Dare to Dream?

Gates are now averaging 17,000, comparable to the Pearson and Duffen years, well the years when we were not in the Premier League. The fans are now also vocally supporting the team home and away as the passion has returned to the club. The stadium is actually starting to buzz once again after so many years of many remaining fans going through the motions and everyone arguing with the owners and amongst each other. Best of all there is a now a dream that maybe City can gatecrash this years promotion play-offs. This will take some doing as we are twelfth and there are seven other teams in front of us fighting for fifth of sixth spot. City are however only four points behind the current team in the playoffs with sixteen games to go.

Arguably it is probably too soon to reach the Premier League. Liam Rosenior is only just transforming this squad into one competing within the Championship and several players are still acclimatising into English football as it is. However the random jigsaw pieces signed during the summer are on the whole starting to come together and others who don’t fit have returned to their previous clubs. City are still very much a work in progress but they have stopped shipping stupid goals on a regular basis, they are very hard to beat, particularly away from home and they have become very well drilled and look like they finally know what they are all doing in the pitch individually or collectively. No one has really said this but the general hint from the players was that they didn’t really know their roles or their team structure under Shota Arveladze and everything has become so much simplified and thorough under the new manager and coaching team.

The elusive home victory finally came a week ago with the 3-0 victory over QPR (above) and this was followed by victory over Cardiff yesterday. So as well as one defeat in nine they have started to win at home and fans are getting behind them without the tension which both the team and fans shared for several weeks as they failed to perform in front of the MKM faithful.

The transfer window has also been successful. Rosenior has managed to chop down the squad size considerably and players sat on the sidelines have been moved out such as Cannon, Williams and Scott and they managed to hold onto players expected to attract interest such as Greaves and Oscar. City also brought in three loanees from the Premier League, young winger Malcolm Ebiowei from Crystal Palace, goalkeeper Karl Darlow from Newcastle and Brighton Striker Aaron Connolly. Rosenior had Ebiowei at Derby last year and the 18 year old was chased by several Premier League teams before choosing Palace. Connolly is an interesting signing. Rosenior was the youth coach at Brighton when Connolly first made his name with around twenty goals in the Academy side and two goals on his Premier League debut. Things seemed to have gone into decline ever since and he became better known for off field activities including a relationship with a Love Island contestant! However the player has admitted that he needs a fresh start and Liam Rosenior could be the man to revive his career. He was a constant threat against QPR and scored twice, his first league goals in a year though he did have an unsuccessful loan at Venice of all places back in August. remove any stones and make sure the area is weed-free. Prepare a fine seedbed and rake it level. Take out a shallow drill with a hoe and water the base. Sow the seeds 1-2cm deep in rows 15-30cm apart. Try to sow the seed thinly to avoid the need for thinning them out later. It’s best to sow seeds directly into the ground as carrots don’t transplant very readily.

If he continues his current form he could have a future at Brighton or City may be able to make this permanent.

Another interesting aspect of the transfer window was City’s finances. Pre-Christmas there was the suggestion that some players may need to be sold as well as reducing the overall wage bill to ensure they did not break the FFP financial fair play regulations. Points deductions or embargoes can be set if clubs spend too much on salaries or generate unsustainable debts over a period. Eight players were moved out but none of the really big wage earners and they then added three Premier League players to the wage bill and very nearly landed an ex-Barcelona winger Konrad de la Fuente for £2 million on transfer deadline day. Things must be going better through the improved gates and various sponsorship deals since the summer. As a side issue there is also some rumours that a Turkish billionaire may also be a financial backer?. Murat Ulker attended a recent game but who knows with Acun, he has friends with everyone in Turkey?

The flavour of fresh, crunchy carrots straight from the garden or allotment is hard to beat. These roots are very versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked, or even made into a delicious cake. By sowing regularly from early-spring until summer you could be harvesting your home-grown roots from early-summer right through until lateautumn, and even store some for use over the winter.

Which variety?

Carrots are grouped according to their maturity, shape, and size, although there is some overlap between groups. Early carrots such as Amsterdam and Nantes types are good for your first sowings.

Maincrop types such as ‘Berlicum’ and ‘Autumn King’, while taking longer to mature, produce larger roots and are better for winter storage. Small round rooted carrots are good for containers and poor soils. As well as traditional orange types, look out for white, yellow or purple roots which are an interesting addition to recipes.

For an early crop, cover the ground with fleece or cloches in late winter and sow seed once the soil is warm in late February or March. Otherwise, wait until April to make your first sowing, as germination will be much quicker once the soil is warmer.

How to grow

Choose an open, sunny site with fertile, well-drained soil to grow your carrots. Round or stumprooted types are best for stony, very shallow or heavy clay soil. If you struggle to grow a good crop in the ground you could grow some in a container, which works well.

You can add well-rotted compost or manure to the ground during the previous growing season, but don’t add it just before sowing as it may cause the roots to fork. This may also happen if the soil is stony or the bed is poorly prepared as they try to grow around any obstacles.

Before sowing, dig over the ground,

Watch out for slug damage at this stage as they like to feed on young seedlings.

To grow carrots in a container, choose one at least 45cm deep and fill with multipurpose potting compost. Keep the crop wellwatered and thin so the plants have room to develop good roots.

Growing on

Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, carefully thin them to 5-7.5cm apart. The young seedlings are easily smothered by weeds, so you’ll need to weed the crop regularly until the leaf canopy suppresses any competition.

Damage to the roots during thinning and weeding can release the odour that attracts carrot fly, so handle the plants with care. Carrots are fairly drought-resistant but will benefit from a thorough soaking, wetting the ground to a depth of 25cm, every two weeks in very dry weather.

Beware of overwatering as roots are sweeter in relatively dry conditions and too much water may lead to leafy growth at the expense of roots.

Sometimes, if dry weather is followed by very wet conditions the roots may split. This erratic growth is caused by the irregular water supply, so ensuring you keep to a watering routine can help avoid this.

Rich pickings

You can start harvesting carrots from 10-16 weeks after sowing depending on the cultivar. Initially pull some young roots from a few places along the row to allow the remainder to grow larger. With bigger roots and on heavy soils it’s best ease the crop from the ground with a fork.

In mild areas with light soil you can leave carrots in the ground over winter. Cover the row with dry mulch, for example straw, up to 30cm thick to protect from frost. Watch out for damage from mice, slugs and carrot fly. In colder areas lift your carrots and store good quality roots indoors, layered in boxes filled with sand. Larger roots will last longer in storage so eat the smaller roots first.

Pest watch

Carrot fly larvae can be a troublesome pest tunnelling into the developing roots to feed and making the crop inedible. The most effective way to limit damage to your crop from this pest is to completely cover it with insectproof mesh, making sure you bury the mesh in the ground to stop the flies sneaking underneath. The first generation of carrot fly usually emerges around early-May so you may be able to avoid some damage by sowing after this point.

Harvesting your crop before lateAugust can reduce damage to the roots from the second generation. You could also grow a partially resistant cultivar like ‘Flyaway’ to reduce the risk of damage.

Sometimes you may find aphids on the foliage or around the shoot tips – these will suck the sap and may encourage the growth of sooty mould. Potential damage can be limited by squashing them with your fingers.