resistant cultivars. ‘Accent’, ‘Arran Pilot’, ‘Juliette’, ‘Golden Wonder’, ‘King Edward’, ‘Pentland Crown’ and ‘Pentland Javelin’ show some resistance to common scab. ‘Desiree’, ‘Hermes’, ‘King Edward’, ‘Pixie’ and ‘Sante’ show some resistance to powdery scab

Increase the acidity of the soil as well

[veggiechicken]

Hi Dave and welcome to the Vine. We lurve questions so don't be shy
I've had the same problems as you with carrots and parsnips in the ground so I grow all mine in buckets of sieved/picked over soil mixed with some sand. Carrots fork when they hit stones so make sure the soil is free of these and you should have better results.
If I'm feeling optimistic, I plant into buckets with the bottoms cut off, so the the soil in the bucket is in contact with the ground beneath. That's when I'm hoping for a long un

This is how I grow my spuds too - in open bottomed containers, as I have a lot of trouble with mice and slugs in the soil. Its a bit of a faff to start off - acquiring the buckets, cleaning the soil but once you've done that you're ready to grow.

[Greenleaves]

As a foot note....Welcome to the vine, enjoy the benefits of the advice and humour

[Snoop Puss]

Hi, Dave. Welcome to the Vine.

You'll find plenty of people on here with similar problems growing parsnips. There are all kinds of techniques. Me, I start them off in thin, tall pots made of newspaper and transplant them, pot and all, into the ground almost as soon as they've germinated. Other people chit the seed first and then sow them.

Carrots. I have no idea what the secret to carrots is. Some people feed, other people don't. For sure, you want soil without too many lumps in that will make the carrot fork and twist as it tries to deal with the obstacle. These lumps include stones, bits of unrotted muck or other compost, etc. I have very clayey soil that bakes hard like roof tiles. I used to have terrible trouble with carrots. Now I've decided I have to keep the ground moist. This helps with germination and the roots develop better.

As for the potatoes, I think photos would be useful, but I think you might have to post a few times in order to be able to upload pictures. Possible theories: the lumps are a watering issue or you have very heavy clay soil so they don't develop properly. As for the brown blemishes, I'm guessing scab. Have a look here to see if that's right:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=230

You don't say what soil type you have, but it would be useful to know to give you more detailed advice. For all three of these problems, though, the long-term answer is to add more organic material.

In any case, best of luck for this year.

[nickdub]

I agree with the advice given by others so far - just to add you can get seed for stump rooted types of carrots which might be easier for you to grow successfully, if your soil is stony.

[Snoop Puss]

^Yes, that's a good point about stump rooted carrots. You can also get half-long parsnips that grow broad across the shoulder. I grow one of these: Guernsey. Very tasty.

[Nicos]

Hi there, and welcome to the Vine

I grow my carrots and parsnips in soil which hasn't been fed , which really does help reduce the number of 'naughty' shaped veg!
I also cover them in fleece from the moment they are sown (directly in the soil) which seems to keep up the moisture level in the soil and vastly reduce the occurrence of carrot fly damage.

And yes...you can eat those scabby spuds....just peel them first or scrub them before cooking.
Liming your soil will help reduce/prevent that

[Small pumpkin]

Welcome to the vine.

I can't improve on the advice you've already had. All I can do is say the same thing.
Carrots don't like over fertilised soil / compost and they don't like stones. So like VC I plant in buckets and a bath ( Don't ask )

Spuds again I grow in bags because of the mice & slug issues. When I did grow in the ground some did get a bit scabby. That seems to of stopped since I've been going in bags. I use a mix of homemade compost and well rotted manure for the spuds.

Parsnips I've never had much luck with. They always end up looking like baby octopus . So I'm not going to advise you on something I know nothing about

[muck lover]

You are not alone.
I have struggled to grow potatoes that don’t disintegrate on cooking. I’m trying again this year in pots.
I grow carrots in my polytunnel to reduce carrot fly attacks. It’s all raised beds filled with a fine mixture. I’m also trying carrots in pots this year with a mix of sieved leafmould reused compost and blood fish and bone. We will see....
Good luck with your growing and welcome to the forum.

[mat]

Carrots - I wrote an article on carrot trouble just last month, which I'll link to in case it's useful to you: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/arti...0%99re-careful

Parsnips - I think the single biggest mistake people make with snips is sowing them too early. The seed packets, magazines, TV & radio, will all tell you to sow them early in the year. I sow mine in May - and I'll have plenty for xmas dinner. If you're growing them for exhibition or record-breaking, start them early. If not, no need.

Also - you *can* start parsnips in modules and transplant them. I usually do it that way. The idea that snips won't take transplanting goes back to old-fashioned varieties and old-fashioned pots. With modern cultivars, and with modular pots (especially root-trainers) it works fine.

[jackarmy]

Nice article there Mat, short but to the point,

[davebriggs12]

modules?

Also - you *can* start parsnips in modules and transplant them. I usually do it that way. The idea that snips won't take transplanting goes back to old-fashioned varieties and old-fashioned pots. With modern cultivars, and with modular pots (especially root-trainers) it works fine.

Hiya, what do you mean "modules".. are these different to normal flower pots etc?

Thank you for the article! very useful indeed!

[davebriggs12]

Soil?

Hi again, sorry..

A few people have mentioned soil type - mine is pretty heavy, thick and sticks together a fair bit.

Someone also recommended making it more acidic.. sorry, but how do I do this?

Thank you so much everyone for all your help. Its heartening to know that experts have some of the same issues that I have - and have loved reading the various solutions including using the bottomless buckets. Think I may leave the bath for now though!

[lottie dolly]

The best way for me with snips is,put several seeds in a bunch,aprox 8ins apart,and gradualy thin out till 1 strong plant,maybe it's the bunching up that keeps them moist until the roots find their way,i still get blemishes on them,but the taste is good,
carrots,stone and fresh manure does make them fork,,also need to have some protection from the root fly,or lovely roots can get transformed into no eats,look them up,you could also,push some soil aside to make a say 4in wide dent,and put some sieved compost in,water,then sow the seeds sparingly,then cover with more sieved compost,this should help with germination and the ground not compacted, i never feed snips or carrots,spudz,i am lucky not have had a problem with scab ext.