Going Big with Bolero

For years I have had difficulty starting carrot seed. While I continue to struggle with the perfect way to start carrots, I tried a new technique this time around. I seeded and watered the bed. Then I used a white 1-yard macro bag (like those used for carrying sand) to cover the top of the bed. After a week or two, I saw little seedlings sprouting up when I lifted the bag from the bed. Given that I have never had success growing carrots in Fairfield, this was a big win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I did overseed, so I spent quite a bit of time thinning out the seedlings. But over time, the results were worth it. We mostly ate them a little at a time until the heat kicked in. Once the temperatures started getting to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the carrots began bolting. If you have ever had a woody carrot, you understand the importance of harvesting the root before it bolts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, we had plenty of carrots. We were able to store a couple of bags and give quite a few away. I’m always grateful for the opportunities I have to share carrots – or any of my vegetables – with others. While I don’t usually grow any kind of hybrid vegetable, I feel that this was a good way for me to start down the road of growing carrots in the area where I live. In the future, I would love to do some trials with other vigorous heirloom varieties to see if there is anything else that might work well in my climate.

Minor Biofumigation at the Fertile Garden

One of the benefits of growing Mustard Greens as a cover crop is its ability to clean the soil when tilled into the ground. When tilled into the soil, the plant material decays. As it does so, it releases volatile gasses containing chemical compounds that fumigate the soil. The term for this kind of cleaning of the soil by growing brassicas, mustard greens or radishes is called “biofumigation”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An essential component of biofumigation is to cover the plot as soon as possible after incorporating the chopped up plants into the soil. Instead of saturating the surrounding soil, the volatile gasses will dissipate if not properly covered. While using plastic is generally preferred, I decided to do what I could with a layer of paper and soil. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After chopping up the plants, I covered the debris with packaging paper and a layer of a high-quality soil blend. I made sure to water it all in well. In the end, between the off-gassing and the paper, the end result did dramatically decrease the incidence of weeds in the garden this last spring.

Raising more than just Mustard Greens

I love supporting local wildlife with flowering plants. I also love seeing some insects on my plants. It lets me know that I the plants are healthy enough for other animals to consume. However, there comes a time when enough is enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That time came for me this last winter when my Mustard plants became the breeding ground for several dozen uninhibited harlequin bugs (not pictured). By the time I was able to get to the plot, the bugs had begun multiplying. In order to deter the adults to set up camp, I came back as soon as I could – at night – and chopped down all of the plants. This left a lot of residue, but given the proliferation of bugs and the potential for the Mustard to spread seed, it was wise for me to remove the plants as quickly as possible.

2023 Backyard Mustard Greens

This last winter I pretty impressed with how tall and lush the mustard greens in my garden grew. Especially considering that my garden has been suffering from the nearby trees and local fungi extracting the nutrients from the soil. Given how much it has been struggling in the summer, it was great to see it do so well over the winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One nice thing about growing in your own backyard is that you can see when the flowers are blooming and cut them down long before their seedheads mature. Just by looking out my back window I could see how the plants were coming along and take care of them while they were still manageable.

Cover Crops in the Grape Harvest Bins

Every year I change what I am growing in my winter gardens. The majority of the time it is a cover crop. This last winter, I chose to grow out Mustard Greens. Mustard Greens are usually very good at cleaning the soil, though they don’t provide a lot of organic matter. At both of the gardens where I planted them, they grew a bit wispy. However, at the old chicken plot, they were a little more vigorous. Once I had taken the time to cut the plants down, I covered them with a high quality soil mix.

 

 

 

 

 

For the second garden, which had received a lot of city compost with excessive pathogenic bacteria, the results were nowhere near as good. The plants dithered and only grew a little. We tried planting buckwheat, but to no avail. So in the end, I planted some fava beans in some high quality compost. Those seemed to do very well and helped better prepare my garden for the summer crop