Carrots in no-dig garden?

by Susan
(Switzerland)

I am putting together a no dig garden and am wondering, do I need to leave an area free (not mulched) for carrots and parsnips next spring, or can I sow those in situ then?

Comments for
Carrots in no-dig garden?

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Dec 19, 2010
 growing carrots in a no-till garden
by: John

If you are starting out in the first year with a no-till garden, then i would advise NOT to grow carrots in your first year. Wait until the second or even the third year. The reason is that your soil will get broken up/down by the first crops. We use potatos for this as they are good at breaking up any compacted soil. Avoid manuring before you plant carrots, and you will have to take off the mulch. Take off the mulch at least a week before you plant the carrots in situ. This should allow the birds to root through to eat any slug eggs. Gently hoe the top layer to get a fine tilth and keep weed free. Growing carrots is one of the more difficult crops, so dont be dissapointed if it does not work out first time, just try again. I am looking forward to reading some other peoples perspectives.
John, Ireland
Jan 28, 2011
 No Dig Carrots
by: Kiwi George

I have been a No Dig Organic gardener since my M.I. 11 years ago robbed me of the ability to dig. Initially I had difficulty growing carots probably due to the ooarseness of my soil due to the amount of humus I add every year and the similarly, the coarseness of the soil I covered the seed with. I raked the bed to a very fine tilth, added sharp river sand by 1/3 of total soil by volume, sowed my carrot seed, covered with 1 millimeter of finely sieved soil, moistened the soil well with a very fine spray, then covered it with well wetted newspaper, and when the seedlings showed up, took the paper off and shielded the seedlings with 50% shade cloth for a month. This may seem very complicated but it works well for me.
Regards
George
Sep 06, 2011
 no dig carrots
by: Anonymous

I have always had trouble growing decent carrots too. Have tried different positions around the garden with little success. Have just read a tip in a gardening mag. The writer's granddad used to sprinkle condy's crystals when sowing carrot seeds so he tried it and had a bumper crop. Will be trying myself this season.

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