Allotments 4 All

Evening folks,
My past 3 years of growing I have never succeded in growing the ultimate carrot so I would like your advice please!! Also anyone used a tomato variety called hundreds & thousands???
Hope you all had a good weekend, I cant wait to get down the allotment next week and start digging in manure  & sea weed!!

Not familiar with that Tom..
How long is a long carrot? For exhibition lengths you need "long" seed James Scarlet 'intermediate' is the easiest to find. I'm happy with 10-12" (Stop it...) and a rasied bed with a mix of sharp sand and spent compost is an ideal medium...

I will defer to saddad's expertise as I've never done exhibition veg, but when we got our garden, I spent several weekends riddling every stone out of the soil. Our soil is sandy loam, which is great carrot-growing medium, and with the removal of the stones, we've had reasonably good, long, straight crops from 'Autumn King II' and 'Yellowstone'. Actually had some huge roots from the latter...

If you're on heavier soils, you could either grow in containers, or add a load of well-rotted manure and sand the season before to lighten it up. Fresh manure causes them to fork as well, so I've always grown them on a bed which had tomatoes/ squashes in it the year before.

I quite enjoy the crazy shapes they serve up sometimes!

Sure you are not confused with Sweet 1 Million tomato.
AS for a long carrot another is St Vallery but having the right seed is only the very tiny part of it what do you intend to grow it/them in, tubes, 45 gallon drums or what.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/5054902/Best-tomatoes-for-hanging-baskets.html

a little bit about them

as for carrots, dont some of you grow em in toilet roll tubes?

Toilet rolls can work for starting parsnips... too much faff for carrots.  :-X

Quote from: Mortality on January 24, 2010, 21:17:17
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/5054902/Best-tomatoes-for-hanging-baskets.html

a little bit about them

as for carrots, dont some of you grow em in toilet roll tubes?

erm   NO

[attachment=1]

I've heard of hundreds and thousands, but never grown them, would be interested as I assume they are very small, ideal for children?

lol traffic cones  :D

Quote from: davyw1 on January 25, 2010, 07:18:00

Quote from: Mortality on January 24, 2010, 21:17:17
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/5054902/Best-tomatoes-for-hanging-baskets.html

a little bit about them

as for carrots, dont some of you grow em in toilet roll tubes?

erm   NO

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,57445.msg586246.html#msg586246

Erm YES some people do.  :P

http://www.allotment-diary.co.uk/Exhibition-long-show-carrot.html
found this
Step by step for a carrot, looks fun  ;D

Quote from: Mortality on January 25, 2010, 10:15:38
http://www.allotment-diary.co.uk/Exhibition-long-show-carrot.html
found this
Step by step for a carrot, looks fun  ;D

Good fun you gest, it is back braking.   You start the seed off in toilet rolls then transplant them, i have neve tried it as you have to get them transplanted without damaging the tap root, same applies to parsnips. if you dont get it right you dont get the carrot.
I was refering to growing exibition carrots where your mix has to be spot on so damage is caused to the carrot

[attachment=1]

I thought the real monster long ones were grown in drainpipes... always fancied having an organ of pipes tied to the side of the house that you watered from the upstairs windows...... must be proof against carrot root fly too, they'd never get up there.....

chrisc

Quote from: reddyreddy on January 25, 2010, 07:51:47
I've heard of hundreds and thousands, but never grown them, would be interested as I assume they are very small, ideal for children?

They are lovely and sweet and about the size of a currant or grape.  Great in stir fries and such as they keep their shape

Hundreds and Thouasans were in last years suttons catalogue, ideal for hanging baskets apperently with long sets of fruits holding upto 100 mini toms each, i believe the description read.  Ive been beaing to give them a try but still got some tumbler seeds left to use up.