I have read that growing carrots in soil that as had manure added will cause them to split and develop into odd shapes.
Since I have a new allotment that needs the soil to be improved by adding manure, should I leave an area without manure for carrots.
Hi, yes i would leave a manure free area ( put brussels,cauli etc in manure free area to).You can always spread some chicken pellets etc .
If the allotment is that new, I'd forget carrots this year. They grow very well in tubs or troughs, especially the early varieties.
But if you must have them - well, we all must, mustn't we? - then don't manure. Fork in chicken pellets or fertilizer.
I open up a narrow trench and refile with sieved soil so that no stones will block the tap root as even a small stone will cause the carrot to fork. I dress the soil with small amoints of growmore and feed with tomato liqiud feed during growing season. Earth up around the necks of carrots thtat will help stop carrot fly getting at them
Quote from: grotbag on January 01, 2009, 20:12:36
Hi, yes i would leave a manure free area ( put brussels,cauli etc in manure free area to).You can always spread some chicken pellets etc .
Thanks for the replies.
I didn't know about brussels and cauli needing a manure free area. Are there anymore veg I should be aware of that need manure free area.
??? Did anyone see this years Royal Family Xmas Special, I know its fiction, but there was a mention about the carrots they grew, the carrots looked great and he grew them in manure. ???
GROTBAG
What are chicken pellets if they are not manure, unless you are using layer pellets,
I have always found Brussels and caulies thrive in a well manured area, caulies especially. Not being pedantic but I am interested in the theory behind planting them in a manure free area.
I can hear my grandad now saying ,"Nar then lad for thee greens (brassicas), if tha puts nowt in tha will get nowt out. Get some muck dug in that bed where thee greens are going seethee)" and that was 40 years ago :)
I'm with 'Powerspade on the 'narrow trench' method.
My ground is quite light and I use a manure as a soil conditioner as opposed to a fertiliser therefore I use this method.
Consider this; You have a few carrot seed left later in the season and you want to use then as a 'catch' crop but the only ground available has been manured !! What do you do?
Regarding 'no manure' for brassicas!
Like Growmore I would be interested in more information on this technique/theory.
I do not see a problem with using well rotted manure.
My carrots were excellent last year :)
Yes Betula... it is the fresher manure that causes the forking... if it is seriously well rotted it will grow fine carrots. I wouldn't dream of growing any brassica without lashings of manure... I think the sprouts/cauli concept is the need for "firming"... but as our soil is heavy clay that tends not to be the problem. :-\
I too what put manure in these brassica beds, caulis in peticular are greedy feeders. ??? ??? ??? ??? :-\ ;D ;D ;D