Sunday, July 24, 2011

All About Carrots

An elderly lady who used to have a vegetable garden once told me that carrots are not worth the bother.  I admit that sowing carrots seeds which are very small and light,  almost like a grounded rice hull,  is not the easiest task.    Then there's that labor intensive thinning of the seedlings.  After that though, carrots are relatively easy.  I almost leave them alone.  Maybe pull some weeds around them once in a while.  Pests don't bother them as much.   Once the leaves flourished, they are beautiful.  Then mid-summer to early fall, you are rewarded with wonderful and nutritious harvest.  I know carrots in the grocery  are cheap but I think homegrown carrots are sweeter and more flavorful.  Definitely worth it!



            These are my first harvest for the season.  I planted two 3 feet  x 12 feet beds , so I have more to come.  Most of these will be used for Benji's food.  He loves carrots.                           

5 comments:

Ed said...

Money wise, not a lot of stuff is worth growing in a garden. But often, growing a garden is more about enjoyment than money. We tailored our small garden around our daughter for a couple years too.

PhilippinesPhil said...

I have great soil for growing carrots here but I just can't get them to do much more than develop nice bushy tops. I also can't get cucumbers or tomatoes to grow very well either. So far, the best veggies for me to grow here are okra, spinach, kongkong, and eggplant. Thats about it.

Makis said...

Whazt a beautiful harvest!

malor said...

Ed, I know and it is also good for the soul as well as burning calories.

Phil, Is it the soil? Maybe not too fertile? I remembered when I was little I plante tomato and I just had one fruit. I am amazed that spinach grows well there. I cannot get spinach grew well here. It bolts too fast. I'll try this late summer. I miss kangkong and okra. I need to work on growing eggplants too.

Makis, Thanks. I try to plant different varieties of carrots. The red one is just so unique. The short bulbous one is actually called Paris Market.

PhilippinesPhil said...

Nope, my soil started out gray and sandy, mostly lahar from Pinatubo, but after putting every bit of organic material from the kitchen and the yard back into it as compost it is black and loamy, incredibly rich and fertile. Tomatoes grow great, but the fruit tend to rot on the vine or just don't polinate period. Flowers, okra, kongkong, spinach, eggplant, they grow awesome. I'm pretty much just sticking to growing lots of those now. I don't even waste my time or my small space on the other plants.