Growing Root Vegetables
Root vegetables are a gardener’s staple. Greens and herbs are tasty but when it comes to filling tummies, bulk is what you’re looking for and the earlier in the season you can get it, the better.
Staggering Your Potato Crops
Tender root crops such as potatoes should be grown in several ‘batches’ and there are varieties to suit each time of the season. If you’re not sure of varieties that suit your area, ask at a local garden centre for ‘early’, ‘main’ and ‘late’ seed.
Early potatoes should be grown no later than Labour Weekend. If you live in a cool spot, plant them a half spade deep in the soil so they take their time coming through the ground and, hopefully, avoid frosts. In areas that won’t receive frost after Labour Weekend, cover the potatoes with just a scattering of soil.
As soon as potatoes are through the ground, gently pull loose soil around the stem, leaving a bunch of leaves uncovered. Main crop potatoes should be planted around November and late varieties can go in the ground after Christmas.
Potatoes grow especially well in ground not previously used as a garden. Thereafter, sow them in soil enriched with compost, seaweed and animal manure, and add a good handful of blood and bone to each hole you place the seed into.
Carrots and Parsnips
Carrots and parsnips are as much a mainstay as potatoes. Sow them as early in the season as possible.
My tip for ensuring they come through the ground well is to line each seed drill (the shallow depression in which you sow the seed) with finely crumbled soil, and to cover the seed with the same. Too many gardeners simply rake the soil over the seed, forgetting that carrot and parsnip seed is tiny.
It may sound eccentric, but I ensure successful germination by putting myself in the place of the seed. Would I like to push my way through a hard lump of soil if I was that small? I don’t think so!
Soil and Manure Advice
The advice generally given to gardeners sowing carrot and parsnip is not to sow it in soil that has been freshly manured. The thought is that the young vegetables will grow towards pockets of manure and thus develop multiple roots instead of one strong tap root that grows straight down.
Personally, I haven’t encountered this problem and I believe that it is best to provide adequate plant nutrition even if this results in a few misshapen roots. So, unless you’re looking for specimens to take to the horticultural fair, I’d pay little attention to the traditional advice.
In fact, I go even further by giving my carrot, parsnip and beetroot seedlings lashings of liquid manure throughout the growing season.
Thinning for Strong Growth
When it comes to thinning root vegetables (other than potatoes, of course), the sooner the better is the policy to go with.
As soon as the tiny seedlings are big enough to handle, thin them so that there is a good centimetre between each plant. Thin them again once the roots are large enough to use in a salad. Careful thinning results in good sized roots which, come winter, makes for ease of harvesting and cleaning.
Storing Root Vegetables
In almost all parts of the country except for mountainous regions and very cold inland places, root vegetables can be left in the ground year-round.
Potatoes are the exception and although it is possible for them to remain in the soil, they will keep better and longer if dug once the tops die off. Let them dry in a shady place for a day or two, then store them in sacks or boxes well away from the light.
Well grown and carefully stored root vegetables means there is always a meal in the house.
Looking for more practical veggie gardening tips? See the full series here
