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Category: Carrots

The Dream of a Seed

  • By - DiyGarden
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For those of us in Northern Hemisphere most of us are thinking of winter gardens with a dream of a seed in our heads. That is where it all begins! What can we grow with a shorter amount of daylight and with winter improaching upon us. For me that means a lot of root veggies and brassicas. Check out this new video of Ron planting some of our brassicas here.

Starting Seeds

Those seeds are easy to plan and start for your winter garden. I start seeds a little differently then some by sprouting the seeds before I plant them in soil. It seems to give me a better percentage of live plants then if I just put the seeds in soil. I get a rush when I realize that the one seed that I have started by sprouting it, then planting it and often transplanting it once before it goes outside ends up as a plant that creates food for us. I like the rush of that feeling! I explain it better here in an article I have written.

Planting Seeds

So, there are seeds that I start early and transplant out in the garden. There are also seeds that go directly into the garden. I think of carrots and beans. With carrots I will seed them directly in the garden when it cools down and they will grow from Fall to Spring. I’ll harvest them just in time to put some warm weather crop in their old garden space. Beans and beets seed I planted directly into the ground as well and since they grow at a faster pace then carrots I normally can get a harvest before cold weather hits us down here in north Texas. Here is a fun blog I wrote about carrots.

I hope you are making plans for your fall garden. Feel free to leave me a note about your favorite fall veggie.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

cantaloupe & watermelon patch

Benefits of a Fall Garden

  • By - DiyGarden
  • Posted on

Lack of Heat & Bugs in the Fall Garden

The benefits of a fall garden for one is the lack of bugs and heat. In North Texas both are an extreme problem during the summer. With the hundred degree weather right now and most of my summer garden dead I am looking forward to cooler weather the ease of a fall garden. If you are having the same hot summer as I am I just wanted to encourage you to not give up on gardening before you look into having one in the fall. There can be great reward in the garden you raise as well as in your mental state of mind.

Bugs in the garden

I live in zone 8a, North Texas and when I say our summers are hot I am not exaggerating! We deal in 100 degree days fairly regularly which is very hard on a plant. I wrote an article on weather and gardening here.

But there is hope! With the end of August the days get cooler and the bugs get fewer. I am in fall garden mode!

We have already talked about the first benefit of gardening in the fall and that is the lack of heat and bugs.

Root Veggies and the Fall Garden

Veggies in the fall garden

I think the fall garden is perfect for root veggies. I can’t get carrots or beets to grow during the summer garden. But in late fall I can spread some carrot seeds out in a raised bed and end up with beautiful carrots in the Spring. Check out my blog about growing carrots here. There are so many delicious root veggies to choose from and the wonderful thing about them as some get sweeter in taste as they are touched by the cooler weather.

Enjoying a Breath of Fresh Air

To me one of the biggest benefits of a fall garden is just enjoying being outside. Having dirt under my finger nails and the wind blowing in my face. It makes me feel alive again and enjoying the act of gardening; planting seeds, watching seedlings grow and the crunch of a veggie as I take a bite out of it. Like I said earlier the garden you raise can be helpful to your mental state of mind.

Please take a moment and check out the video I did for you. It tells about how 2024 has been a hard year for us. But the fall garden is calling and I’m getting ready for it. I hope you are too!

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Carrots, Carrots, Carrots!

  • By - DiyGarden
  • Posted on

Carrots, Carrots, Carrots, we just harvested our fall carrot crop and were very pleased with it. I thought we would talk about the best way to harvest them from the garden, how to store them long term. I might even share one of my favorite carrot recipe.

Harvesting Carrots

When you harvest carrots and plan on storing them the best way to do that is to gently wipe the garden soil off them. A gentle hand going up and down on the carrot wiping the dirt off is as far as you want to go cleaning the carrots. Don’t wash the them off with water.

Carrot Tops

Next, cut off the carrot tops right above the carrot. We do this for two reasons, one it makes it easier to store the carrots and secondly, the tops draw moisture from the carrot. Now, there are several things that you can do with the tops. Making pesto with the tops is delicious! We really like it with root veggies. If you have animals they like the tops too. If you don’t use them in those ways you can compost the carrot tops.

Storing the Carrots

The next thing I do to store them is to create bundles of 12-15 carrots. Then I wrap them in a damp paper towel. Put them in a plastic bag such as a grocery bag and tie the handle. Then store them in the bottom of the fridge. A 2nd fridge makes it convenient to store and then take out a bag as you need it. If you would like to see how I set it up I have a video that you can check out here. If you would like to see more garden videos please subscribe to the channel. Here is a link to the YouTube channel. Hope you enjoy!

I promised you a carrot recipe that we really enjoy during the summer. Carrot salad is so easy all you need is 4-6 shredded carrots, 2-3 cups of raisins, an apple cut in bite size pieces, and then about a cup of mayonnaise. Stir and enjoy, Yum! Let me know if you like carrot salad.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Do You Keep A Garden Journal?

  • By - DiyGarden
  • Posted on

It’s a simple one subject notebook that sits on the end of a table I have in my grow room. Right now, it’s pretty bear in that room. I haven’t been in there lately because all of the plants are outside. Today, as I walked by I spied my garden journal and realized I hadn’t written in it for awhile. Not because my gardening dreams have waned but now they are not in this room.

As I picked up the journal and scanned through the pages I got excited all over again as I read through the notes I made in December and January. It made me sad when I realized I didn’t make any notes in May. So, I decided to use this first day of June to update my garden journal.

Want to take a peek of what has been happening in my garden?

Dear Journal,

The last several months have not been easy for me, the state, the United States and the world as we have all had to deal with Covid19. Thankfully, I have been oblivious to most of it because I have had my garden to keep me busy. Here is what is happening right now with the garden.

Hydroponic System

hydroponic lettuce

As you come onto the deck our hydroponic system is set up with different lettuce products. Because it’s getting hot the lettuce is starting to bolt and tasting a little bitter.

If you turn right off the deck the potatoes, onions and peppers are over there. The potatoes are about ready to come out. The peppers are being eaten by bugs but we have gotten some sweet peppers already. They taste yummy!

Herb Garden

herb bed

If you take a right off the deck you will see our new herb garden that we just started this Spring. We cut down two big trees and there are another two I’d like down. The herbs are all in pots so we can move them around as we need to. I have harvested and dehydrated lots of lemon balm, basil, greek oregano and a little chamomile.

Cantaloupe & Watermelon Patch

basil & lemon balm

The cantaloupe and watermelon patch is growing great. I haven’t seen any fruit from it yet but lots of blossoms.

cantaloupe & watermelon patch

Ron built an amazing ramp that takes me from the back deck down to the concrete slab that has 4 raised beds. At the bottom in front of the ramp is a zucchini bed with 4 plants in it. Big, green and lots of male blossoms just no fruit yet.

The Raised Beds

Cucumber bed

Raised bed #1: Has 4 cucumber plants with lots of fruit on them. We had one in our salad last night!

Beefsteak tomato bed

Raised bed #2: Full of beefsteak tomatoes. These are what we will eat on sandwiches all summer. I can’t wait. We have green tomatoes and lots of blossoms right now.

carrots, peas & radish bed

Raised bed #3: Probably my favorite bed this year. We call it our CPR bed. It had carrots, peas and radishes. We got a nice radish crop. We are picking peas right now and enjoying them in our salads. And I have carrots this year! I’ve pulled all the radishes out and planted some beans. They are up and flowering right now.

Roma tomato bed

Raised bed #4: This is a new bed and right up against the ramp coming down. I have about 26 Roma tomato plants in there right now. I’ve got some tomatoes and blossoms but not what I was hoping for.

Corn!

Corn

In the middle is probably my favorite thing because so many said it couldn’t be done. My corn plants, about 20 of them in a kiddy pool and they are tasseling and have corn cobs on them! Around the pool I have about 13 cherry tomato plants that are growing great with lots of little green tomatoes and blossoms.

Cherry tomatoes

So, there is what I have been up to. Hope you enjoyed a peek inside of my garden journal. If you don’t have one pick up a notebook and start one today. You will be glad you did.

Blessings,
Shawn

CPR Facts for the Garden

  • By - DiyGarden
  • Posted on
CPR garden

Earlier this spring we planted what we call our CPR garden which has carrots, peas and radishes in it. We have really enjoyed it and are already enjoying radishes out of it, the peas are growing and I am actually seeing carrots this year which I have not had much luck with in the past.

So, I thought I would share some fun facts about carrots, peas and radishes.

Carrot Facts

carrots

Romans and ancient Greeks believed carrots to be an aphrodisiac.
Carrots were not orange until the Dutch worked to cultivate the strain for the ruling House of Orange.
Earlier versions of colors for carrots where white, purple, red, yellow, green or black.
Carrots were first grown as a medicine not a food.
The first cultivated carrot first appeared in Britain in the 1400’s.
Cultivated carrots originated in Afghanistan.

Pea Facts

peas

Peas are best grown in late spring.
The world’s largest producer of peas is India
Only 5% of peas produced are sold fresh
The pea is thought to have originated from Middle Asia
Peas are very high in fiber and very low in fat and calories.
Peas are green because they are harvested when not fully mature
Daily usage of peas can help prevent stomach cancer.
Peas are anti-aging, gives strong immune system and high energy.

Radish Facts

radishes

Radishes are edible root vegetable.
The radish is a member of the brassicaceae family; its cousins are broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and turnip.
The origins of radishes are most likely China.
There are hundreds of varieties of radishes grown worldwide.
Radishes are easy and fast to grown.
Half a cup of sliced radishes is only 10 calories. They are a good source of Vitamin C.
The most common use for raw radishes is in a salad.
Daikon is another type of elongated radish, most famously used in Japanese cuisine, where it is pickled, dried, grated and used in stir fry.

Which is your favorite vegetable out of the CPR bed?

Carrots – My Story

  • By - DiyGarden
  • Posted on

Carrots, it seems one of the most common vegetables out there. But I have never been able to grow them. So this spring I set out to try to grow that little orange veggie. I did some research on YouTube and found a guy that really seemed to know his stuff when it came to carrots. Actually, he had a beautiful garden area so I’m sure he knew his stuff when it comes to all garden facts.

Carrots

carrots

A carrot is a root veggie and is probably one of the most popular vegetables. It can be eaten raw and fresh making a perfect snack food. Then it can be cooked usually served with a meat and rounds out a perfect plate. It is a source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium and antioxidants.

Companion Planting

carrots

So, with this new information, special items for the bed, and my seeds I set out last weekend and planted a CPR garden. What is a CPR garden you ask? It is a companion planted garden with carrots, peas and radishes. The back of the garden has lattice so a perfect place to put peas. Then I put radishes all around the outside of the garden perimeter to protect the carrots that are in the middle of the garden.

Carrot Fact: We think of carrots as orange, but they can also be white, yellow, red, and purple.

Soil+

But, I am getting ahead of myself and not telling you about the foundational and most important part of any garden is the soil. We work on our soil by building it with compost. We actually have three different compost piles working at all times. This helps us to have black gold in our gardens which is so important.

Remember when I mentioned above doing my research off of YouTube? The guy mentioned adding bone meal and perlite to the soil. Perlite helps keep the soil lose and helps keep moisture in the soil. The bone meal acts as a fertilizer to the plants. So, with a good foundation of soil and the bone meal and perlite I am hoping to start my carrot planting.

It’s Working

carrots

We have had some nice rain days over the week with some nice weather. The garden has been in for 8 days and the radishes are coming up. It is so exciting to see green coming up in the garden. It’s still too early to know the truth about how my carrots will grow but I promise to keep you updated and let you know how it goes through the summer.

Did You Know: Carrots can be traced back about 5,000 years through historical documents and paintings. People first grew carrots as medicine, not food, for a variety of ailments.

Your Turn

Do you grow carrots? Tell me about it.