Topic: carrot bed

[vanilla8]

Hi all,
I have a raised bed that i have just finished growing parsnips and carrots in. It is a nice mix of sand and compost.
What can i grow in it this year? I am aware i do not want to grow the same again due to the risk of carrot fly - i had an infestation in some of my carrots last year

[small]

Can I bump this and ask a sort of supplementary question.....I grew some carrots very successfully in a cut down barrel, I'd like to use it again without changing the soil, are there any nasties that lurk after carrots?

[goodlife]

Vanilla..you can grow what ever you like on that bed...carrot flies will find you carrots wether you grow them on same spot or not ::) Generally it is recommended to rotate different crops around beds each year, but if you have cleared the bed from 'old' carrots and parsnips there is no reason to get perfectly good crop from same bed again. But perhaps you want to crop something else between..maybe something quick cropping like salads, radishes etc. or in couple of months time you could sow some greenmanure..phacilia...let it grow up to 4inches high..then turn it in..give couple weeks to 'rot' down and sow your carrots again....
Small...yes you can use same soil..but you may need to scrape few inches of 'old' mix off from top of your barrel and change it to 'fresh' with little added fertilizer.
Any possible 'nasties' would not lurk in very deep in soil..so with little 're-refreshment' your soil should be fine ;)

[small]

Thanks Goodlife, that chimes with what I thought, I grew Chantenay Red Core for the first time and had some whoppers, utterly un-nibbled by carrot fly! Now all I need to do is beat the flea beetle that makes my rocket and radish so unsightly....

[Dandytown]

I grew strawberries in a very sandy soil in 2009 and they were fabulous.  Also grew Khol rabi, celery and cucumber and they did okay too

[vanilla8]

Many thanks for the advice :)