A few months back I started an experiment with carrots. They are not something I have grown before because when my late father grew them so much of the crop was ruined and wasted due to the omni~present and dreaded Carrot Fly. If you have ever seen a carrot bed decimated by this horrible pest you will understand why I have never bothered with carrots. If you have never seen carrot fly damage, then the RHS information page on said pest will show you why I have not bothered.
I am on a steep learning curve with my garden, and I chat whenever I can to other gardeners, and recall what my Dad said, and looking things up on line too. This tiny, but highly destructive pest, it seems, has shark like senses that can sniff out one particle of eau de carrot from miles away {I jest, of course, but you get the picture} and apparently, once you have had carrot fly infestation in your garden it is very hard to rid yourself of it, for it will return as sure as eggs are eggs, and as such I could not see the point in giving over valuable growing space to a crop that I knew would end up in the compost bin.
There are ways to rid yourself of this pest, chemicals being one, but that is not acceptable to me as I try to garden without the use of any chemicals. I know a lot of people who have tried several methods, such as inter~planting the rows of carrots with strong scented marigolds ~ the pungency of the marigolds is supposed to mask the equally pungent scent of carrot tops wafting on the wind and confuse the carrot fly, but I have yet to find someone who says this method works; it certainly didn't work for my Dad. By listening and reading, I have learned that a good, non~chemical way to deter carrot fly and get a good harvest of delicious, edible carrots is to use barriers. Another method is to grow your carrots after the carrot fly season, but this means aiming for a very late crop as the season does not end until late Summer or early Autumn. I wanted my carrots earlier, so I decided to try a barrier.
I read of two methods using a barrier, which is either to completely covering the carrots with a horticultural fleece and not remove it until ready to harvest the crop, or seeds are sown in a raised bed that is at least twenty inches high {for the fly cannot, apparently, fly above twenty inches off the ground} I filled a disused, clean rubbish bin with a mixture of garden soil, compost, and Grow Bag contents and sowed the fine, brown seeds on the top. In a couple of weeks they had germinated, so now all I had to do was wait. Over the following weeks, the green carrot tops grew and grew, getting taller and filling the bin to overflowing. I was worried now, with so much fragrant greenery billowing in the wind, that the fly would be attracted in. However, I kept my faith, and just a day ago I harvested my first, perfectly pest~free carrots!
They aren't very big, but they are reasonably good in shape, and are not forked or split, so I am very happy. They tasted so good! I do not remember the last time I ate a carrot that tasted so carroty! It makes me wonder how much water and what nutrients are given to the mass produced, perfect carrots sold in supermarkets and greengrocers around the country, for by comparison they have a perfect shape but are watery and tasteless. I know which I prefer!
So, I have learned much from this experiment. Not only that the twenty inch barrier works in deterring the carrot fly, but that carrots can be successfully grown in a deep bin or container. Next year, I will plant more containers of carrots, and maybe try some parsnips {which I love} as they are susceptible to the carrot fly too. I will put more soil in the bins though, as this bin was about three quarters full when I began but the soil quickly compacted down to just over half and this meant that the green tops had to reach upwards and stretch for the sunlight and became slightly leggy. I don't think it has affected the crop too much though and I am looking forward to harvesting the rest over the coming weeks.
My back is still bad, and I'm desperately sad to report that I have lost an awful lot of potted plants because I have not been able to water them. I am trying to put on a brave face, as most can be replaced, but some were gifts, like the double geraniums and roses. It is also jolly annoying that the weather is very good and I cannot enjoy it!
Tonight, for supper, there are carrots and beetroot from the garden, oven roasted with some butternut squash, and apples fresh from the tree ~ yum! Aren't the beets pretty? I had forgotten that I'd planted some that had variegated rings! I put the three vegetables, tossed in olive oil, in a high oven for about 25 minutes, until nearly cooked, and then tossed in chunks of apple for the last five minutes. It makes a simple supper, and is delicious with crusty bread and cheese.
Meanwhile, here are some more photographs taken in the last month, as Autumn slowly moves in ~ for I am finally working out how to operate the new Windows 8.1 on this laptop!
The apples are rosy red and juicy sweet ~~~ best eaten warm from the tree in the morning sun ~~~
Meanwhile, along the edge of the drive, poppies are going to seed with gorgeously brown and gold coloured seed heads ~~~
Some late~to~the~party raspberries {these are not my Autumn fruiting ones, which are making no sign of fruiting this year}
I love the patterns created by the different tones as the fruits ripen and I think of zentangle patterns to fill in ~~~
The first fall of leaves on the drive ~~~ crisply crunchy and begging to be stomped through ~~~
Haws, reddening and ripening to feed the birds as they fatten up for the leaner winter months ahead ~~~
Finally, I am at last able to load videos once again ~ although I am sorry that it is via link to Youtube ~ something that I could not do on my old laptop and so have not shared any for over a year ~~~ this one was taken during the week, a windier day, but I thought I'd share the sound of the winds through the leaves ~~~
{sorry for the shakiness, but my hand is not very steady}
Wind in the Sycamores
Gosh, would you look at all those golden brown helicopters, just waiting to fly away and seed ~ growing into saplings in my garden to be weeded out in their hundreds! This, Gentle Reader, is why ~
~~~A Gardener's Work is Never Done~~~
