Tuesday 23rd May
My experiment in sowing parsnips using seed tapes has been a failure. I sowed a double row of 'Tender and True' parsnips and there are less than a dozen plants growing. I had sown a row of spinach with similar results but the carrots which I sowed using compost in a deep groove have really done well. All were treated, and watered, the same so I am still trying to work out what went wrong. In the meantime, I decided to sow into the row using the seed of 'White Gem' the seed I had intended to use this year but had mis-remembered and bought the wrong variety. It is right at the end of the sowing period so I am not sure we will get a result but I followed the instructions very carefully, watering the drill before sowing 3 seeds at each station between the few plants growing in the row.
I went on to thin out my carrot seedlings. When I watered the drill for the parsnips I had also watered the carrot seedlings so they could be thinned without all coming out in bunches. Even so it took me the best part of an hour to do the whole row. It is a very long time since I have had such good germination of carrots so I am not very practised at it. Not knowing how far apart to thin them I just thinned out any growing together. As long as I could get a pencil between the remaining seedlings I left them. As they grow the young carrots can be harvested leaving some to mature. I watered both newly sown seeds and thinned out seedlings before replacing the fleece covers. I plan to make a sowing of carrots later for the winter.
My experiment in sowing parsnips using seed tapes has been a failure. I sowed a double row of 'Tender and True' parsnips and there are less than a dozen plants growing. I had sown a row of spinach with similar results but the carrots which I sowed using compost in a deep groove have really done well. All were treated, and watered, the same so I am still trying to work out what went wrong. In the meantime, I decided to sow into the row using the seed of 'White Gem' the seed I had intended to use this year but had mis-remembered and bought the wrong variety. It is right at the end of the sowing period so I am not sure we will get a result but I followed the instructions very carefully, watering the drill before sowing 3 seeds at each station between the few plants growing in the row.
I went on to thin out my carrot seedlings. When I watered the drill for the parsnips I had also watered the carrot seedlings so they could be thinned without all coming out in bunches. Even so it took me the best part of an hour to do the whole row. It is a very long time since I have had such good germination of carrots so I am not very practised at it. Not knowing how far apart to thin them I just thinned out any growing together. As long as I could get a pencil between the remaining seedlings I left them. As they grow the young carrots can be harvested leaving some to mature. I watered both newly sown seeds and thinned out seedlings before replacing the fleece covers. I plan to make a sowing of carrots later for the winter.
Having done the two main jobs I moved on to clearing the end of the plot of weeds and mess. I started by digging out the old beetroot and spinach bet plants that were going to seed and over 3 feet tall. Then I started digging out the weeds along the boundary fence that my new neighbour had cleared on his side. Sliding the plastic windbreak sheeting away I was able to get to the chicken wire fence and cleared a good ten feet before meeting the root of the plum tree sucker that has grown through from the next door plot. It was too late to get stuck in to removing it so I just left the hole ready for next time.
I then harvested the rest of the radishes growing as markers for my 'Gladiator' parsnips that I sowed first and have come through successfully. There were quite a few. I also cut four asparagus spears then hoed off the weeds in the bed coming across a couple of extremely thin spears from the asparagus plants I put in last year. I was about to give up on them and planned to buy in new plants in the autumn!
I then harvested the rest of the radishes growing as markers for my 'Gladiator' parsnips that I sowed first and have come through successfully. There were quite a few. I also cut four asparagus spears then hoed off the weeds in the bed coming across a couple of extremely thin spears from the asparagus plants I put in last year. I was about to give up on them and planned to buy in new plants in the autumn!
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