A recent harvest: broccoli, 3 cauliflower heads, large green onions, and oodles of carrots!
The carrots were planted in the fall and this year's harvest is the prettiest and sweetest that I've ever grown. It must be how I prepared the bed. Before planting I topped the bed with several wheel barrel loads of composted deep bedding from the chicken yard. Lovely! Carrots come in so many brilliant colors...red, yellow, orange, purple...I've read that the red carrots are especially healthy! I must say the Chantenay red core carrots are the sweetest I've tasted so far! The "Amarillo" yellow carrots have a distinctive delicious mild flavor. It's amazing how many people do not know that carrot tops are edible and can eaten in so many ways! Delish!
My newest garden tool from Johnny Seeds. I bought the micro soil block maker from the Heritage Festival at Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello last fall. I love it, but the seeds quickly out grew the tiny squares...then I discovered the 2" SOIL block maker....that can be fitted with the cutest....
...dibble just the size of the micro blocks. Then you can just tuck those tiny cubes in. It allows you not to waste seeds or soil (which you must purchase or carefully save). The tiny soil cubes that contain seeds that do not germinate can be thrown into the compost bucket. Only the small cubes that germinate are put into the larger cubes (obviously). Any ol' ways your not wasting a 2" cube with a sorry seed! It'sa ver nice!
This is the seed starting mixture I use for the cubes.....
....you wet it just enough to make it stick together, but not soggy...um' those are not unmatched socks....
Larger seeds such as squash, cucumber, pumpkin, bean, okra, etc...are best planted directly where they will be growing...since they don't transplant so well.
This is peppers in the micro blocks....notice that all the blocks do not have a plant yet...there will be more....but those that don't germinate...into to the compost bucket....
....see the little t'mater block all tucked in it's new home?
4 comments:
Kristi,
I was looking at the seed blocks today at Johnny's and was going to just get the 2" size..do you find the smaller one a real necessary one to have or is the 2" really enough? It sounds like it's better than making paper cups :o)..
Wow! Those carrots look yummy! Great blog! =D
If I were going to buy one it would most likely be the 2" size. The micro blocks aren't that important. Kristi
I dont know about the carrots....but the oranges were sooooo good! If you want my opinion on the carrots just bring me a bunch and i will let you know....lol...thanks for sharing
Love ya
Betsy
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