Author Topic: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.  (Read 2198 times)

George the Pigman

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Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« on: April 25, 2018, 10:10:20 »
I have a clayey soil and over the years have tried various techniques to germinate carrots with variable success despite improving the soil quality. My current technique uses spent compost in the bottom of shallow drills . I then sow the seed in the compost and cover lightly. However its a bit hit and miss whether I get any seedlings.
I am looking for new ideas before I sow my first lot. What do others do on clay soils?

Obelixx

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2018, 11:20:24 »
I've seen competition growers sow them in tubes filled with lovely soft compost so the carrots grow long and deep with no bends or stumping from heavy soil or bits of grit and manure.   Have you thought of making a raised bed filled with compost and growing short varieties?  Or growing them in big tubs?   That would help fool carrot fly too if the tubs were tall enough.
Obxx - Vendée France

Tee Gee

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2018, 15:08:11 »
This is how I grow my carrots;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Content/C/Carrot/Carrot.htm

In recent years I have been growing them in the greenhouse border but from time to time I use a bath and  / or barrels.

I seem to get indifferent results but I think that is down to me in so far as I tend to leave them to their own resources in other words I often forget to water the containers or the greenhouse borders. OK I get carrots but usually they  are relatively small but they are spotless so much so I can eat them straight after lifting them out of the soil.

The last photo was when I grew them with a vengeance ( in the 80/90's) I grew these specimens in barrels which were in the greenhouse and they wanted for nothing.

BTW the box they are in was one I made for "The Garden News" exhibition competition where I think the allotted space you had on the show bench was 24" x 18" if my memory serves me correctly. With carrots you had to leave 3" of growth on them and trim the tap root to fit within the area.

.......Just for the record these did not win! :BangHead:

I hope this info helps!...Tg

George the Pigman

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2018, 17:08:40 »
My problem is getting them to germinate. Once they germinate they usually grow well unless the dreaded carrot root fly gets them.

johhnyco15

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2018, 17:22:08 »
id warm the soil prior to sowing  clear poly sheeting is good as it germinates all the weed seeds  and warms the soil then just hoe off the weeds  then just draw a shallow drill and fingers crossed you should get good germination id also water the drill with warm water before you sow so the seeds dont move around after sowing hope this helps
johhnyc015  may the plot be with you

Tee Gee

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2018, 17:32:17 »
Quote
id warm the soil prior to sowing  clear poly sheeting is good as it germinates all the weed seeds  and warms the soil then just hoe off the weeds  then just draw a shallow drill and fingers crossed you should get good germination id also water the drill with warm water before you sow so the seeds dont move around after sowing hope this helps

Much simpler way that that Johnny and that is do not sow too early in the season ( unless grown under cover).....wait till the weather warms up and all you say will happen naturally!


johhnyco15

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2018, 17:46:50 »
Quote
id warm the soil prior to sowing  clear poly sheeting is good as it germinates all the weed seeds  and warms the soil then just hoe off the weeds  then just draw a shallow drill and fingers crossed you should get good germination id also water the drill with warm water before you sow so the seeds dont move around after sowing hope this helps

Much simpler way that that Johnny and that is do not sow too early in the season ( unless grown under cover).....wait till the weather warms up and all you say will happen naturally!


yes tg but its the lure of carrots one week earlier that draws me like a moth to a flame
johhnyc015  may the plot be with you

cudsey

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2018, 18:20:00 »
I tend to grow them in loo rolls in the ground,  fill with compost I usually sow 3 seeds in each one when they have germinated i thin to 1 per roll I dont know if this idea will work for you but my soil has a lot of clay in it 
Barnsley S Yorks

BarriedaleNick

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2018, 07:10:28 »
I make raised beds for carrots - I tip in anything I can get (other than fresh manure) - sand, spent compost, top soil, brewery waste...
Carrots dont like my solid clay much but they do ok in the beds.  I also leave sowing a bit later than I used to and get better germination.
Carrot fly is a certainty so I have to build a cover to surround the bed too.  A lot of faff for some carrots but they taste so much nicer than shop bought..
Moved to Portugal - ain't going back!

Vinlander

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2018, 10:03:03 »
I tried a similar method and found two things:

1) If the drill is left shallow after filling and sowing the compost can dry faster than the clay soil and potentially blow away, if it is left deep then April rain can use it as a channel and wash it away (so it is essential to have that bit of soil absolutely level or cover it).

2) Slugs and snails find carrot sprouts irresistible - ideally pellet the area 3-6 days before sowing or they will all be razored off before you see them and you will assume poor germination.

I now tend to sow normal or coloured carrots in builders bags with 20cm of 2yr old woodchip over ~70cm of rough soil-laden weeds that's still composting. The deep woodchip inside the top edge won't blow or wash away, and the height stops carrot fly. The woodchip encourages straight roots and the clay mix below gives them that superior clay-grown taste. They still need pelleting.

In open soil I only sow yellow carrots and very short (quick) orange ones - these are much less at risk from fly.

Cheers.

With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

rowbow

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2018, 09:25:24 »
Get a 20mm thick rebar (or thicker) 1meter long with a point on one end, nock it in the ground a bit at a time, wiggle it around to form a cone-shaped hole, keep nocking it deeper and deeper into the clay maintaining the growing diameter of the cone shape, fill the hole with good soil, not compost or the  carrot will fork, plant seeds, or plugs in soil, this method will also work with parsnips.  :blob7: :coffee2:
Spring has arrived I am so excited I have wet my PLANTS

George the Pigman

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #11 on: May 03, 2018, 21:29:08 »
Well following Rowbow's idea tomorrow I am going to mark out a 2 cm deep V-shaped drill and put a 1 cm layer of multipurpose compost in it then sow the seed and put another 1 cm layer of compost on top. I will do the same for my parsnips.
Let's see what happens!

saddad

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Re: Techniques for growing carrots on clay soils.
« Reply #12 on: May 06, 2018, 09:15:18 »
I also have heavy soil and spent years failing to grow carrots... I agree with most of what has been said, especially about raised beds, I fill pallet toppers with the spent compost from last years growbags. The only thing I would add is that if you use multi-purpose compost to fill your drills that can cap as well.. I mix it 50/50 with sharp sand.. carrot seedlings are tiny and really can't cope with any capping so I mix with the sand and keep it moist by watering regularly and covering with glass about 2-3mm above the actual drill...

 

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