[Bodmass]

I've been reading up on carrots (no manure, plenty enviromesh etc) but am struggling to figure out which varieties are suitable for my heavy clay soil.  Despite reading that this matters, I'm not finding the info on the seed merchant websites very useful on this point.

So for those of you with clay soil, any suggestions for early & maincrop carrots?

(btw, I know I may be pushing my luck here, but we have a particular preference for raw/salad carrot if it matters)

Thanks

Bod

[sonnycbr]

If your soil is really heavy why not try a raised bed for your carrots? You could then incorporate plenty of grit/sand and spent compost. It would also make it much easier to protect the crop from carrot fly.

[Trillium]

Any of the carrot varieties that are the long, triangular shape are perfect for heavy soil. The thinner root can push through heavy soil and the heavier, wider top develops the 'meat'. These also store better than the pencil types.

One trick you can use is to dig a narrow trench for your carrot row and mix a blend of coarse sand and either your soil or some sort of compost, and fill the trench with this mix. Direct seed your carrots onto this.

Compost and manure don't really make for hairy carrots. My mother and I have manured our carrot areas for many years and we've yet to get hairy carrots. Any wild carrot seeds that blew in or carrots left over from a previous year will definitely have hairy roots.

[Carrot Man]

You are right that Carrots don't like manure
In fact no roots like it
It makes them fork and go into weird shapes
The golden rule is ...... potash for anything grown below the soil and Nitrogen for anything grown above the soil
Another good tip for decent carrots is to sow 4-5 seeds them 6" apart in drills approx 2" wide, filled with some compost, rather than a long seed drill with the seeds sprinkled along it
It's easier to thin down to one per hole and will make a decent sized carrot.
Also with less thinning, you will stand more chance of not attracting the carrot fly through regular disturbing of the carrots

This is a carrot grown on my plot


And this is how they looked on the plot


They weren't grown in anything special, just simply as I have described above

[solway cropper]

potash for anything grown below the soil and Nitrogen for anything grown above the soil

what about legumes and tomatoes?

It's not manure per se that makes roots fork it's big lumps of the stuff that the roots have to go round...the same as stones. If your manure is well rotted and sieved it shouldn't be a problem.

[Carrot Man]

Onions grow really well on manure but also like potash
Tomatoes like plenty potash

[bazh]

I wouldn't use your golden rule for Peas.

[shoozie]

So for those of you with clay soil, any suggestions for early & maincrop carrots?

(btw, I know I may be pushing my luck here, but we have a particular preference for raw/salad carrot if it matters)

We grow early Nantes  and autumn king on clay.  We tried Monty's tip this year for salad carrots using the early nantes and have had salad carrots from July (earlier using pots) - a few still left ( scatter seeds over a wide - 5/6 inch wide drill, and pick and eat thinnings). We are not bothered by carrot fly, so this method might not work for you though.  We will definitely do this again next year.

Autumn kings were sown traditionally.  Both seem quite happy in clay.

We're no carrot experts though, but we've been well fed for months   
Good luck 

[BabbyAnn]

I've successfully grown Early Nantes, Flyaway and Royal Chantennay on clay soil but I also like Paris Market because it is a short round one that does very well too

[Carrot Man]

I wouldn't use your golden rule for Peas.

Peas like plenty of manure and Nitrogen
I prepare my bed thick with manure, topped with soil and then forked together
Then I feed weekly with High Nitrogen, Chempak No.2

[bazh]

I wouldn't use your golden rule for Peas.

Peas like plenty of manure and Nitrogen
I prepare my bed thick with manure, topped with soil and then forked together
Then I feed weekly with High Nitrogen, Chempak No.2

Peas fix there own nitrogen from the air and generally do not require a high nitrogen feed.

[LilacSandy]

Hi Bod,  I garden on clay and found Early Nantes are great for flavor, I sew lots and often eat them as I pull them (I do not use animal manure).  My friends say they are great and love them raw in salads or cooked.

[Carrot Man]

I wouldn't use your golden rule for Peas.

Peas like plenty of manure and Nitrogen
I prepare my bed thick with manure, topped with soil and then forked together
Then I feed weekly with High Nitrogen, Chempak No.2

Peas fix there own nitrogen from the air and generally do not require a high nitrogen feed.

Peas like runner beans only leave their nitrogen filled pods in the ground behind them after they have died off. It would want a good healthy, quality pea/bean, it pays to also feed with nitrogen. But that's not to say it is a must, it's just to say it will improve the quality of the item

[Yorkie]

Peas like runner beans only leave their nitrogen filled pods in the ground behind them after they have died off. It would want a good healthy, quality pea/bean, it pays to also feed with nitrogen. But that's not to say it is a must, it's just to say it will improve the quality of the item

Actually, I was surprised recently to learn that the amount of nitrogen left in the pods after the plant has finished its season is minimal. There's no real benefit nitrogen-wise to leave the roots in the soil (although there may be other benefits from it rotting down to compost over time).

[Carrot Man]

That's right Yorkie, the amount of Nitrogen left in the soil isn't much and the roots have to be left in quite a while for the pods to be released.

Peas and Beans always benefit from a little extra help anyway