No Flies On My Carrot

by Mike Clark

Here I was, browsing through my horticultural notes (he sez, trying to sound professional), seeking a spring-orientated topic.

Yes, my thoughts turned to spring, and sowing time. Well, actually, I forced my thoughts to turn to spring, because I'm snowed in again, and gardening seems an age away at the moment. But since all the gardening programmes on the telly tell you to do things way in advance of the optimum time, 'cos each wants to be first; and the Garden Centres stock plants well ahead of season for the same reason, to steal a march (March!) on their rivals; why should I be any different? Please don't rush out and sow your carrots just because I've written this. And don't sow them when the packet tells you. Or Alan Titchmarsh. Use your discretion, wait until the soil warms up, and the long-term weather forecast is somewhat less than miserable. And don't trust Michael Fish.

So, anyway, my thoughts turned to vegetables.

And thanks to endless peering at this screen, I have a feeling my eyesight is deteriorating. So inevitably, the vegetable at the top of the list is the carrot.

The biggest problem with carrots is their dislike of heavy, or clay, soil. A carrot's ideal home is a light, totally stone-free, sandy soil. Few of us are fortunate enough to have this carrot-friendly environment. If you are one of the fortunate few, you can skip the next bit!

We have two options. We can either alter the soil, or grow carrot varieties which are less fussy. So instead of the usual uncontrolled ramble, I'll have a bash at structuring this. I'm going to try a couple of sub-headings, and see if I can exercise some self-discipline.

1. CARROT-FRIENDLY SOIL

1 a) Major Veggie Plot Overhaul

Double-dig the entire plot. Double digging (also known as trenching) means removing the top spit – ie the depth of a spade – and digging down a second spit, so that the whole area is cultivated to two spades' depth. As you dig, remove every stone, or better still, pass every spadeful through a riddle (sieve) to produce a fine-textured soil. Then import sharp sand in a quantity which will give you a ratio of, at the very minimum, one part sand to two parts soil. Mix thoroughly, and you will have carrot-friendly soil. You may also spend the rest of the gardening season in traction.

I only recommend this option if you are completely off your trolley. Although, joking apart, this is exactly what a champion carrot grower would do.

1 b) Minor Veggie Plot Overhaul

Decide where you want to grow your carrots. Single-dig the chosen area (one spade's depth), and remove all the stones. Acquire a few six-inch boards, and frame the area, to create a rudimentary raised bed. Fill to the top of the boards with a mix of sharp sand, peat or peat-alternative, or even the contents of last year's grow bags. Make absolutely sure it is lump-free. You have created a one-season mini carrot-friendly plot.

1 c) The Crowbar Technique

Define the carrot zone as per b). Beg, borrow, or if necessary steal, a crowbar. Visualise where your row of carrots is going to be. Insert crowbar every three or four inches, along the imaginary row. Plunge to a depth of 15-18 inches, and rotate vigorously until you have created a tapering hole of about three inches diameter at ground level. Fill the hole with a finely sieved mix of sharp sand and planting compost. Sow three or four seeds at each position, and thin to one later. Champion carrot-growers do this, too.

2. THE RIGHT VARIETIES

2 a) Long Rooted Varieties

Choose these only if you have, or have created, carrot-friendly soil. The majority of main-crop varieties are long rooted. Long rooted carrots become misshapen or fork when they encounter obstructions in the soil. These obstructions can be as minor as a wee lump of clay, or a dollop of dung. (Which reminds me, do not add organic material to the carrot-growing area. Carrots ideally follow from a crop which was heavily "mucked" the previous season.) If you can create the right conditions, try Autumn King or Chantenay Red-Cored.

2 b) Stump Rooted Varieties

These are the short, dumpy ones, and many of the earlies fall into this category. Early Scarlet Horn is an RHS Highly Commended, and will perform well in most soils. Or try the very popular Early Nantes. Pull these varieties when they are young and sweet, and don't sow them all at once. Sow a little at two to three week intervals throughout spring and early summer, and keep pulling them young.

2 c) Garden-Free Varieties

I'm not joking. If all else fails, or indeed for an early crop, or even if you don't have a garden, grow your carrots in a pot, tub, or growbag. Grow them on the patio, in a window box, or for early crops, in the greenhouse or conservatory. You are in control, because you can fill the container with carrot-friendly compost. For container growing, use early, stump rooted varieties. One of the best is Amini, from Suttons.

Hey, I like this structure thing. Maybe I'll do it again.

Reverting to type, though, let's ramble on.

I'd better mention the dreaded carrot fly. And by the way, this also attacks the carrot's close relatives, parsley, parsnips and celery. They tunnel into the root. At worst, the foliage yellows and the carrot dies. At best, they disfigure the root, and look unsightly as little corpses on the dinner plate. The important thing to know is that there are two generations of these maggots during a growing season. Sowings made after the end of May will usually miss the first generation. Early sowings, perhaps under cloches in more northerly parts, will be harvested before the second generation strikes. The fly is attracted by the scent released from bruised foliage. Bruising occurs during thinning. So avoid thinning by sowing thinly and pulling young, or using pelleted seed which can be spaced out. If you don't have an aversion to chemicals, there are several branded products which can be applied to the drill when sowing.

If you have grown maincrop carrots, and want to store them in the traditional way, lift them carefully with a fork, and avoid damage or bruising. Discard (or eat) any that are damaged. Cut the tops off an inch or so above the root – no closer. Pack in layers in dry sand, in a box or other suitable container. The sand must be dry, or there is potential for rot to set in. Store in a frost free place.

That's the party line on storage. Me? I'm lazy. I leave them in the ground. They are rarely damaged by frost, and indeed a touch of frost sweetens them. A proportion will suffer slug damage, but the answer to that is just grow a few more than you need!

Right. Anything else you need to know?

In summary, the long ones are fine if your soil is ideal. Otherwise stick to the stump rooted varieties.

I'm not going to say anything more about seeing in the dark, that one's been done to death.

Nor will I mention that you can make carrot wine. Because it tastes earthy, and is the devil of a job to clear. Make it once. For the experience.

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