There's still time to sow beetroot, carrot and parsnips, easy-grow root crops that will give you a fresh supply of veg for the colder months – with recommended varieties to try
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| Beetroot is in season almost all year round
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'All root crops like an open, sunny site, away from trees, on soil that is reasonably deep and free of larger stones.'
'Ferny green carrot tops and shiny crimson beetroot leaves look most attractive in among a bed of summer annuals.'
They might not be the most glamorous of plants, but vegetables such as carrots, beetroot and parsnips are easy to grow and immensely rewarding.
Site and soil
All root crops like an open, sunny site, away from trees, on soil that is reasonably deep and free of larger stones. Never sow them on land where manure has recently been added, as this will make them produce forked and useless roots. Instead, grow on land that was manured for the previous crop. An ideal site for spring sowing would be ground left vacant after autumn cabbages were cut. Dug over and left in rough clods for the winter weather to break down, this would be easily raked down to a seedbed. Late spring and early summer sowings can go where sprouting broccoli and cauliflowers were grown through winter.
The part we eat is hidden underground, but some root vegetables look good enough to grow alongside your flowers. Ferny green carrot tops and shiny crimson beetroot leaves look most attractive in among a bed of summer annuals. Thinning out the vegetable plants will provide you with some for early eating, leaving the others in place for foliage effect all season long until autumn.
Beetroot
Beetroot has been cultivated for at least 1,000 years and is undergoing a surge in popularity. It is in season almost all year round and is known to improve the immune system. Apart from being a favourite addition to salads, it can be eaten as a hot vegetable or made into a delicious soup, while over-sized older roots can be made into wine.
Most knobbly beetroot seeds are actually clusters of seeds from which several small plants will grow. That need not be a problem because thinnings transplant well. I made my earliest sowing direct into the ground in my polytunnel in early March, choosing the bolt-resistant variety 'Boltardy' and using thinnings eased out at about 8cm (3in) high to make another, longer row in the open garden.
You can raise seedlings in modules in the greenhouse, and beetroot will even grow well in containers on a patio. You can sow outdoors in April (depending on the weather) – space the seeds about 2.5cm (1in) apart. Again, it's wise to choose a bolt-resistant variety, or your plants may send up flowering stems rather than making roots. Cover beetroot rows with fine netting or enviromesh to prevent house sparrows stripping-off the leaves, and watch for slugs attacking the maturing roots.
Sowing beetroot April to June
For sowings between mid-April and mid-June, 'Red Ace' and 'Pablo' are two F1 hybrids given the RHS Award of Garden Merit. The same accolade has gone to F1 hybrid 'Alto', new for 2007 from Thompson & Morgan, which produces cylindrical roots to give more beet from a given area. As I found in my trials last year, 'Alto' has an exceptionally good flavour. If you dread thinning, you could try F1 hybrid and AGM holder 'Soloist', which produces only one seedling per seed cluster. For something different grow 'Burpee's Golden', with orange roots that cook to yellow. You'll need to sow a bit thicker than normal because the germination rate is not so good.
Carrots
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| Lift every carrot to prevent root fly larvae living through the winter in your soil
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Almost all of us, kids included, enjoy eating carrots. Good to eat at all times of year, the smaller roots are delicious eaten whole, straight from the garden, and large ones can be cooked from store or grated raw in salads. Cooked carrots are tasty and nutritious as a main vegetable and an essential ingredient of casserole dishes.
Carrots don't transplant well, but if you made a first sowing early in March, in a walk-in polytunnel or greenhouse border, you'll have young roots ready for pulling from mid-May. Carrots won't be damaged by frost, but get away more readily if the covers are left on for a few weeks. Container sowings made every three to four weeks will give a succession of tender young carrots.
Sowing carrots in June
For winter eating, later sowings can be made to give a supply of large roots, perfect for storing in boxes of sand in a frost-free outbuilding. However, these maincrop carrots are prone to attack by root fly. To avoid this problem, sow seven to 10 days into June on a site prepared 10 to 14 days earlier, then gently hoed to destroy any germinating weeds without disturbing the soil. Sow much more thinly than for early carrots (which will be pulled young) and cover with enviromesh held down at the corners with old bricks or similar weights. Air and water can penetrate the material, but not flying insects. Apart from the occasional foray inside to remove weeds and thin growing carrots as necessary, you can leave the cover on until harvest and there should be no root fly damage.
Carrot varieties to try
Some of the newest carrot varieties, such as 'Purple Haze' and 'Yellowstone', come in unusual tones while a few, such as 'Harlequin', provide roots of mixed colours. For me though, the traditional rich orange-red carrot colour is much more attractive. 'Amsterdam Forcing 3' and 'Early Nantes' are good choices for early and successional sowings.
Choosing a maincrop is more complex, but it's always wise to look for varieties that have received the RHS's Award of Garden Merit (shown as AGM, or a goblet symbol in seed catalogues). Narrowing the field further, F1 hybrids are bred for high quality, uniformity and vigour, while some resistance to root fly is a major benefit. Among the best are 'Flyaway', 'Maestro' and 'Resistafly'.
Tips on curbing carrot fly
* Cover crops with enviromesh – it's easy and effective.
* Erect a barrier about 45cm (18in) high around the carrot bed to keep low-flying insects away – some say this helps.
* Grow carrots in the same ground no more than once in a three-year period.
* Lift every carrot to prevent root fly larvae living through the winter in your soil.
* Thin and weed only in the evening and water well immediately afterwards.
Parsnips
Parsnips are the easiest of roots to grow. They occupy the ground for many months, but they go down deep and one row will supply a lot of roots over a long time. Troubled by few pests, they will supply fresh vegetables all through the coldest months. They must be sown direct as transplanting produces forked roots and they are unsuitable for container growing. Never keep leftover parsnip seed for sowing the next year.
Wait until the wind and sun have dried and warmed the ground to sow. Rake the soil to a smooth, crumbly tilth, working in about 60g per square metre (2oz per sq yd) of Fish, Blood and Bone. You can sow in April, in drills 2cm (a bare inch) deep with three or four seeds every 10cm (4in). As the seedlings emerge, thin to the strongest one per station.
Parsnip seeds are flat and lightweight, so take care that they don't blow away. Sprinkle a few quick-growing radish seeds in the drill between the parsnips, to act as row markers while the slower main crop is getting going.
Apart from thinning, a little hoeing and some watering in very dry weather, parsnips should need no other care until autumn. They don't develop their full flavour until there has been a good frost and so are seldom ready for use until November. Leave them in the soil to lift as needed through winter, clearly marking the row so you know where to dig after the leaves have died. In March, when the plants start to grow up to flower, I dig the remaining parsnips and take smaller ones in for early use. Larger roots can be re-buried on their sides to keep fresh for use in the next couple of months, and surplus can be made into wine. The best parsnip varieties are the F1 hybrids, such as 'Gladiator' and 'Countess', both of which are AGM holders.
Wild carrot and parsnip
The plump, juicy carrots we enjoy now have been developed over centuries from the wild carrot that grows in many places, but especially on chalk near our seashores. It has exquisite, lacy-white flowers and tough, inedible roots. If you accidentally leave a parsnip in the garden it grows up to look like the wild parsnip that's also a native plant. Its small, hard roots were once used in beer making and again are very different to our modern vegetable.
Witloof chicory
Witloof chicory is an old-fashioned root crop, little grown by modern gardeners, but delicious in winter salads and popular with gourmet chefs. In May, prepare the ground as for other roots and sow the seed of F1 hybrid 'Zoom' thinly in a shallow drill. As with parsnips, try adding a little radish seed to provide a quick-growing row marker. As the young chicory plants emerge, gradually thin to 15-20cm (6-8in) apart.
When the leaves have died down in autumn, dig up the plants and cut off any remaining foliage, side shoots and extra-long roots. The roots can then be packed tightly together in tallish flowerpots, using potting compost left over from a summer crop. Place the pots (on drip trays) in a dark, slightly warm place, such as an under-stairs cupboard. Water well and keep out the light with an upturned cardboard box or several layers of black plastic. Make sure the roots don't dry out and in a few weeks you will have pale, forced chicons to cut as needed. If you have enough plants, lift in two or three batches to prolong the season.
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