The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: piggy on March 03, 2011, 02:13:34 pm

Title: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: piggy on March 03, 2011, 02:13:34 pm

I have just made 4 raised beds each 10ft x 5ft,this is my first year of growing veg,i read in the gardens world mag that the soil for root vegetables has to be deeper than others so my question is how deep will the soil need to be.

Thanks
Karen

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: ellied on March 03, 2011, 08:24:38 pm

No expert but my understanding is it needs to be soft enough for the root to grow down without hindrance, so just deeper than the length of a carrot, parsnip or beetroot depending what you're planting ;) 

Carrots like light soil and grow oddly very easily hence so many being rejected by supermarkets and sold for animal fodder - thankfully as my ponies love them whatever shape they come and I nick a few for myself too ;)

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: manian on March 03, 2011, 08:35:27 pm

if you have raised beds it'll be fine
if your soil is hard, push a pipe in the ground and pull outthe soil and fill with compost.
you'll get lovely size veg  :carrot: :carrot: then

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: piggy on March 03, 2011, 09:10:37 pm

Thanks,the beds are about 1.5ft high but wasnt sure if i needed all that soil and to save a little bit of money was going to put a layer of rubble in the bottom and then a layer of horse poo then the soil.

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: doganjo on March 03, 2011, 09:29:49 pm

I had deep beds at my last home, deep enough to sit on the edge and potter, I filled them with everything i could find then put in decent compost on the top - worked fine.  need to get that organised here too, although my son's idea of builders' ton bags seems to work.

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: bloomer on March 04, 2011, 07:36:51 am

ours are 16" high they were filled with all sorts of manure compost and soil over time as every year or so they need topping up i find. They were built over an old lawn which i didn't break up which with hindsight was a mistake, carrots beetroots etc all did fine, parsnips were an utter failiure as they need really deep soil.

Have done potatos in an odd section of the raised bed as well when necessary and they were fine as well.

Aren't growing veg this year though as we plan to sell the house and thought it wasn't worth it.

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: doganjo on March 04, 2011, 08:49:20 am

I would put some in bloomer - it will be a selling point - and everyone needs all the help they can get selling houses in this economic climate. ::)

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: bloomer on March 04, 2011, 11:56:14 am

ours are round the edge of the lawn area so have now got some flowers in to make them all pretty to help sell it!!!

Title: Re: How deep for root vegetables
Post by: Blonde on March 05, 2011, 02:33:19 am

Root vegetables porbaly only need to be a foot deep.....his allows for such things as carrots to grow straight.   No rocks as they grow around the rocks  and then a re difficult to peel for use.