Soil suitability for carrots

[HelenH]

I've read that its important not to manure soil where carrots are to be grown so as to avoid them forking. I intend to add very well rotted manure to most of my raised beds as the beds desparately need topping up and the soil (which tends to be on the heavy side, but improving)needs a well-earned boost. I did not get chance to do this last Autumn.

Can anyone suggest what's the best thing to improve/top-up the soil in my raised beds where I intend growing carrots. Is bagged compost suitable? Is it a good practice to add pelleted chicken manure before sowing carrots?

Advice appreciated.
Thanks, Helen.

[Johnboy]

Hi Helen,
Carrots should be grown, preferably, the second year after manuring but one year will generally suffice.
Carrots will grow on virtually any soil but the difficulty on heavy soils is the germination as capping occurs.
I perfected a method for growing Carrots on heavy Hertfordshire clay when I lived there. If you or anybody else is interested please PM me.
JB.

[Mike Vogel]

The recommended fertiliser for carrots, parsnips and most other roots is leafmould. I got a decent supply of carrots last year after i had dumped a lot of leafmould onto the beds.

The exception is celeriac, which thrives on previously manured soil. That's why on my plot I adopt a double rotation, with manure-loving roots in a diffreent part of the plot from the leafmould-lovers.

good luck
mike

[kranser]

So does that mean compost is definitely out for growing carrots then? I've got seeds for small-round shaped carrots, and was hoping to grow them in a long pot filled with compost. Maybe I should find a space in the garden instead!

Steve.

[oldherbaceous]

Compost will be fine Steve, it's just fresh manure they don't like.

[kranser]

Great. Thanks OH.