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I know I go on about this lots but the “proof is in the pudding”. These pictures were taken this evening. I am on heavy clay soil and many people have problems getting carrots and parsnips to germinate. Using the compost drills I get good results:

Autumn King carrots sown on 2rd April under fleece:



I may need to do a bit of thinning but that means I get a early catch crop.

Tender and True parsnips sown on 16th April, again under fleece:



No thinning required but a decent enough germination to give a full row come autumn.

The compost drill may take a bit more effort at the start but I get very good germination and nice uniform roots at harvest on a very heavy soil.

HTH

Jerry

ENVY! was going to give it a go next week though as I am now on my third packet of carrot seeds with no shows!!! ;D

Jerry,

I'd like to say that I am very pleased for you but I'm not that nice a guy.  >:(

I'll post a pic of my barren root bed later  :'(

Phil

Right, you have convinced me to give it a go.  I bought seeds a while ago but they are just sitting there at the moment.  That's another job keep me busy this weekend  ;D

Quote from: philcooper on May 13, 2005, 09:06:15
Jerry,

I'd like to say that I am very pleased for you but I'm not that nice a guy.  >:(

I'll post a pic of my barren root bed later  :'(

Phil

Phil

Trying this method for the first time a year or so ago transformed how I view parsnip germination. My worries are greatly reduced now.

Get  a couple of compost drills in now!

;D

Jerry

I thought mine were doing quite well (heavy clay too) but then you post that pic Jerry and spoil it!

I suppose I did sow mine a little later than you (mid april, I think - haven't got my diary here!) My carrots still only have seed leaves and I'm not sure if the parsnips have even germinated yet - the radishes have, though!

I need more fleece!

how long will you keep the fleece on?

Quote from: aquilegia on May 13, 2005, 09:32:35


how long will you keep the fleece on?

Fleece stays on the carrots until harvest. I tend to remove it froms the parsnips once germination is obvious and I am happy with the thickness of the new seedlings. I do some times in fill gaps with some extra seeds if there is a gap of more than 6 inches in the row.

Jerry

I'm fed up with fleece as it keeps blowing away as my site is sooooo windy!  I'll have to try attaching it to something like a heavier weight net and sowing it or something to the hoops.  Drat  :(

Right Jerry, now I have also consulted you 'how to make a fleece tunnel' post I really am going to try to make something for the lottie - there's always a first time for everything and I won't hold you responsible if there's a 'woman in frenzied attack on fleece' headline in the newspaper over the weekend  ;D  Just watch out for it folks!!!

Jerry,

Looking again (painful though it is!) at your pics, I wonder if the little blue pellets may have something to do with your success - I have rampant slugs on my plot and I'm wondering if they polished off any of my seedlings that dared to germinate - if the weather holds this weekend I'll try my 3rd lot of carrots and parsnips - your way

Phil

Same with me Phil, I have actually seen germination, and next time I have peeked.......nada! I too have a rather large slug problem! :'(

Quote from: philcooper on May 13, 2005, 12:55:31
Jerry,

Looking again (painful though it is!) at your pics, I wonder if the little blue pellets may have something to do with your success

Phil

I do use a tiny amount, as the parsnips are uner fleece. Funny enough I do not use them with the carrots.

At home I use nematode control as I have a good population of thrushes and hens that roam the garden at times.

Jerry

Wardy - do you not use 'tent pegs'??

The 'trident' ones are best. OK, yes - they cost!

Jerry that is brilliant, I am very impressed.  I have spent all afternoon sifting my soil and planting out my parsnip seeds in  sawn of pieces of drain pipe.  There is not a stone in sight and the soil is like icing sugar so I am even more envious  that you have got such good results without all that bother.  My carrots will go in next week under fleece.  :) busy_lizzie 

This looks great and now I have bought some more seeds yesterday at the Malvern show I will try again.  Just  a couple of questions:

how deep do you make the drills?
do you lay the fleece on top of the soil or on hoops?

Quote from: Justy on May 14, 2005, 07:18:16
This looks great and now I have bought some more seeds yesterday at the Malvern show I will try again.  Just  a couple of questions:

how deep do you make the drills?
do you lay the fleece on top of the soil or on hoops?

I drag out a drill with a hoe, about a cm or so deep, sow the seeds and cover with a layer of compost. Water in and keep just moist.

I support the fleece with hoops but others jsut lay the fleece over them.

Jerry

:) I planted a few carrots out in cardboard loo roll centres along with seed in the same way as Jerry has and low and behold they are pocking their little heads through, so fingers crossed ;D

Tim my fleece has been held down with everything I can get my hands on.  I have pegs but they aren;t the trident ones and the fleece just gets ripped off them.    Even my ground cover fleece held down with pegs keeps getting blown away and then I have to hunt round for the pegs.  I think I'll just have to lay the fleece flat on the carrots rather than trying to create a tunnel (wind tunnel that is)

ok - 2nd lot of carrots (white ones!) now sown in compost drills. (be just my luck for the raking to have regenerated the first lot!)  I had a new corrugated plastic roof put on my veranda yesterday so I have laid the offcuts on top of the drills for insulation so fingers crossed I may get some carrots afterall.

I actually managed it  ;D  Made the fleece tunnel as per your previous post Jerry and put the carrots seeds in so I shall just keep everything crossed that it all goes to plan.  My OH went down to do some digging and came back saying it looks like a proper lottie now and he was very proud of my handywork.  So I reckon I get get 2 more 6ft long fleece tunnels out of wire/string/fleece that I bought, and it only cost me £7 for the lot  ;D