Growing Carrots

[4grandbabies]

Just found "Squarefoot Gardening on ebay for 2.63 plus shipping.. for a whopping total of 6.12.
I am so excited, and am looking forward to all the ideas in it. Thanks ladyhawke1 and ducks4you for mentioning it, its just the type ideas we have been looking for!

 

[digitS']

I think you'll enjoy square foot gardening. It is somewhat exacting if you closely follow what Mel Bartholomew is advising you to do. Still, I think a lot of people have found that it works for them. And, Ladyhawke has shown us an example of that.

I have trouble with carrots. It was wonderful to discover that pelleted seed helps a great deal with germination. My gravelly garden soil drains instantly so maintaining moisture at the level of the carrot seed until it germinates, is a problem.

That maintaining soil moisture is also a problem thru the growing season for carrots. Soil that dries out and then becomes moist again with irrigation encourages the carrots to split. I should really water the carrot bed 3 times a week but there just isn't a chance for that.

I have the same problem with container-growing. Watering only twice a week won't work at all with containers and, fortunately, I can do better than that with only a few pots in the yard. Still, the soil dries out very quickly in a pot - and my container plants sometimes suffer because of that.

Cutting the bottom out of a large container would give a gardener a better chance with carrots. They'd be difficult, I think, to grow in pots otherwise.

Steve

 

[Ladyhawke1]

I think you'll enjoy square foot gardening. It is somewhat exacting if you closely follow what Mel Bartholomew is advising you to do. Still, I think a lot of people have found that it works for them. And, Ladyhawke has shown us an example of that.

I have trouble with carrots. It was wonderful to discover that pelleted seed helps a great deal with germination. My gravelly garden soil drains instantly so maintaining moisture at the level of the carrot seed until it germinates, is a problem.

That maintaining soil moisture is also a problem thru the growing season for carrots. Soil that dries out and then becomes moist again with irrigation encourages the carrots to split. I should really water the carrot bed 3 times a week but there just isn't a chance for that.

I have the same problem with container-growing. Watering only twice a week won't work at all with containers and, fortunately, I can do better than that with only a few pots in the yard. Still, the soil dries out very quickly in a pot - and my container plants sometimes suffer because of that.

Cutting the bottom out of a large container would give a gardener a better chance with carrots. They'd be difficult, I think, to grow in pots otherwise.

Steve

I am just going to throw this out there. The soil mix that I have used in bed is as follows:

1/3 peat moss

1/3 vermiculite

1/3 compost the compost must be made up of five different kinds mixed together. You can use mushroom, steer manure, chicken manure, horse, fish, anything as long as there are five different kinds. Sometimes the bag will say soil mix etc. These are all mixed together then put it into the raised beds.

There were no drainage problems and no need to add fertilizer during the season. When plants are removed, you just add more mix.

I am not pretending to know anything here about gardening, however this was such a pleasure to do, and I had such a good experience with it that I am willing to do it again.

There was no need to dig up the soil. I laid out my bed; the chickens helped me clear the area of weeds. I made the frame, put down hardware cloth, newspapers, and then added the soil mix. I used the lath to section off the squares like the book recommended. I like this because I need the discipline. It means you use less seed and you know exactly when you have a seed sprouting or a weed. I think for the whole season that I may have had one weed.

In my ignorance and underestimating the size of the growth, the plants grew so big and lush that the plants were too crowded. This may have cause my bug and disease problems. Next year I will have more beds and I will be better able to judge where and how I plant. I am a total rookie at this so please forgive my enthusiasm.

 

[curly_kate]

I have a bunch of plastic pots that large geraniums came in that I saved, as well as pots from trees I've bought, so I have enough. I kinda cringed when you said that you cut the bottoms out of the feeding buckets, 'cause I use those for my horses and chickens! I've gotten horse supplement in those things, too. They get nutrition out of molasses, so the supplement is laced with it.

Hmm, does molasses cause problems with veggies? I figured it would just be more nutrients, although there really wasn't any left by the time we got them. I didn't really have any problems with the veggies I grew in them, tho.

 

[ducks4you]

No, I don't think molasses causes any problems with growing. It's just sticky when you handle the feed buckets. YYEECCHH!!!

 

[desertcat]

I just got a batch of those wonderful recycles, too. All licked clean. My BIL ranches, got a semi load last winter and was wondering what to do with them. He brought me 7 today and said I'd get more later!

 

[ducks4you]

If you have any stables close by, they would probably be happy to take any leftovers. Otherwise, You're gonna have a yard full of potted goodies.

 

[injunjoe]

I just got a batch of those wonderful recycles, too. All licked clean. My BIL ranches, got a semi load last winter and was wondering what to do with them. He brought me 7 today and said I'd get more later!

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/uploads/6476_007.jpg

Man those are great! What I would do for some of those babies!

Joe

 

[desertcat]

Joe, if I could figure out how to ship these things, I'd send you some!

As for trying to find a stable for leftover carrots, I've got 2 4-legged carrot eating machines of my own. Between the horses & I, we can wipe out 5 lbs of carrots in an afternoon.

 

[ducks4you]

I'm sure you could finish off that many carrots! (Don't go and turn orange on us! ) What I meant was horse owners pay alot for those safe rubber feeding bins, and there might be some stables interested in your overflow.