Wednesday 22 April 2015

Carroting and Parsniping

Tuesday was the sunniest day of the year according to my weather station with 9.5 hours of sunshine.
We had a little bit of cloud about in the morning but from just before midday through to evening time we had a spell of unbroken sunshine as can be seen from the smooth curve of the solar radiation trace on the above chart.

It turned out to be an excellent day for sowing carrots and parsnips as not only was it sunny but calm too.
Once sown into their compost trenches our carrot and parsnip seeds were give a watering to settle them into their new surroundings. Then the tricky job of constructing our environmental mesh cage to protect the crops from carrot fly. On a lovely sunny day it seemed a bit like over kill holding down the mesh with lots of bricks but I've no doubt our construction techniques will be put to the test with some windy weather even in summer.
It’s now a case of keeping them damp until they germinate and then attempting to keep the slugs at bay as they can devastate a row of carrot seedlings overnight.

6 comments:

  1. There's no such thing as over kill where holding down enviromesh is concerned - it has a habit of working itself free of constraints in the rain and wind (especially the more rigid mesh). The trouble is that the more securely it is held down, the harder it is to reach in and remove slugs and weeds.

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  2. I'm guessing you have to partially remove it to water. It's a great set-up though, and well worth it for your fantastic carrot crops.

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    Replies
    1. We don't have to remove any mesh to water. It can be poured over the top of the mesh and water more or less goes straight through. Easy.

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  3. Such a good plan. I bet slug and carrot fly will be devastated for not being able to penetrate in! hahahhahah.....

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    Replies
    1. They will probably find a way to have the last laugh.

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