preparing beds for carrots and parsnips

[queen of the cobs]

I really want to have some carrot and parsnip success this year - my soil isn't very sandy. Can I dig deeply and sieve the soil to prepare or should I definitely add some sand? And if I do that, won't it be too sandy for whatever I want to grow next year?

I've been looking out for big containers, but just no luck so far. How deep do they need to be for carrots and parsnips?

[shirlthegirl43]

I grew nice carrots in the 10 litre florist buckets, I sieved my garden soil and sowed the seeds at the final spacing recommended on the packet. I did Autumn King and Chantenay Red Cored. If you want to use a shallower container, you could try the round carrots like Parmex. I didn't put any sand into my soil in the buckets, I have loamy soil and it drained fine.

I am going to try parsnip the same way this year - I am growing White Gem as the packet says they are good in shallower soils.

[Two_Sheds]

I've been looking out for big containers, but just no luck so far. How deep do they need to be for carrots and parsnips?

Well, that depends on your variety. Nantes carrots at 5-6" long need a pot a little deeper than that, or Parmex carrots (1-2") even shallower.

[Snadger]

Two suggestions depending on how interested you are in growing carrots and parsnips.
Suggestion I..........decide where you are going to grow the aforesaid and dig over the soil so it's nice and loose. Put a stringline along your inted row position and go along the stringline with your spade putting the spade in vertical with the string line and easing it back and forward at the top. Keep doing this right along the row and you should be left with a Vee shaped groove.
Fill this Vee shaped groove with either potting compost or a sand/soil/peat or coir mix.
Once filled, water it in and add some more where its settled. Once settled sow your carrots or parsnips along the middle and they should romp away!

Suggestion 2..........I am using 6 inch diameter plastic tubes about 4 or 5 foot long in a vertical position tied into a fence. Fill each with garden soil. Hammer in a long crowbar down the middle and wiggle around at the top to make a deep cone shape. withdraw the crowbar and fill with a similar mix to suggestion 1. Set a few seeds in the centre and thin to one plant once they germinate. Carrots, parsnips and long beetroot can all be grown in this way.

[roitelet]

I grew nice carrots in the 10 litre florist buckets, I sieved my garden soil and sowed the seeds at the final spacing recommended on the packet. I did Autumn King and Chantenay Red Cored. If you want to use a shallower container, you could try the round carrots like Parmex. I didn't put any sand into my soil in the buckets, I have loamy soil and it drained fine.

I am going to try parsnip the same way this year - I am growing White Gem as the packet says they are good in shallower soils.

I always grow White Gem Shirl, in clay with a high propotion of flint in it. They get so long that I can't get them out whole The longest one that I have managed to get out nearly whole was 2 feet long.

Will a bucket be deep enough??????????????

[shirlthegirl43]

I always grow White Gem Shirl, in clay with a high propotion of flint in it. They get so long that I can't get them out whole The longest one that I have managed to get out nearly whole was 2 feet long.

Will a bucket be deep enough??????????????

Oh well, the packet says "Good choice for shallow soils", so they will have to be content with buckets!

[Matt.]

I'm trying a technique similar to Snadger's suggestion #2. I've obtained a load of large cardboard tubes 4" diamater cut down to 18" long. My plan was dig holes, put the tubes in, back fill around the tube then fill the tube itself with a sand compost mix. Problem I've had is the time it takes to dig out the holes and then back fill. In two hours on Saturday I manged 12 tubes (I thought I'd get nearer 50! ). I want to get the tubes deep so that they can absorb water from the surrounding soil. If they stick up out of the soil they'll need extra watering which isn't always the easiest to find time for. So in my opinion its was a nice idea but I think I might go with suggestion #1 for the rest of it