Not Pictured: A bowl full of lettuce used on Saturday hamburgers.
A large bowl full of broccoli side shoots from my one broccoli plant. This is the 3rd harvest of side shoots from that one plant. In total, I would say if you add the head to the side shoots; this is probably a 32 oz bag worth of broccoli...not bad from one plant! Had the others survived, I would be swimming in broccoli right now.
I pulled two carrots from the garden. I was fairly surprised that one carrot got so thick. I have tough clay soil that hasn't been amended well yet. So these carrots were really an experiment.
and some downs.....
This is the rest of the carrots. Yep, nice green tops and absolutely no roots. I didn't think my clay soil would grow carrots well, but I didn't expect results to be this bad. Oh well, I've got another plan that I am working on for spring carrots.
Check out more productive harvest over at Daphne's!
How odd to get one that produced so well and the others with nothing. :-( So sorry!
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard to grow carrots in clay soil. My last garden was heavy clay. It took so long to get them to grow well. And still here in my sandy soil they grow way better.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the carrots. My soil is rather rocky so I get some weird shaped carrots sometime.
ReplyDeleteYour carrot problem might have been spacing. Was the fat guy a little farther apart than the others? in an intensive bed carrots should be thinned so that they are 3 inches apart in all directions from other carrots. I have a lot of caliche clay in my garden here and it takes me about 3-5 years to get it up to snuff to grow decent root crops. I am however working on ways of speeding that up some what, like double dig the bed and sift all the rocks out of it the first year, adding 3 or more inches of compost or manure over the top and working in, adding lots of potash (my soil has none). If I can I'll add even more manure and grow corn and squash in it the first year. Corn and squash are robust and deep rooting and help break up the clay. Also growing a green manure crop of daikon radishes is said to help break up clay. The next year adding more manure or compost and growing another robust crop like cabbages. Then that fall or the next spring planting carrots. But sandy, slightly acid soil does grow some of the best carrots and potatoes.
ReplyDeleteOh thanks! You gave me another idea bc my soils PH is 7. So if carrots like slightly acidic soil, then this could be another problem. I have been adding sulfur to try to acidify my soil, but its going to take time. I have also been adding compost. I found a source for horse manure, but I am not sure if its safe...I'll do a seperate post about that to see what other gardeners think...and the Italian Stew recipe is coming as well.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love how productive broccoli can be! My plants put out so many shoots that I got sick of it and am letting it bloom to feed the bees and beneficials. I have a hard time with carrots also, but more because of pest problems. I'm going to try to grow it in smart pots this year, at least the gophers, voles, and moles can't mess with them there.
ReplyDeleteAmaazing how much broccoli you harvested from just one plant.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am very impressed with your broccoli! Mine is just starting to form heads - and I'm hoping I get quite a bit off it before it gets too hot and bolts. A bowl full of lettuce sounds wonderful, too.
ReplyDeleteMy fall broccoli is a faint memory now and the spring crop is months away - I am totally envious of your beautiful fresh harvests of side shoots. Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. :D
ReplyDeletewe have had terrible luck with carrots too. I hope you have better luck soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great harvest from your sole broccoli plant,i find carrots a challenge too, this year was the first time i had a successfull crop (many years trying)and i think it was all the effort in digging over the soil and removing all small stones etc.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your carrots. :( Your broccoli looks great!
ReplyDeleteLynn