[Rincon]

Hi all

Ive just harvested my shallots and I reckon by the end of the week my onions will have been pulled.

So is it best to leave the ground dormant till next spring or could I put a few rows of late carrots in? Or something else?

Dont want to over work the soil at the allotment but dont want to waste the ground either.

Thanks!

[Plot 1 Problems]

Personally I'd sow a green manure to protect the soil from the weather.

[Dev]

You could sow any of the following :- Lettuce, leaf Beet, chard, endive, chicory, Florence fennel, chervil, coriander, land cress, wild or salad rocket, Chinese cabbage and spinach. You might get a crop of carrots in but they won't be massive - and they will taste good! You can start most of the above in modules and then plant them out to avoid the worst of the pests. Slugs will walk a mile over broken glass for Chinese cabbage!

[Rincon]

thats great, thank you

Couple of quick questions, what is green manure? Always thought of manure as horse poo and never considered planting it haha

And about the carrots being small, is that because they dont like to follow onions or its a bit a late to plant them?

thanks

[Dev]

I'm not really up on green manures because I use the No-dig system, but basically you thickly sow a crop of whatever plants you choose (you can find a list of them on line - there's quite a few) and you dig them into the soil at the end of the season and they rot down in the soil providing nutrient for next year. I prefer to spread compost and manure on the surface in November and let the worms take it down into the soil.
With regard to the carrots, its nothing to do with the previous crop, its just that the growing season is relatively short, and after 21st June the days of light are getting shorter. But even small carrots are a tasty addition to your diet.

[Aidy]

You can buy packets of green manure, different types depending on what you are planning to grow in that bed next season.

Personally my chicory/ radicchio plants are following the onions. I have around 40 plants to go in, they will grow on for winter and generally keep well unless we have severe sustained frosts.

[Rincon]

thanks for the replies

Ive decided to put 2 rows of carrots in and see what happens this year, if it doesnt work its only cost me a few quid in seeds.

Will look into this green manurers.

Thanks again!