carrots & seaweed?

[Gardening Girl]

Hi

I didn't do very well this year with carrots or parsnips as I didn't have much time to properly prepare the bed, which consisted of an anti-carrot mix of heavy clay and stony soil. I plan to do better next year so I'm preparing it now, removing obvious stones and adding sand.

I know you're not meant to add manure where you plan to grow carrots the following season, but what about a mulch of seaweed applied now? Would this improve the quality of the soil without being detrimental to the crop?

Thanks for any advice
GG

[Carole B.]

I remember from the book on the Heligan garden in Cornwall that they seem to do a major top dressing of seaweed on all their beds,I think that it shrinks and rots fairly quickly so I can't see it being a problem with forking the roots.I think Johnboy did a trial putting manure on the top of his carrot bed last year as a mulch and he didn't have a problem either.
I keep intending to gather some seaweed after we've had a good storm but I haven't got round to it yet!
Carole

[Gardening Girl]

Thanks Carole, I'll go out and put some on now.

I really would recommend making the time to go and collect some if you can - my garden was heavy clay when I inherited it just over a year ago but large quantities of seaweed have made the world of difference already!

GG