Surrey Homes | SH38 | December 2017 | Health & Beauty supplement inside

Back to our roots
Garden
After a lengthly wait, Jo Arnell starts to unearth her soil-dwelling home grown veg in time for Christmas
the season for the unearthing of root crops and
what they lack in Christmas sparkle is made up
’Tis
for by the comfort and joy they bring to winter
recipes. There is magic and quite a lot of mystery to the process
of growing an underground crop. You can’t really see what’s
happening until it is time for the harvest, so it does feel a bit
like opening a present when you dig around in the soil and
unearth your treasures. Some root crops are quick and easy to
grow – radishes can be ready to pull up within 3-4 weeks, but
others need more patience. Parsnips and leeks take months,
slowly maturing through the year and turning the wait for the
harvest into an act of faith. Luckily there are other crops that
can be grown companionably alongside them until they need
the space, and the other benefit is that unlike some vegetables
that need to be harvested all at once, they can be lifted as you
need them, acting like an outdoor larder – ready whenever
you are. Many actually improve in flavour as the temperatures
plummet, sweetening up as their starchy carbohydrates
turn to sugar. If you plan well, shopping for this part of the
Christmas lunch could be as easy as going into the garden…
Underground storage systems
The underground vegetables aren’t always roots. There are several
ways that edible plants conserve food and moisture in order to
survive in conditions that aren’t always hospitable; usually it’s a
method for coping with periods of drought. Some store energy in
starchy tubers, such as potatoes; an onion bulb is really a squashed
down plant in a casing, primed to unfurl and grow once the
spring arrives. We are all familiar with the veg patch stalwarts,
though more exotic roots are becoming available, but be careful,
as some are not hardy. Sweet potatoes and Mashua (like a nutty
potato) need a long, warm growing period and will not survive
a frost. Some that sound exotic are actually reintroductions of
ancient varieties; Scorzonera is a hardy, rugged looking root and
Skirret, which is like a multi-stemmed parsnip was apparently
Henry VIII’s favourite (but then he didn’t have to prepare it).
All in the soil
A lot goes on under the ground. It’s a busy place, absolutely
teeming with life – most of it microscopic and unfathomable
to us. We have to trust what’s going on down there – and that
can be half the problem, as there’s no way of checking on things.
Root crops need to grow in conditions that make it easy for the
roots to expand and grow into acceptable shapes (unless you
particularly enjoy the comedy moments that sometimes result
from odd shaped roots). Carrots and parsnips will fang and fork
if they have to fight their way through compacted or stony soil
and, weirdly, are also prone to do this if the soil is too rich. They
like a free draining situation, so it might be worth installing
raised beds, particularly if your soil is on the clay side. Do add
organic matter to condition the soil, but make sure this has
Cultivation
Carrots – grow best in light, sandy soil that hasn’t
been recently manured. Sow in containers, or choose
short-rooted varieties if your soil is unsuitable.
Thin to 2-3cm apart. Carrot fly is the main
enemy, protect with fleece, interplant with strong
smelling crops like alliums, or in raised beds
Parsnips – seeds may be slow to germinate – station sow/
mark the rows with a quick crop like radish. Parsnips like
the same conditions as carrots – not too rich/heavy, stony,
or freshly manured. Leave in the ground over winter as frost
will sweeten the roots. Varieties: Gladiator, Tender and True
Beetroot – don’t grow in recently manured soil.
For an autumn/winter crop, sow in mid July. Pull
before they become woody and keep the tops on to
stop ‘bleeding’. Varieties: Boltardy, Chioggia,
Leeks – sowing to harvest – 26-40 weeks,
depending on crop (early, main or late). Start
off inside or direct into a nursery bed.
Transplant when pencil thick into holes that are watered,
but not refilled with soil. Hardy through winter, easy to
grow. Watch out for rust. Varieties: Musselburgh, St. Victor
Potatoes – ‘Chit’ seed potatoes by leaving in a light,
frost free place for 2-3 weeks. Plant from early March
to mid April. Begin earthing up once seedlings are
10cm tall. Watch out for scab, blight, keel slugs. Main
crop varieties: Pink Fir Apple, Kestrel, Maris Piper
Celeriac – can be slow to germinate and get going and needs
a long growing season, often doesn’t start to bulk up until
the end of the season, so is best grown from small plants.
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