Ehh, What's Up Doc?

Bugs bunny would be disappointed because I harvested all of the carrots from the sowing in March. There was variety in size, but they looked gorgeous. There were four distinct carrots that appeared to have some kind of problem as they were broken open. If you happen to know why, I would love to hear from you.

Both the potatoes and the carrots were a first for me this past week. There is something to be said about unearthing vegetables that you can't see. The photos below are the quickest way I can show you what it was like to pull up the potatoes. Don't miss the strange carrots which quickly got familiar with my compost pile.

Digging for Taters!

Found em. Now what?

Dig some more!

Organize the loot and let them dry for an hour.

The first sowing of carrots.

Strange carrots

I started a second compost area so that the first one can rest. Both composting areas are close to the chicken coop, as it gives easy and quick access to the chicken manure. Chickens are a great addition to your backyard as they can produce eggs and give you some of the best compost you can get your dirty hands on.

I think I found this idea on Pinterest, but you can cut up toilet paper and paper towel rolls to grow your seedlings. I prepped some rolls for when I start my midsummer planting. I used a half of a water bottle as my dirt dropper thing-a-ma-jigger. It worked great, especially when combined with my son's faux screwdriver. Just poke it down through the bottle with the cap off and dirt comes out beautifully. To be honest, it would have been much easier to just pour dirt out of a bag and accepted that it would get a bit messy. However, I love to make an easy job hard because of my neurotic tendencies. The charm of having a dirt dropper thing-a-ma-jigger and the feeling that I'm clever when I'm not makes it all worth the extra work. One point universe, zero points me. 

There is a method of growing vegetables called keyhole gardening. It is simple and smart because it utilizes its own space efficiently. The center consists of a wire tube that holds compost and continues to receive new trimmings which in turn feeds the surrounding dirt and plants. I enlisted the help of my son which made this task memorable. 

Work in progress.

Stopping to pick peas

"Look, more peas"

Proof that he eats his veggies.

Bush Beans get two thumbs up!

First tomato sighting

Added dead trimmings from a fig tree to support the bush beans.

"God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done." 

~Author Unknown

This is so true.