[stompy]

Hi all,

I have been thinking about the no dig idea and will be trying it on 1 of my beds to see if it really works.

My question is though, how do carrots/parsnips fare in no dig beds?

I know the idea is that you don't walk on the bed to avoid compaction but surely after a year or 2 the beds do compact so much, so how do the likes of carrots and parsnips do in these beds?

Andy

[compostqueen]

I do parsnips and carrots in raised beds all the time.  The best carrots I've done had no soil under them at all as I just used the contents of my huge pallet compost bin plus some builders sharp sand and some leafmould.

Parsnips in raised beds were problematic for me as I grew long ones that I couldn't get out very easily.  If I'd used stumpy ones it would have been easier for me    I had to stand on top of the raised beds to try and prize them out as they'd grown into the floor below the raised bed    Parsnips will appreciate proper soil though but mixing something in it to make it friable would be a good plan to avoid forking.

[sonnycbr]

I use the same method as Compostqueen. Raised bed 20ft long X 3ft wide X 18inches high.I half filled this about 3 years ago when I made it, with compost and sharp sand. Every year since then I've chucked in all my spent compost from pots and containers as well as all the sharp sand I can get as well as leafmould. I've never had to dig, merely a light forking over before seeds go in. Hoops and fleece over the top, lovely carrots every year.

[Trillium]

True no dig beds (not walled raised beds) will succumb to gravity over time, and must be forked to only loosen the soil, not turn it over. The big broad forks, aka U Bars, are ideal for this and used by all no-dig gardeners. By loosening the soil, you allow in air and will break up any tight clumps.

True, you do have to stand on the bed to do it, but only for a short while as you work backward with the fork, and you'll soon loosen the area you stood on.

This video demonstrates the principle well even though he's not on a no-dig bed as such. My fork is similar and provided you do just small increments as shown, its not hard work since the idea is not to turn over any soil, only loosen.

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