A Seed Carrot !

The joke in our garden is

I plant. . .God laughs.

Last year we had so many things come up from seed,

it was difficult to tell what we had actually planted.

If a spud pops through somewhere, so be it.

I leave it to grow

We do rotate what is planted in each plot each year; however,

last year we had a bumper crop of parsley - in the potatoes,

some fabulous spinach - in the onions,

of course borage - everywhere!

cherry tomatoes in the carrots and beets and so on.

It is actually almost comical that I put markers in the ground.

Yes, I still need to weed around it:)

This year, as I was wondering around out in the plots

looking and visually planning, I noticed something.

It was there amongst the weeds.

I was absolutely delighted.

A seed carrot!

In case you didn't realize, let me explain a little.

If you put an heirloom (not hybrid) seed in the ground to grow a carrot,

a carrot grows during that growing season.

Come late fall, the tops die back.

It does not "go to seed" (like our spinach, borage, and tomatoes.)

Depending upon the climate where you live,

it will either rot or keep until the next year.

This carrot actually survived our winter and is growing back.

This year at the end of the growing season,

it should bare seeds.

I put the tomato cage around it and

told Mr. LB (probably a little too often) to watch out for the carrot.

I have wanted to try to over-winter a few carrots for seeds

every year we've planted them.

Buuuttt, they are so delicious and never seem to be in a good spot.

This one is definitely not in a great spot,

but since the good Lord let it grow, I ain't a'stoppin' it!

I will have to let you know come fall, if it bares seed.

Seed Saving

If you grow a garden and find yourself drooling

over seed catalogs come about February,

you might consider trying to save your own seeds.

You might find your outlook changes a little.

While, I like to think, "Oooh & Aaah, that looks good."

In truth, I need very few seeds after saving seeds for only 2-3 years.

I now think, "I'm only spending $3.42 on seeds!" 

(or whatever small amount it is as opposed to a weeks pay)

Beens and radishes are very easy.

The plants keep the seeds all nice and tidy in a pod.

Here we have spinach.

(We had a rain between seed harvests.  I didn't keep the black looking ones.)

Those little seeds just roll right off for keeping.

I would suggest doing so on a tea towel or placemat, etc.

If you try to do it on a table, 

they are great at escaping by rolling right across the slick surface

and across the floor.

Today, I plan on planting a new row of spinach from my package

that I purchased this spring,

and a row of these that I just saved

in order to test germination.

This year I am going to try my hand at saving carrot seeds.

They require heirloom seeds to start with,

then don't produce seeds until year two.

Our carrots are looking pretty good so will leave a few in the ground

and see what happens next year.

A couple of important tips:

*Hybrids don't usually produce seeds that will germinate.

*Slimey seeds should be washed then dried (tomato, cukes, etc.)

*Keep seeds in a dry place.

*A quick internet search will provide a plethora of informtion

for your favorite veggies.

*Start with just one or two of your favorites:

you'll find you want to save more next year.

*If I can do it, you can too.  (My joke is that

my garden thrives upon neglect;)

I look at seeds like money in the bank.

I know next year, not only will I be saving on seed purchases,

but will also be saving substantially on food purchases.

It's just another way to save money and eat well.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches