Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: MoreWhisky on March 12, 2009, 19:12

Title: Carrots and..............
Post by: MoreWhisky on March 12, 2009, 19:12

Built a lovely raised bed today   :) main reason was for my carrots.

Its ended up bigger than i need for carrots so have half the be left. so im needing advice on whats best to share it with?

cheers

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: hindy on March 12, 2009, 19:13

Hi MoreWhisky

Without a doubt share it with onions. The two combined together keep carrot fly away. :)

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: MoreWhisky on March 12, 2009, 19:27

Hi Hindy, thats what i was hoping to hear. My first thought was spring onions as i already have all my sets in.

Cheers

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: Adrian on March 13, 2009, 12:28

Although there's theories about onions deterring carrot fly, I think at best the jury's out. Personally I'd go for a physical barrier (fleece, enviromesh, builder's debris netting, etc.)

If you're using crop rotation, it's easier not to mix roots and alliums. You could share the carrot bed with other roots, like parsnip and beetroot, or those things that can go anywhere, like lettuce, spinach, etc. Or maybe something like courgette?

Cheers,

Adrian

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: corynsboy on March 13, 2009, 12:49

More carrots.  And bung on some fleece to ward off the fly!  :)

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: MoreWhisky on March 13, 2009, 16:32

plan on using envromesh  round the raised bed, onions and occasional marigold . Surely my carrots are now protected enough?

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: Babstreefern on March 13, 2009, 16:51

Can't have enough carrots - onions does mask the smell of carrot; and what about parsnip? - add "more whisky" - that'll keep the pesky carrot fly off :lol:

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: digalotty on March 13, 2009, 23:51

i would go with onions personally

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: iwantanallotment on March 14, 2009, 01:08

If your sets are already in morewhisky, you could divide the space between a variety - ie spring onions, leeks, chives, garlic (although these won't be as good as October planted garlic), shallots or maybe a different kind of onion too, ie red or white?
Just a thought. But as Adrian said, it doesn't make rotation as simple, having 2 different types in the same bed.
Ooooh but how lovely, to have spare space to fill...I'm jealous  :tongue2:

Title: Re: Carrots and..............
Post by: jennyb on March 14, 2009, 07:32

a year without onions (first year) i had bad carrot fly - got my parsnips 2.

2nd i interplnted carrots and parsnips with onions,  repeated last year due to complete lack of carrot fly and plans are the same again this year.


supposedly leeks and garlic work the same being from the similar families.