Mumsy's Romantic Garden Advice

[Jessica Lynn]

That is generally how my carrots look too.

Oh mine look worse! Just too much hard clay and rocks here for nice carrots!

 

[Kassaundra]

Hi aaggig!

Carrots are one of those vegetables where germination is tricky. They take a couple weeks and need to be thinned early and often. I start to pull them when I see 'shoulders'. Same with radishes and beets. Thin thin thin. I used to get root maggots on everything until I started using the crop covers.

Radishes belong to the Brassica family. These are cool soil and weather crops. As soon as it gets too warm in both places at the same time they bolt to seed. Timing is everything. When I do radishes, they are the first crop in at earliest possible Spring and the first crop out before the heat of summer arrives.

My chickens will devour all the green tops of all Brassica family. They don't like the leaves of carrots or parsley in the Umbelliferae family.

I have planted Kale and Collards late summer for winter crops. I plant annual rye grass in my unused runs. Some people I know plant clover. Cornel University has a good link. http://covercrops.cals.cornell.edu/

Have any of you tried eating the pods of the radish? They are sooooo much better then the root. The butterflies LOVE radish blooms, I always let some go to bloom for the butterflies. Also saute'd radish root is better then raw (I think)

 

[Jessica Lynn]

Mumsy, what is your take on keyhole gardens?
A friend of ours has some and they get nicer vegetables then what I grow!

 

[MumsyII]

Mumsy, what is your take on keyhole gardens?
A friend of ours has some and they get nicer vegetables then what I grow!

I never heard of it until this moment. Had to google it. Looks like an interesting take on raised bed using the French intensive gardening method in a very small space. Anything that gets people growing things to eat is great in my view. If a person had access to free bricks or rocks then this is an awesome way to build a bed. As far as spending $ to do this for a permanent garden that is kind of like a monument? Not for me. Rectangle beds made with cheap fence boards go up faster and can be taken down or moved faster. A key hole garden seems to give you fewer options at crop rotation for problem things like potatoes, tomatoes, and the root crops. A key hole garden bed like this would take a whole lot of soil to fill. If I lived on a postage stamp lot with few choices to grow vegetables in the sun, this might be a solution.

 

[Kassaundra]

They are especially useful in areas w/ very hot dry conditions, that is where the shine. In an area where there is plenty of rain it wouldn't be worth the effort, but for dry areas where every drop counts it would be worth the work.

 

[armorfirelady]

Anks for the info Mumsy on the carrots. I found that I had purchased heirloom carrot seeds but never planted them. I will try again next spring in my raised bed with the better soil and having a cover crop this fall.

My pumpkin that was growing they the fence apparently broke from its stem. I broke in half today since one end was soft. The hens were not very sad about it since they got their first pumpkin of the season

 

[Leahs Mom]

I could NOT get my kiddos to eat pumpkin.

 

[Kassaundra]

I could NOT get my kiddos to eat pumpkin.

I can't either no matter what I do to it.

 

[armorfirelady]

G

I could NOT get my kiddos to eat pumpkin. 

I can't either no matter what I do to it. 

Guess I lucked out then. The big girls love it. I didn't see if the tots ate some or not. But usually if the tots see the others eat it they will taste it. Plus with only feeding at night they tend to eat anything I give them now

I mowed the lawn and tossed grass cuttings into their run where the coop was. Big girls loved it and attacked it for bugs. After about 10 min the tots followed suit. I do have to say its nice to see them eating & chasing bugs again
But the last of the raw milk & food was their favorite again

 

[MumsyII]

Anks for the info Mumsy on the carrots. I found that I had purchased heirloom carrot seeds but never planted them. I will try again next spring in my raised bed with the better soil and having a cover crop this fall.

My pumpkin that was growing they the fence apparently broke from its stem. I broke in half today since one end was soft. The hens were not very sad about it since they got their first pumpkin of the season

Your welcome. When seeds of any variety are far less than satisfactory, I like to try something else. Trying heritage seeds is really enjoyable.

I picked some pumpkins for Shadow while she was here visiting over the weekend. I found one that was all squishy and soft on the bottom too and slugs had been munching it. I threw it in the compost pile and chopped it in half with a shovel. After three days the chickens and turkeys have finished it off.



Turkeys gobbling pumpkin seeds. The first of the year here too.


After eating pumpkin they like to fly up into the apple tree. I hang fuchsia baskets in the branches. They like to eat the berries.