Help with carrots/courgettes

[Pauline]

Hi

I have just come from a 'help a friend gardening holiday' in Gard, he is having trouble with his carrots and courgettes, neither have done very well so I said I would post a plea for advice to all the knowledgable gardeners in France, as he doesnt have a computer. 

Pauline

[andyh4]

Without any further information, I would suspect insufficient or irregular watering, but really we need more information to help - beyond "not doing very well".  What sort of soil, how high up, what symptoms?

[Pauline]

Sorry Andy, I was a bit vague wasnt I !!! my friends garden is on a number of terraces, they get the sun most of the time, he only got 6 plants from the row of carrots he planted and they were really small, tiny infact. the courgettes are again were very small although the plants did grow the fruit didnt mount to much, I know the soil is very stoney and I suspect without much goodness as he moved in 18months ago and it was very overgrown, he is a novice gardener I wondered if he should have fed the soil prior to planting, what do you think? Pauline

[andyh4]

OK Pauline from what you have now said, and given the location in 30, I am going to make some probably wild assumptions.

 

Previous use of terraced land was probably a vineyard, now rooted out.  Soil condition is stoney and will probably be poor - lacking nutrients and humus. 

Terrace in full sun most of the day, therefore dries out very quickly leading to poor germination of seed and weak growth of those seeds that do make it.

 

Cures:

Get as much humus into the ground as possible.  Rotted compost, rotted grass cuttings, fallen leaves, manure from local farms, fumier from the bricomarche.

Probably not possible to do this until the autumn, but really is a must before next spring.

 

If you cannot get enough for the whole plot then put your compost or whatever where the plants will be.  But beware do not put fresh manure, compost or anything else where root crops like carrots and parsnips will be immediately before sowing.

 

So for the courgettes you could dig a 60cm x 60cm hole.  3/4 fill with compost and cover with soil and then plant a courgette in the middle of the square.

For a row of peas - dig out a trench one spade width wide pur in you manure and cover - sow peas down the middle.

For carrots do similar - but fill the trench in early autumn, and mark it so you know where to sow the carrots in spring.

 

Keep doing this year on year and the soil will improve.  If possible take the worst of the stones out when digging - a never ending job, but over time the soil will improve.

 

During the growing season, water, water and water.   Once the seeds have germinated, a good drench 2-3 times a week (perferably evening) is better than a sprinkle once per day.  For individual plants like tomatoes, consider a depp watering system - cut the bottom of a water bottle and plant it with your tomatoes, neck down.  Fill the up-turned bottle daily with water - which will run into the soil through the neck, about 30cm down. 

If possible provide some shade - not something that will block out the sun all day, but something that will provide some shadow for at least part of the day.  This could be plants in the ground, plants in pots, or even an umbrella!

 

 

[Rob Roy]

Carrots are, suprisingly, one of the more difficult veg to grow. They don't like stoney ground, as it stunts the growth and that might be one of the problems your friend has. As Andy says if they feed the soil in the autumn for next year it will probably help.

[Pauline]

Thanks Rob, I will print this info and post to my friends in france.

Pauline