5 February 2007

A-rootin’ tootin’ plantin’ spree

Yesterday’s jolly down the plot saw us start to make use of the previously prepared root bed. It would be a real breakthrough for me to achieve at least some success in this area of vegetables as I’ve never tried to grow carrots or parsnips before. We eat loads of them here - usually roasted - so it would be great to finally have some that we’ve grown ourselves.

Having consulted a few different tomes from the P’Soup gardening library, we had prepared the bed by not digging it (roots prefer a firm soil to push down into, apparently), instead raking over the surface to a fine, crumbly tilth (so that the germinating seeds have a softer start).

On one end of the bed we sowed three rows of carrots (Amsterdam forcing), intercropped with rows of onion sets (Bulldog) to help deter carrot fly. According to Mr Flowerdew the onions won’t do as well grown in this way and are likely to stay small, so we will also be planting some in their own dedicated bed. It’s still a bit early for both carrots and onions so I’m taking a little risk, but I’m hoping they will all be alright for the next few days until I can pop a bit of fleece over them.

At the other end of the bed we sowed two rows of parsnips (Tender and true) along with mixed radishes to mark the rows as the parsnip seeds will take a long time to germinate - if they manage to do so at all as they are notoriously reluctant to spring to life.

And of course there were broad beans - but they deserve a post all of their own.

Filed under: Sowings, Today's Bible — Clare @ 3:13 pm