Carrotts in empty toilet roll holders.

[Shadylane]

The blokes down the bottom end grow carrots in their poly and it deffo speeds them along. If you sowed some now under cover you might get a crop of baby uns but it is getting late, we're nearly into September. Having said that the seeds probably won't keep until next year so you've got nothing to lose. I used MPC last year but next year I might sieve some lottie soil if I can be bothered. Depends on how many loo rolls I manage to fill before I start to lose the will to live.

[Bren In Pots]

I've just sown some 'Nantes Frubund' carrots that RHS sent out as freebies, instructions say to sow autumn. So I've put some in a bed then some in a bucket that I can take in the greenhouse later on.

[westcote]

This all sounds very interesting.

Am I too late to give it a go now?

What about in the polyhouse, can it speed up carrots?

I grew carrots last year in the greenhouse after the tomatoes had finished, late Septemberish. It worked fine and I was harvesting in February, all eaten in time for planting next crop of Toms.

[westcote]

This may be of no help to anyone but I have b een growing half my crop of carrots in empty cardboard toilet roll holders. It has been very successfull, producing straight fat carrotts, the holders rot down so it gets rid of them as well.
Regards Simon.

Toilet roll holders are also great for growing leeks in as they also help to blanch them withour getting gritty bits between the leaves

[Alison]

I'm going to sow some in a couple of weeks time in the polytunnel as the ones I sowed in the spring did so well but wouldn't try them outside now.

[Croila]

Toilet roll holders are also great for growing leeks in as they also help to blanch them withour getting gritty bits between the leaves

Sorry for the silly question, but what do you mean by "blanching" leeks? I thought blanching something was putting it in boiling water for a couple of minutes, but I'm guessing you mean something very different here?

[chris]

Sorry for the silly question, but what do you mean by "blanching" leeks? I thought blanching something was putting it in boiling water for a couple of minutes, but I'm guessing you mean something very different here?

You block the light from reaching the base of the leek, so you get more of the white (and edible) part of the leek. Normally when you plant them out you plant them deeper than they were planted before, so by the time they've grown enough ready for harvest you've a larger area of white leek to eat!

[Alison]

You block the light from reaching the base of the leek, so you get more of the white (and edible) part of the leek.

You can eat the white and green bits of the leek, I tend to use the top bit for veg soup and stocks as I'm too tight to waste any of them

[Croila]

Thanks for the explanation of blanching, chrismarks ... I didn't know blocking the light made them white

[Two_Sheds]

I didn't know blocking the light made them white

I guess it's the same principle as us paleskins putting sun cream on: we are blocking the rays, and keeping us white