Onions and carrots

[Smuff]

Hi All, need some advice.

There has been a shout from the house to grow some carrots next year. I don't normally bother because my soil is heavy clay and I don't really like them anyway. This isn't cutting the mustard anymore.

The only space left is in the onion bed; the question is will they happily co-exist or hate each other so much that neither does well?

Next query is, I've tried the stump rooted carrots before and failed miserably. Germination was poor and the survivors really didn't do well or grow to any size. I suspect my soil is too cold and wet and to overcome this will add lots of sharp sand between the onion rows and sow into a drill filled with sand. Will this work?

All advice gratefully received.

[pdblake]

Yes, they benefit each other too. Onion root fly doesn't like carrots and carrot root fly doesn't like onions

[lynda66]

there are some varieties of round carrots that apparently do better in crap soil cos they don't go down as far, or someone else suggested get a crow bar and make a carrot shaped hole then fill it up with compost ...or just do what i did, plant em and marvel at the amount of legs and other appendages, one carrot can produce ... and yes they will be fine together.

[vegnut]

I make a V shape with the spade, and fill it with old compost from the last summers pots. I then sow them into this and i get a reasonably good crop, fairly straight, and at least as long as the spades depth trench.

[zazen999]

But don't forget to put some organic slug pellets down, or you won't get owt.

[Smuff]

Thanks.
I'll definitely give it a go.
I can see an opportunity here Lynda66. As a child of the '70s I've always wanted to grow appendaged root veg worthy of 'That's Life'. Anything to see the look on the face of the Minister's face at the annual Harvest Festival...

[Smuff]

But don't forget to put some organic slug pellets down, or you won't get owt.

And booby traps, barbed wire, 24 hour armed guard....

[Snadger]

Onions and carrots co-exist very well together. So much so that I have two raised beds 18 inches high X 17 feet long that are full of screened topsoil & sand and intend alternating each with carrots and onions. I've got a bit of work to do through the winter to make them both about 4 foot wide (at present one is 2 foot wide and tuther is 5 foot wide!
I've grown onions in one and carrots in the other for the last two years but feel by making them the same size and alternating I will at least be practicing a pseudo crop rotation.
If I manure one each year (the one I'll be growing the onions in) it should mean that the carrots will benefit from the (by then) spent manure!

Even got plans to put a polytunnel over both beds..........but thats for the year after next! At present one bed is still half full of carrots under enviromesh and the other is half full of large leeks!

[Jenegade]

I was planning on putting my carrots and onions in alternate rows, apparently it's meant to confuse the carrot fly! Not sure how confident I am tho', might just stick a fleece ove them just in case anyway!!

Btw, where in Lanarkshire are you from Smuff? I used to live in South Lanarkshire (near Biggar'ish), my parents still live there.

[lynda66]

Thanks.
I'll definitely give it a go.
I can see an opportunity here Lynda66. As a child of the '70s I've always wanted to grow appendaged root veg worthy of 'That's Life'. Anything to see the look on the face of the Minister's face at the annual Harvest Festival...

nearly all of mine this year would have been worthy lol

[Smuff]

Onions and carrots co-exist very well together. So much so that I have two raised beds 18 inches high X 17 feet long that are full of screened topsoil & sand and intend alternating each with carrots and onions. I've got a bit of work to do through the winter to make them both about 4 foot wide (at present one is 2 foot wide and tuther is 5 foot wide!
I've grown onions in one and carrots in the other for the last two years but feel by making them the same size and alternating I will at least be practicing a pseudo crop rotation.
If I manure one each year (the one I'll be growing the onions in) it should mean that the carrots will benefit from the (by then) spent manure!

Even got plans to put a polytunnel over both beds..........but thats for the year after next! At present one bed is still half full of carrots under enviromesh and the other is half full of large leeks!

Hi Snadger,
interested in the two year rotation thing. I have space limitations so end up plonking stuff into any available space. This years onions, and now carrots, will go in the back of this years leeks which followed my spuds. My reasoning is that although that particular bed will have a full years worth of aliums in it, it will be across two growing seasons. According to the pearls of wisdom from other folks on this thread the carrots will hopefully keep any nasties at bay.
Fingers crossed.

[Smuff]

I was planning on putting my carrots and onions in alternate rows, apparently it's meant to confuse the carrot fly! Not sure how confident I am tho', might just stick a fleece ove them just in case anyway!!

Btw, where in Lanarkshire are you from Smuff? I used to live in South Lanarkshire (near Biggar'ish), my parents still live there.

Ah, a stranger from the tribe from the next valley. Carluke.

[Smuff]

nearly all of mine this year would have been worthy lol

Carrots don't sound that bad after all...

[Jenegade]

Ah, you're from the Carlukian tribe!

[Smuff]

Ah, you're from the Carlukian tribe!

Grumpily defending the borders. I suggest we launch a joint attack on the Lanarkians - they are rotters.