[DHM]

In the next 2 weeks I'm going to be direct sowing my Carrots, Parsnips and Salsify, into heavy claggy clay soil. Some of my neighbours achieve good results from sinking a tool handle 1-1,5 ft into the clay, backfilling with mpc and sowing into these 'modules'. I would tgink that this would cause the soil at the bottom to compress hindering progress of the roots but apparently not. Does anyone else grow like this, or should I just sow as normal?

[Potterer]

I’ve done something similar in the past. I use a spade to make a v in the soil across a raised bed, the fill with compost and sow into that. It’s worked well for me - good length root veg without forking.

[Plot 1 Problems]

This exactly the method I use on my clay soil. I get deep, fat roots everytime. I sow 4/3 seeds perstation and thin out if needed.

[rowlandwells]

although I've never tried this method others I know have and its proven good results so I'm going with that method this season I'm told its an  old method to make a hole with either a dibber or some use a metal bar because it goes deeper making a conical shape hole filled with mix of MPC and sharp sand with say two or three parsnip or carrot seed like you say per station


i always end up with my parsnips forking by sowing in ground so as i said I'm going with that method this time good topic 

[Goosegirl]

I'll give that a try when sowing my carrots and parsnips.

[Grubbypaws]

I did this last year and got fantastic results with my parsnips. I used a round tree support sharpened to a point and a lump hammer! After making the hole I proddled the soil around at the bottom so that it was not compacted down and then filled the hole with MPC using the blunt end of my 'dibber' to  eliminate air spaces. When I pulled them out, rather than forked misfits I had straight giants.

Definitely using the same technique again this year!

[theothermarg]

Think I'll try this after all what's to lose but a bit of time and some PMC and a lot to gain.  my root veg are weird shapes at their best the worse is they struggle to grow at all.  Worth it when they do as the flavour is incomparable. 

[rowlandwells]

its nice to see that method actually works Grubbypaws   speaking to a friend of ours today  he assures me it works  he grows parsnip and carrot for showing some in the ground some in drums but he wouldn't tell me the actual mix he uses

[Aidy]

We are lucky in that our ground was once the beach back 1066 or whenever the domesday book was written, the sand is just a darker colour so for me I just run the tiller along the parsnip row to get a good fine tilth, I always pre-chit the seed so I know the seed is off to a good start and then just sow and cover, works a treat here.