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Root crops are not the most exciting or sexy thing to write about. But they are wonderful for crop rotation, incredibly versatile in their use and great to eat! And not difficult to grow.
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Pictures courtesy of the following: Evergreen YK Enterprises, Wikipedia, and Johnny's Selected Seeds. Used with permission.
The key to growing a bounty of great tasting root crops begins with properly preparing the soil. Root vegetables require good drainage and grow best in deeply cultivated soil that is rich in organic matter. Because they require through cultivation they are wonderful to use as succession planted crops for a longer lasting, more bountiful harvest. They can be used as "trap crops" for protecting other plants from insect pests. Radishes are a real "workhorse" for this use. I use radishes for the end of bed markers between sections of lettuce, and other direct seeded plants. Because radishes germinate so rapidly it is easy to see the where one section leaves off and another begins. I always interplant radishes with cubbits, squash, melons and my cole crops. Flea beetles and cabbage maggots love radishes and will go for them first. I simply pull up the infested radishes and destroy them, getting rid of the flea beetles.
Root vegetables are perfect candidates for succession sowing for a harvest all through spring and into fall. It is super easy to interplant among your taller growing crops during the season. Because of this you need to think about purchasing additional seed of your particular favorites. Baby root vegetables taste the best and are easy to prepare in many ways. Even those who are not great fans of many root veggies are amazed at the difference in the taste between the store bought giants and home grown babies. By harvesting them while young, you are also benefiting your soil and surrounding crops. If I have an area in which I really want to encourage deeper growth, I use Daikon radishes and/or Danver's carrots or both. Both of those particular root vegetables grow long and strong. The holes left allow both additional water and air to penetrate the soil thus encouraging your above ground crops to send down a deeper root system and make for a stronger plant.
An additional bonus is that many root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips and turnips can be grown well into fall and winter and are extra tasty after a little nip of frost! We are in a mild growing zone, but even in the colder zones, you can still have these veggies by heavily mulching the bed. Do "flag" the area with a stake as hunting root veggies in the snow can be an "interesting" and sometimes frustrating experience. Planting tricks and tips: There are several ways to get a more even distribution of these rather small seeds, use an old salt shaker partially filled with play sand, and shake the seed out. And you can make your own liquid seed tape with water and cornstarch: To one cup of lukewarm water and one teaspoon of cornstarch at a time until it resembles Creme of Rice-before it cools to rubber. Add your carrot/radish/parsnip or other tiny seeds to a clean plastic shampoo bottle filled with the mixutre. And sque-ee-ze out your line of seeds! I usually heavly oversow and use an small iron toothed rake to thin the seedlings once they have 2 true leaves. The "discards" are great in salads and added to greens provide additional flavor. Parsnips can be a bit of a challenge as even the freshest seed does not germinate rapidly. Interplant with radishes to determine where you have planted the slower germinating parsnips. Side dress them in June with a complete fertilzer, as they are fairly heavy feeders and will produce roots up to one pound. HOW TO USE: Daikon Radishes-Scrub or peel removing only a thin layer of the outside. It can be grated, or cut into cubes, sticks, or thin slices. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Cooked daikon is used much like a turnip in soups and stews. Raw daikon can be used to add some crunch and spice to salads and relishes. CARROTS Readily available on the web, but we really like this one: Baby Carrots  Ingredients: 3 lb of baby carrots.
4 tablespoons of butter.
3 tablespoons of mint.
Salt and pepper and water. Preparation: Put the baby carrots in a saucepan and just cover with water. Add four tablespoons of butter, then cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and cook for 12-15 minutes until the carrots are still firm but can be pieced with a fork. Remove the cover and boil down until all the water has evaporated. Season with mint, salt and pepper and serve. PARSNIPS: This is a yummy recipe courtesy of "Daphne" at Knowingfood.com. We have test tasted it and it's marvelous!
Ingredients: 1. 4-5 small, or 2-3 large organic carrots, finely chopped
2. 1 medium parsnip (organic if possible), finely chopped
3. 1 butternut squash (about 200-300g), finely chopped 4. 1 large onion, finely chopped
5. 2 tablespoons corn flour mixed well with 1 cup water
6. A handful of finely chopped parsley
7. A pinch of ground black pepper
8. A pinch of sea salt to taste Preparation: 1. Place the chopped carrot, squash and parsnip in a medium size, deep saucepan. Fill it up with water till about 3cm above the vegetable.
2. Bring content to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer till everything is soft.
3. Use a masher, slowly mash the vegetable into puree form.
4. Stir constantly till it is all mixed well, and smooth.
5. Add in the corn flour and water mixture, keep simmering till the soup is thickened and pasty.
6. Add in enough salt to suit your taste. 7. Sprinkle ground black pepper and parsley over soup when serve. Versatility Note: 1. There is no need for stock, as these root vegetables are sweet enough to give taste to the soup.
2. I sometimes replace squash with a small pumpkin. Works just as well.
3. Melt a dollop of vegetable spread into the soup adds more flavour to it.
4. You could use a blender to make the vegetables pasty, but just mashing it preserves its original fibre and texture.
 | Hubby and I have been doing Organic Gardening off and on for over 25 years. Just finishing the Virginia Master Gardening classes at the end of Nov 07. I love talking and teaching gardening to anybody that will listen. |
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Subject: wild roses
Posted by Hiddenriver (from Live Oak, FL) on February 25, 2008 at 9:11 AM:Looking for wild rose plants - the true 5 petal rose......hopefully for butterflies and bees. Seeds acceptable if plants cannot be located. Thanks, Billie
... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 25, 2008 at 9:17 AM: You might try Antique Heirloom Roses....they have a lot of the "found on an abandoned farm" antique type. ...
Subject: Award for all around coverage
Posted by Pamgarden (from Nellysford, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 3:12 PM:Catherine, I loved your article on root crops coupled with planting and growing tips and recipes. I love parsnips and they are so hard to find in the grocery store. The bag girl in the store asked me what they tasted like. I couldn't tell her that I think they taste a little like shoe polish paste smells. Do people still even shine their shoes? More, possibly, than parsnips I love radishes and daikon. While these are easier to find at the store, they are generally too large and too pithy or woody. There's nothing like a radish or daikon harvested at their prime and that maintain that taste of the soil. I have a few questions if you don't mind.
Salsify: I've only seen it growing once, at the garden at Monticello. Have you grown it? Are the growing needs like those of carrots?
Your own garden: How long would you estimate it took you to get soil that produces good root crops in Virginia's high clay soil? ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 4:10 PM: I have grown salsify and thought it was pretty bland and blech. We have a Troybilt rototiller so dealing with the clay was nothing. We have good crops the first year and they just kept getting better as we added amendments and learn more and more about what we were trying to do. We were into sustainable alternatives long before it had a name, LOL.
Thank you for the kind compliments. :) ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on February 22, 2008 at 7:42 PM: Cathy, first I bought flower plants, then I started growing flowers plants from seeds, and now you Article Writers are going to have me growing (gasp) vegetables! All I have to do is convince my fussy family to eat them.
x, Carrie ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 8:53 PM: That one is not my problem, but I think you may be surprised. There's certainly a world of difference in the taste. Usually that will hook em. ;) ... Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on February 22, 2008 at 8:55 PM: LOL - maybe this summer we will find out. STARTING with Jan's mini-cantaloupe!
xx, Carrie ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 8:58 PM: Yummy, yummy. Get them to set you up a trellis you can work with. Use old pantyhose and knee highs to hold the fruit. Cleaner fruit and less problems with bugs. ...
Subject: Great Tip!
Posted by bluekat76 (from Ijamsville, MD) on February 22, 2008 at 10:47 AM:Thanks Catherine, I enjoyed your article! Now that I think about it there are two great tips for me to incorporate. The seeds/sand salt shaker is a cool idea and will save on thinning.
The other is the catch 22 of not planting root veg because the soil is on the clay side and the benefit from planting root veg by encouraging aeration of the soil. Maybe interplanting is the way to go until the soil is more forgiving.
-Kim ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 10:50 AM: Keep working on it. You can also incorporate some coarse sand(builder's sand) into the bed to help open up the clay particles, especially with carrots. I normally plant my "big" crop of carrots in the fall and mark the bed well, then we have fresh carrots all winter. They are much sweeter with a nip or two of frost. Just need to flag the spot, hard to see under snow. LOL
Glad you liked the article. ... Posted by bluekat76 (from Ijamsville, MD) on February 22, 2008 at 12:14 PM: You got that right about the snow as I sit here looking at lots! Planting in the fall means September(ish) for my zone 6? ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 12:24 PM: Mid-late Sept and into Nov. You can succession plant them for a longer lasting crop. :) Just mark your beds so you know what you put and where. LOL Tripping around in the snow looking for your veggies is not a fun experience. LOL ... Posted by Dean_W (from Cedar Park, TX) on February 22, 2008 at 7:40 PM: I like the idea of using the salt shaker. I'll use that in the future, for sure. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 8:57 PM: You get a much more even "spread" with the tiny seeds that way. Just a bit easier and I'm all for that. :) ... Posted by bluekat76 (from Ijamsville, MD) on February 24, 2008 at 1:13 PM: Plant carrots in November? Really? It would be nice to pull those veggies when it is so cold out.
How long did it take you in the snow to find your veggies?!? Hmmmm ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 24, 2008 at 4:48 PM: Well, if you stake it not long, if you don't it becomes Adventure in the Snow! You're thinking I think the bed was right about there? LOL ...
Subject: Wonderful!
Posted by dryad57 (from Indianapolis, IN) on February 22, 2008 at 10:43 AM:This is great!!! One of those articles that I want to read and re-read until I've got it memorized!! ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 10:45 AM: Thank you, hands on will help memory retention.........LOL ...
Subject: Good job!
Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 10:41 AM:Like many in the South, my soil is hard clay so I have avoided root crops for years. I like that you pointed out root crops loosen the soil and I may try again. Thanks. Plus, after years here on DG, I've learned more about developing good soil. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 22, 2008 at 10:48 AM: This is the best $20 bucks I've spent in a good long time, Darius. I've learned so much and I really enjoy the site. You can also mix in some coarse sand to help if you have really tough clay. Especially for carrots. I do the majority of that planting in the late fall and mark the spot in the garden, so we have fresh carrots all winter. They are sweeter with a nip or two of frost. ...
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