Update

Finding enough time in April is about as difficult as finding a catholic priest who doesn't fiddle with choirboys. It is by far the busiest time of the year for me as I have to get my parsnips, carrots and spuds in, as well as sowing a multitude of other crops.

Last weekend was a good one weatherwise and I managed to sow nearly 90 stump carrot stations (variety Sweet Candle). The past few nights have seen me shovelling a tonne of new sand into 3 new drums in which I intend to sow my long carrots this weekend. I have been lucky enough to beg some seed from Scottish Champion Ian Stocks so if I don't get some major roots this season (after a few years of relative disappointment) I shall be rebuilding Hadrian's Wall!

My mix for both long and short carrots this season has been:

15litres sieved compost
4 litres vermiculite
4 litres sieved sand
2 oz Vitax Q4
2 oz superphosphates
2 oz potash
1 oz seaweed meal
1 oz lime

This did me about 20 stump carrot stations, and should do about 10 long carrots, so you can see how many times I have to repeat this for 90 stumps and the 50 or so long carrots that I intend to do this weekend. I mix the compost and vermiculite well first, before adding the nutrients that have been thoroughly sieved to make sure there are absolutely no large lumps that could burn the skins. Once this has also been well mixed I add the heavier sand at the end and mix again. I do all this by hand but for speed I am going to have to invest in a cement mixer as I do more and more each year. I am not getting any younger. Devilishly more handsome yes.....but younger no.