Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Bertie9491 on August 26, 2022, 21:45
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Hi. I am new to this forum and this is my first post.
I am in Fort William, North West Scotland.
I today purchased some veg plants , carrots, spring onions, kale and spinach. Will they grow as it is late in season. They are all very fresh and are new stock.
I never have much success with carrots. Most times they grow wonky. What am I doing wrong?
The ones I sowed in April all grew wonky.
I grow some in containers and some straight into soil in the garden.
What compost should I use in the containers and what should I add to the soil?
Should they be fertilised?
I am in my seventies and been gardening for many years and been successful with most fruit and veg, but not carrots.
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Wonky carrots are probably due to lumpy growing medium. Even grown in multi purpose compost I get them wonky if I haven't put enough effort into breaking down the lumps. I haven't fed my carrots this year (all in mpc in a raised bed) and the earlies have all been fab (shop sized), haven't pulled any other types yet so I don't know if they have done so well, but I suspect the hot weather means they won't be what I'm hoping for.
You should be fine with the spinach and kale, although the kale might grow slower than you wish. If the spring onions are white lisbon (winter hardy) then they might come good, probably a bit late for non hardy varieties. Similarly with carrots, you might be ok with early types (nantes) that grow a bit quicker, not so sure about maincrop carrots.
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Welcome to the forums :)
Carrots may grow wonky for a number of main reasons: a) they were started in modules and planted out too late (i.e. after they have hit the bottom of the module and started to spiral already (I had this problem with parsnips...!!)); b) stony soil; c) recently manured soil.
The others should be fine :)
Don't believe those people who say that cabbage white butterflies don't like kale ... :mad: :lol:
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I only grow baby carrot types in pots these days.
Would say its a bit late now for mine. I sown mine in April/May and will stay in the pots till late winter for picking.
Have in the past grown some like this in pots as late as July and they have done fine for a winter picking.
Have just planted out a load of Chard, Spinach, Russian Kale and Nero di Toscana.
Normally do this about now, and the Kale and Chard will give plenty of pickings through Autumn and Winter and the Spinach through till next Spring/ Summer and beyond.
By the way, have never had any problems with any from of attack on my Kale that I have planted over the years. Did used to grow the Curly types, but last few years just the ones I mentioned above.
All my Kale, Chard and Spinach has been slug/snail and Cabbage White caterpillar free in decades of growing with no covering in many parts of the garden.
Do not use any kind of chemicals on them either.
I use the fake butterfly method that was mentioned on here many years back. and since then have had great success. It was mostly for my Brussels Sprouts that got attacked and they have been caterpillar free since.
https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=114611.msg1387737#msg1387737
That reminds me, I will update that thread with an update.