Every year a retired farmer friend of ours comes to the last market of the season and asks all the young farmers about their successes and failures from the season? I appreciate this question. Farming is so engrossing it is very easy to forget to pause and look back at a season (but it is actually very important to do so). Half of a successful farm, and maybe all business, is to look back and make plans from what you've done (right or wrong), for the future.
When he asked what was successful this year for us, my answer, after a thought, was carrots (last year it was broccoli). Carrots have been one of those crops that we've had trouble with, and although we are far from perfect we've learned some valuable things this season.
Carrots are difficult for a few reasons. First, they are difficult to germinate, especially when it is hot and dry in June and July (quick note: If you want carrots in Sept/Oct, you need to seed them in June, early July at the latest.)
One trick we use for germinating carrots is to cover seeded beds with black plastic. I know, I know, I know plastic is awful and not very homesteady. Our challenge is always to find a balance between making a living and following our core principles, and so we use reusable landscape fabric which, if taken care of, can last for decades.
Covering the beds helps in two ways: first, it heats up the soil (this is more useful when planting in June) and second, it keeps valuable moisture (which can so easly evaporate in July) in the soil.
The plastic can be anything: tarps, landscape fabric (which we use), or even black vapor barrier, if you are a home gardener and only need to cover a small space, see if you can get a lumber tarp from your local building supply store, usually you can get these for free. As much as we don't like to use plastic, it has been the best option so far for coving our 50’ beds.
After you seed your carrots water the bed heavily. You want the water to soak well into the soil, (sometimes in July I will spend up to an hour watering a single bed), you will know that the soil is well watered when water doesn’t pool but soaks right in. After you’ve soaked your beds thoroughly cover them right away.
Here is the trick
This year we figured out a new technique which upped our success with germinating carrots by at least 50%. When checking the plastic covered beds, don't wait until all the carrots are all germinated under the plastic. Often, by this point, the seedlings will have had too much heat and will shrivel up in a few days after uncovering (we’ve lost a lot of carrots this way). When you see a few carrots coming up, dig around in your rows and see if you can find germinated seed that has not yet come out through the soil, if you do, now is the time to uncover the beds.
Pictured: new carrots in late June, 2017
I do realize that starting to blog now about farming will not be useful until next season for those of you farming in the Northern hemisphere. The trouble is, we are so busy in the summer it is hard to get anything written down. Hopefully you will return here in the spring and summer next year. Also, I hope this blog will be like a journal for me so I don't forget things we've learned. I hate having to relearn things on the farm.
It has been an amazing season and now it is time to rest...... well maybe not, there is still so much in the fields. Here is a picture of one of our fields from a few days ago.
Thank you all for reading, and as always if you have any gardening or farming questions, we'd love to try to answer them.
Peace, love, and happy gardening
Dion,
Heart and Soil Organics
