Having trouble in the garden. Need advice please.

[Jferlisi]

So i am having a few problems in my garden and was wondering if anyone had any tips for me. First off my lettuce. I planted iceberge lettuce this year and last year and it didn't ball last year and it isn't balling this year. Am i supposed to do something to make it ball? I have six head growing and none are balling. I live in socal and is that why, i cant think of what it would be. Then there are my carrots. They look like this,

Is it cause the ground is to hard? I tore out all my carrots today and made a raised bed like i did with the cucumbers to see if that will help but wont know for a few months. I planted these ones over 2 months ago. Lastly (for now lol) im getting low on carrot seeds and i dont want to keep buying seeds ever year for all my planting so is there a special method to storing the seeds after i harvest them this year, how do i harvest them anyway lol, to plant next year. I have cucumbers,tomatoes,bell-peppers,strawberries,lettuce,radishes,blueberries & raspberries but those two haven't started producing, and will soon be planting corn. Oh and i know i said lastly but my blueberry plant doesn't seem to be growing, but its not dying either, is there something im doing wrong? Thanks for all the help people, John.

 

[Boyd]

your carrots don't look all that bad actually

It takes good loose soil with few rocks to get those nice beautiful carrots like you see at the store (in my experience) .. With that being said, I've never saved seed from carrots before as it's only about 10$ to buy a pound of seed.

 

[sheaviance1]

Try growing your carrots in a bag of potting soil. You'll have to cut some drainage holes. They look like that because of rocks in the soil (and they look very good to me, you should see my medusa carrots!)

Your lettuce is probably trying to bolt to seed because of the temp. Try planting it earlier. They like cooler weather. I planted mine in February.

 

[Jferlisi]

Quote:
Ok thanks.

They taste great but they are really short.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Ok thanks.

They taste great but they are really short.

Howdy neighbor!!! I live in Hesperia. This dirt we have SUCKS unless you are a lemon or peach tree. Raised beds is the way to go for growing in our climate with our lovely dirt. My weeds grow wonderfully here!!!

 

[Jferlisi]

Quote:
Ok thanks.

They taste great but they are really short.

Howdy neighbor!!! I live in Hesperia. This dirt we have SUCKS unless you are a lemon or peach tree. Raised beds is the way to go for growing in our climate with our lovely dirt. My weeds grow wonderfully here!!!

LOL ya mine do too. They love my garden area. i weed all the time.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Howdy neighbor!!! I live in Hesperia. This dirt we have SUCKS unless you are a lemon or peach tree. Raised beds is the way to go for growing in our climate with our lovely dirt. My weeds grow wonderfully here!!!

LOL ya mine do too. They love my garden area. i weed all the time.

Get goats. Or I can rent you mine.

Seriously - raised beds are the only way to go for those of us with that horrid hard dirt.

 

[Jferlisi]

Quote:
LOL ya mine do too. They love my garden area. i weed all the time.

Get goats. Or I can rent you mine.

Seriously - raised beds are the only way to go for those of us with that horrid hard dirt.

I would but we had goats and they didn't eat the weeds. They eat the garden, LOL. I had bad luck with mine. I had a pigme goat (spelling) and when our other goat died we gave her away and turns out she died within a month due to a atrocious vain.

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
if the soil is hard, even with a raised bed, you need to get a garden fork or a broad fork and sink it into the ground in the garden area and rock back every few steps, loosening the sub soil. then when not using the bed ad lost of compost, and organic matter and if you're in a hurry buy some worm and dump them in, but only after adding organic matter and compost, mixing it in and letting it sit for a week.

if that doesn't help, I suggest you get carrot seed suitable for clayey, hard soil. They are usually naturally short, and tend to have a shorter growing period which is an added bonus.

if you wish to save seeds form carrots then here is what you do. Carrots are bi-annual, which means they spout and grow the first year then produce seed the second.

you can try the seed to seed method where you plant the seeds in late summer, and over winter them in your garden with protection, usually with mulch. or if it is too cold then you grow them, dig them up the first year, careful not to damage them, store them over winter in a cool dark place, then replant them the next spring to produce seed.

with carrots you need at least 25 plants at the very minimum (much more is preferable) when saving seed, or you risk having them becoming inbred and the seed weak.

 

[woodmort]

Two things cause carrots to look like that: rocky/hard soil or nematodes. I suggest planting half-long carrots( We like a variety called Kuroda.) they will be better in heavy soil--my garden is basically glacial till so I know from whence I speak. Most of the long, commercial carrots are grown in muck soil and only the best are sold as whole carrots the rest are turned into "baby" carrots. The nematode problem can be solved partially by moving your planting around and not leaving carrots in the ground year 'round. A company called Garden's Alive sells an organic solution to it. Check their website at http://www.gardensalive.com/Default.asp?bhcd2=1177786774 . In truth the carrots will taste great, just look funny. As far as lettuce not "heading" that is generally a sign that it is too warm and the stuff is growing too fast. You need to plant it early or late. I gave up planting head lettuce a long time ago mainly because we prefer the Red Sails-type of leaf lettuce that doesn't bolt as fast.