Ideas for ROOTS bed

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

Hi all

Had problems with the carrots I sowed (capping on clay soil I think!?!) so am going to re-prepare that bed this weekend and replace with other roots.  I am thinking Parsnips and something else.  I already have radish and beetroot in so I need ideas for an other root crops....anyone got any good ideas?

Anyone grown salsify?  Is it easy?

Psi

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

[lightyears]

How about swede?

[saddad]

Salsify self seeds like mad all over our lotties, getting it to grow when and where you want it is another matter.  :-X

[allaboutliverpool]

Swede, Turnip, Beetroot, Celeriac, Khol Rabi.

These all grow above the ground and are more forgiving than carrots and parsnips which require deeply dug and preferably sandy soil.

They are all nearly pest free although some of my celeriac have had a mild canker-like affliction. Keep the pigeons off the turnip, khol rabi and swede!

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

thanks for the help.

I am trying to keep this bed strictly to roots and I know turnips, swede and kohl rabi are - strictly speaking - brassicas.

How does salsify spread over the plot?  Never heard this before but am interested as I have inherited jerusalem weeds, sorry artickoes on the plot and they are everywhere!

Any other suggestions?

[Doris_Pinks]

I had absolutely no luck with carrots until I covered them with multipurpose compost  instead of the soil,and fleeced until they were ready to pull..........no clay capping that way! ;)

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

yes I will try a couple of rows sowed under a compost/sandy mix and see if it helps.  unfortunaltely, as well as capping, this bed was inundated with weeds - possibly blown onto the plot or pre-existing in the council's compost....either way, re-digging is vital.

How about some leeks and spring onion alongside parsnips and a few experimental carrots??

[Eristic]

Worzel and Scorzonera. little and large. will keep you fed all winter.

[saddad]

Beautiful daisy like flower, followed by very decorative "structured" seed clock like Dandelions...



That's how it spreads around the site...

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

can I just take the flowers off to stop it happenning if I do just 2 or 4 5 foot rows?

[thifasmom]

yes and as buds they are edible too :)

http://www.innvista.com/health/foods/vegetables/salsify.htm

[Kea]

I'm thinking of trying the short stubby carrots e.g. Parmex

[Hector]

Worzel and Scorzonera. little and large. will keep you fed all winter.

Eristic, are ypu continuing with Scorzonera?

[Eristic]

Yes.

Last winter I had difficulty digging them up as the roots seemed to go down forever, so I'm trying an experiment this year. I've taken plastic water bottles about 2ltr size, cut the bottom off, filled them with soil and sowed a seed in the fat end of each. Plants are now growing nicely and sitting in a couple of buckets waiting for some garden space.

The plan is to plant the bottles in the top of a ridge so that at harvest time all I have to do is remove the bottle and fork the ridge to get a very long root out of the ground.

Unfortunately my camera is out of action so there are no pictures for the time being.

[Hector]

Thanks for that, sounds interesting. I think I will give that a go and propagate some this afternoon. It was the harvesting/breaking off that was making me question going for it or not.

[terrier]

Yes.

Last winter I had difficulty digging them up as the roots seemed to go down forever, so I'm trying an experiment this year. I've taken plastic water bottles about 2ltr size, cut the bottom off, filled them with soil and sowed a seed in the fat end of each. Plants are now growing nicely and sitting in a couple of buckets waiting for some garden space.

The plan is to plant the bottles in the top of a ridge so that at harvest time all I have to do is remove the bottle and fork the ridge to get a very long root out of the ground.

Unfortunately my camera is out of action so there are no pictures for the time being.

Now why didn't you post that yesterday BEFORE is sowed my Scozerona  ::)   ;D