CARROTS ON HEAVY SOIL

Evening Star, Issue 23325, 22 July 1939, Page 21

CARROTS ON HEAVY SOIL

A READER DESCRIBES HIS METHOD Difficulty is often experienced by gardeners in. growing carrots on heavy soils, and the following account of a method I have adopted for several years with excellent results may help others (writes a correspondent of ‘ Popular Gardening,’ London). A suitable plot is selected, and as my beds are about 35ft across, two rows are sufficient for my needs. I next dig the ground deeply, because I have found that no matter what methods are purused afterwards, they are useless without deep digging.

SOWING THE SEEDS IN THE SAND. I work two large bucketsful of sand into the soil with a fork, taking care to distrbuto the sand evenly. Then 1 prepare the drills for the seeds, making them 1J or 2inches deep. I fill these to the required depth with sand, sow the seeds and sprinkle a layer of sand over them, afterwards raking the soil over as usual. To keep tho carrot fly at bay 1 sprinkle some peat moss (used in my poultry houses) with paraffin, and spread this between the rows of carrots. My plants have never been attacked when I have used this, and I find the same precaution will keep the Onion fly from onions. For tins reason, 1 make my onion beds and carrot beds side by side.