Stumps 2009

I've been on a high all weekend after my Crib Goch experience, but I got back down to Earth yesterday by sowing my first 22 stations of stump rooted carrot 'Sweet Candle'. Traditionally my stumps would not be sown much before the end of April but this variety appears to need longer to develop the distinct rounded 'stump' end, hence the need to get it sown around now.

My first batch of 22 will serve my August Bank Holiday shows and I will make another 50 sowings in the next week or so to cater for my September/October shows. I actually won against some good long carrots last year at Hathern with this set of 3......there was no separate class for stumps.

As you can probably see the root on the far left is slightly 'pointier' than the other two, as they weren't sown until late April last year. I wouldn't get away with that at a higher level of competition and would have been downpointed.

A cluster of 4 or 5 seeds is placed in a 1/4" deep dimple in the middle of each filled bore hole, covered over with compost then well watered.

The final finished frame....the wood and mesh cage to keep the cats off and little panes of glass over each bore hole to keep the compost surface moist. These will be taken off as soon as the seedlings emerge through the compost surface. The total depth of sand is about 18".

Just another 50 to bore and fill in this larger bed now!