Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Not what it looks like (and a progress update).

I have never successfully grown carrots.  I've grown carrot (1) but not really multiples.  This year I'm trying something Steve Solomon recommended.  I boiled two cups of water, mixed in three tablespoons of cornstarch and put the whole thing in the fridge until it turned into a gel.  Then I let it sit around for a few days on the counter while I didn't garden. The sitting around part isn't proscribed by Mr. Solomon.

But today I mixed in some carrot seeds, cut down a plastic bag to make poor man's cake decorator bag and walked the whole thing out to the furrows I'd made. I then cut off the tip of the plastic bag--and, come to think about it, I think the scissors are still out there--and squeezed a line of gel/seeds into the furrow.  This was covered with regular dirt.

The idea, I think, is to suspend the carrot seeds in liquid until they can get a good start in the world.  Hopefully it works.  I love a good home-grown carrot.

This is my index card where I kept track of my gardening.  As you can see, I did not get 15 minutes in every day (but Wednesday) since the beginning of February, but I did keep getting back on the horse.  

I plan to continue this plan.

4 comments:

  1. Umm...gross. And good! Can't wait to see this update!!!

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  2. Good job! Persistence is key. You'll get there!

    Are carrots generally difficult to grow, or is it just a nemesis for you? I'm curious. I know virtually nothing about gardening!

    "The sitting around part isn't proscribed by Mr. Solomon." This line cracked me up.

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  3. I think carrots are on the "more difficult" part of the scale. But my style of gardening, where I plant things and let them fend for themselves, tends to not work at all for carrots, which like to be kept moist while they germinate. If I could make myself give them a light sprinkle of water every day until they emerged, I would probably be okay, but I'm not that type of gardening girl. At least in my current state.

    Right now, several weeks later, nary a one has arisen. So I think these failed too.

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