carrots and mels mix

GWN 1/7/2013, 1:04 pm

I just wanted to share one the HUGE successes of my last year with Mels Mix SFG. I planted Carrots in April for carrot week, in SFG and then again later in the summer. Because I had SO MUCH other stuff, I pretty much ignored the carrots until the fall. Then the snow came and now we have a bout 3 feet of snow and I am going out every morning and digging up a few more carrots. They are the most delicious I have ever had. Once I remove the snow, there is a thin layer of ice, and once through this layer the MM is very soft and my carrots are there, YUM! I have been making smoothies with the carrots and some frozen blueberrits and figure I have enough carrots to last for quite awhile. I over planted my squares, but it did not seem to matter, they seemed to just push each other out of the way to grow
carrots and mels mix Img_0310

quiltbea 1/7/2013, 1:30 pm

That's a great picture. Gives some of us new hope for next year.

FamilyGardening 1/7/2013, 1:38 pm

great pic!!

we have also found that the carrots left out in the cold and snow....are sooooo sweet!....ours still stayed small....still working on that for next year....and they just pop right out of our MM

we are for sure going to do a lot more carrots next time to over winter cyclops

happy gardening
rose

CapeCoddess 1/7/2013, 1:56 pm

GWN, how do you get thru the frozen MM? I tried using a hammer and rebar to no avail.

CC

GWN 1/7/2013, 2:13 pm

CC

GWN, how do you get thru the frozen MM? I tried using a hammer and rebar to no avail.

I think it really depends on the year, last year I could NOT have done this because we did not get a huge amount of snow last year and the first snow melted and then froze and there was no snow to insulate.
This year has been perfect TONS AND TONS of snow.

I have talked to several locals and that is what they say, is that usually you can get them. I also find if I get started on one area and dig down, get carrots and then cover with snow, and then push on in that one area, that the hard top does not form in a day.

GWN 1/7/2013, 2:15 pm

ROSE
my carrots turned out to be large, especially the ones I planted in April, the later summer (I did not keep track of the dates) ones are some large and some small. Yes I agree, definitely mels mix mixes well with winter carrots

FamilyGardening 1/7/2013, 6:31 pm

maybe leaving the spring planting of carrots until first frost will work out better here for us....maybe in our weather the carrots need a longer growing time.....

i think we will sow a few Squares of carrots to leave in to grow longer and see what happens next fall/winter.... Very Happy

happy gardening
rose

Nonna.PapaVino 1/7/2013, 10:41 pm

GWN, glad to see your success with the carrots! Congratulations, and good idea for upcoming April Carrot Week. Our experience with Nantes carrots planted April 15 was very good (grandkids were thrilled with them). This year the overwintering carrots are looking good. Note to FamilyGardening: If you have enough room, plant during Carrot Week, and again in early August with an overwintering variety. We'll compare success, or.......
Nonna

FamilyGardening 1/7/2013, 10:52 pm

sounds good Nonna Very Happy

we bought a lot of differnt kinds of seeds for this year....we need to grow carrots....our son wants big *real* carrots....he will only eat carrots that still have their green tops from the store...he says they are the real carrots, cause that's how he see's them in the garden......ha ha ha ha rofl

smart kid

we did buy some carrot seeds that say they over winter well...
happy gardening
rose

Nonna.PapaVino 1/7/2013, 11:11 pm

Smart boy you got there, Rose. He's already noticed the carrots with tops are better, obviously fresher, or the tops wouldn't be there. We cannot abide those "baby carrots" from the grocery stores that even taste of the chlorine dip they run them through to keep them "fresh." Nonna

FamilyGardening 1/7/2013, 11:33 pm

he is the sweetest boy ever!

he told us he needs a bigger garden rofl

when we were cleaning up his garden area last fall.....

last year was his second year of gardening in his self watering container he and daddy made from a rubbermaid type bin.... his sweetie tomato was HUGE..it did very well...his carrots were skinny and not the longest...his sugar snap peas did good....and his green onions were awesome!......he told us he needs more squares to grow in.... rock on

....

so this year he is going to build a table top box made with one of those concrete tubs...this will give him six more squares to plant in flower

he can put a high rise on and plant some more carrots.....he is so cute....he is sooo excited to grow some Dinosaur kale too!....he said he has been eating it out of his school garden....who knew :drunken:

happy gardening
rose

Pollinator 1/8/2013, 5:29 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:GWN, how do you get thru the frozen MM? I tried using a hammer and rebar to no avail.
CC

Not something I have to worry about here in the South, but in the north, if you have carrots, parsnips, turnips and other root crops in the ground in the fall, you can cover them deeply with leaves, bales of straw, or some other insulation to keep them from freezing. Then you can have these crops any time you want to dig them up. And they are the sweetest they can ever be!

Here in South Carolina, I'm about to harvest the last of my year old crop, and soon will start pulling the ones I planted in August. Some of the older ones have split, but most are still good.

plantoid 1/8/2013, 6:05 pm

Pollinator wrote:
CapeCoddess wrote:GWN, how do you get thru the frozen MM? I tried using a hammer and rebar to no avail.
CC

Not something I have to worry about here in the South, but in the north, if you have carrots, parsnips, turnips and other root crops in the ground in the fall, you can cover them deeply with leaves, bales of straw, or some other insulation to keep them from freezing. Then you can have these crops any time you want to dig them up. And they are the sweetest they can ever be!

Here in South Carolina, I'm about to harvest the last of my year old crop, and soon will start pulling the ones I planted in August. Some of the older ones have split, but most are still good.

I am not jealous ..I AM NOT JEALOUS ! Laughing

GWN 1/8/2013, 9:28 pm

This is a concern I had all fall, how I would get down to the carrots. I read that the best way to do it is to put dry leaves in a large garbage bag, and put them over the carrot bed, they will provide both insulation AND a way to get to the carrots, like a key to get in.
I was going to do it this way, until I talked with one of the locals who said that normally as long as there is lots of snow, she just goes and digs them out. lots o

I know this likely seems crazy, but it has two great draws.
One, because these carrots are soooooo great, so much better than the rest of the year.
TWO: it makes me feel just a little bit like a gardener.. in the winter.

FamilyGardening 1/9/2013, 2:07 am

Im with you GWN Very Happy

there is something special about being able to go out to your garden and pick something to eat....brings me back to the basic's of providing for yourself and family...

now a days everyone is in such a hurry...wanting everything quick and easy with no thought in where it comes from....how much better do our meals taste when we have planted, nurture and waited for the right time to enjoy the harvest.... bounce

garden fresh food takes time and we savor the moment we get to share and enjoy the food because we helped bring it to life.... sunny

its so exciting and satisfying and it really brings this saying to heart….

You reap what you sow :drunken: and its extra special when its hidden under a blanket of snow lots o

happy gardening
rose

**Kelejan** 1/9/2013, 9:19 am

I just know there are some carrots hiding out there somewhere.
Perhaps I will try and find them later today.

GWN 1/9/2013, 11:42 am

Rose
I am feeling more and more like this every year. I am still eating predominantly from my garden. Between all the food I froze, and canned, and all those squash and potatoes just sitting in the cold room and the carrots in the garden. I STILL do not have much need to go to the store. We eat very little meat, so really its milk and cheese, pasta seem to be the main things we get at the store still. My rye crop ended up diseased, otherwise we would be using that for flour. As it is, I buy my grain grown near here and have a stone grinder. So hopefully next year I will have also grown all my flour as well. Smile

I just wish there was more I could do this time of year. I am looking at my 3 basil plants that I brought in and wondering how many leaves will it take to make a pesto.....

GWN 1/9/2013, 11:44 am

I just know there are some carrots hiding out there somewhere.
Perhaps I will try and find them later today.

Kelijan I was reading in the summer about this and the article said to mark where the carrots are as once the tops are gone you will not be able to find them. I thought that is ridiculous.... but next year I definately am going to put in markers ... HIGH markers.

plantoid 1/9/2013, 11:50 am

I've just had the pleasure of locating a nine inch tall marker in a square foot that said " stumpy carrots x16 " , so I went for broke and used my special fork to ease the sq ft over ..hey presto twelve short rooted carrots ,several of which had suffered from grub attack but over come it .

Still they cleaned up well and are up for tonight tea meal .

Lemonie 1/9/2013, 11:57 am

YUM! Sounds like some good finds! I had completely forgot about a handful of carrots that were too small for picking when frost hit. Then I remembered them when we were out making snowmen last week and hubs asked if we had any carrots for their noses. We offered a few for the snowmen (which eventually went to the dog) and enjoyed some super sweet and crisp ones for our outside snack. Mine were in 1x1 raised boxes, so they weren't hard to find. PLUS, the MM was still so fluffy under the snow. carrots and mels mix 998388915

That might just be enough encouragement for me to actually attempt some winter gardening next year.

Nonna.PapaVino 1/9/2013, 12:08 pm

With inspiration from y'all, I went scrounging in the old carrot bed, and returned with five squat, ugly carrots. One was delicious, the rest will be part of dinner tonight! Thank you, thank you. Nonna

GWN 1/9/2013, 12:17 pm

I've just had the pleasure of locating a nine inch tall marker

Plantoid, not sure if a nine inch marker is going to do it for me, I think I might have trouble locating a yard stick at this point. I cannot even find where the beds are. lots o

**Turan** 1/9/2013, 12:19 pm

This topic makes me grin and drool carrots and mels mix 3085260134

We just finished our last carrots in a stew. They were in the fridge and getting soft. I have not had any luck storing outside in the ground. Maybe if I layered enough bags of leaves or something....
We are still eating winter squash and frozen peas/broccolli etc.

GWN 1/9/2013, 12:25 pm

Turan
Have you tried just leaving them in the ground?

**Turan** 1/9/2013, 12:30 pm

GWN wrote:Turan
Have you tried just leaving them in the ground?

Yeah, I can not get them out again the ground freezes so solid. Maybe if I covered them really well with leaves or straw before the ground freezes. I do not have your heavy snow cover.

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