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  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Kale/soda bottles
  • Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 21:10:21 EST


> I'd like to hear your method for carrots. I don't have good luck with
> carrots. I've tried several varieties, several soil mixes, including
> one that was about 90% sand, and all kinds of other stuff. I don't
> think I've ever grown a decent crop of carrots. They end up tough and
> tasteless.

I've had knotty tasteless carrots, but mostly my problem has been nearly no
carrots. For example, I'd plant a 4' x 10' bed with carrots either precision
seeded or else broadcast with the intentions of thinning them to a proper
stand, and by the date of maturity the carrots were delicious ...... both of
them!

I haven't found them to be picky about soil condition except that it has to
be loose and no stones or hard clods (they will fork). The biggie with them
is
that it takes forever for them to germinate and by then every seed in
Christendom has germinated and overshadows them.

This is my method, although don't put much stock in it, it's probably the
rantings of the worst carrot grower on a homestead:

All my garden beds are 4' wide (more or less, they have a mind of their own
about that). I make little ridges the 4' width of the bed about six inches
apart and about 4" high. I lay down the rake handle to lightly indent the
top of
each ridge and then put a carrot seed or two ever half inch. I sprinkle
compost over the indention until the seed is coverd about half an inch and
press
it down once again with the rake handle.

I know exactly where the seedlings are expected, right on top the ridge. I
water it with a very small watering can with a very small rose so that the
ridge top stays moist but the rest of the area dries out (if the weather
permits).
Anything that appears for the first ten days is a weed and is removed.
Anything that appears anywhere but the top of the ridges is a weed and is
done in
with a small heart hoe shaped for this purpose. When the carrot seedlings
are
3" high or so, the valleys between the ridges are filled with compost or
rotted manure, smothering out any emerging weeds. Within a few days the
carrot
canopy is enough to block out most aspiring weeds.

This has worked in practice for me when just about everything else has failed
miserably. Of course the weak point is that it creates a ridge top that will
dry out spelling the end of the seedlings or an interruption in germinating.
It has to be watered religiously and in bright hot weather it has to be
covered.

>
> Check out this page, James...is this what you are talking about?
>
> http://www.neseed.com/store/carrot.html
>


Yes, exactly. I got mine from Baker's Creek where a "packet" was defined as
1000 seeds but was actually more like 5000 - ungraded so they threw in
extras. I saved seeds from the white and purple but screwed up with the
others so
I've ordered more seed. The white ones tasted the best IMO and were the
biggest.

The best orange carrot I've grown has been Touchon, I know Nichols has them
but I don't know who else.

I thought I had a picture of some of the purple carrots but I can't find
them. Looking for them I came across these photos from my attempts to do the
type
of greens we've been talking about:

Here is my version of growing kale. Many people don't like to let it get
this big (20" tall) but I like the strong taste and the stems, 'ribs' I
should
call them I suppose.

www.geocities.com/peaceablekingdomfarm/kale1.jpg


Here is Red Russian kale (I like the other name, Ragged Jack, better) growing
beside some Mizuna with the stems of some carrots in the left corner.

www.geocities.com/peaceablekingdomfarm/sal2.jpg

Bronze Mingionet lettuce in front of the white carrots with fava beans at the
side"

www.geocities.com/peaceablekingdomfarm/sal3.jpg

Tsa-tsoi with just transplanted kale to the left"

www.geocities.com/peaceablekingdomfarm/sal4.jpg

Garlic! Most of this garlic is eaten as green garlic, leaves and all.

www.geocities.com/peaceablekingdomfarm/sal5.jpg






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