If You CARROT all for SFG...

Betchy'all have been wondering why we have asked you to save a couple squares of your SFG for the forum?!

We were thinking it would be fun if we had a PLANT A SQUARE( or 2:)) OF CARROTS WEEK for all the members on the forum.

The idea would be for as many members as possible to plant on or as close to the same day as possible, the same TYPE of carrot. Then as the season wears on we can share photos of progress at mile stone times and compare how the carrots are doing forum wide.

Since not everyone will have a high rise box, or the desire to build one we thought a baby type carrot would work great.

So the carrot type should be NANTES, and the dates to plant will be as close to April 15th as humanly possible. If you cant plant on the 15th, try to do it within 3 days on either side of the 15th. So anytime from April 12-April 18th.

We will share photos of our carrots and their progress on the 1/2 months like May 15, June 15 etc.

This obviously isn't a well controlled experiment...just something fun for all of us to join in and do together! Carrots grow mostly anywhere and even those in the cooler climates should be able to plant a few come April.

As the thread wears on we can think of other fun and carrot-y things we can do as a group! Maybe some contests for the longest nantes carrot, funniest looking, fattest, etc etc.

We'll find some ways to have a blast!

So are you in???

Jen

PS...the credit for the catchy thread title goes to our Lovely Moderator from France.....LaFee!

I don't have any Nantes seed, but I have time to remedy that I'm game!

middlemamma wrote:So the carrot type should be NANTES, and the dates to plant will be as close to April 15th as humanly possible.

Plant your carrots, and THEN go pay your taxes!

Nantes are a fun choice. They are sweet, cylindrical, and do OK in a six inch box if you don't have a deep square. They are seldom found in the grocery store because they are tender and don't hold up well to mechanical harvesting. In my area, the seeds are available in the big box stores.

LaFee lives within visiting distance of Nantes, I wonder if she could sneak us some seeds from the source?!

Yeah! I'm game too. I have 4 squares left empty still, woot woot! I've been wanting to try those, now is a perfect reason!

Love your sig boffer. Tempted to steel it (get it?)!

GO PACK!

kimbertangleknot wrote:Love your sig boffer. Tempted to steel it (get it?)!

That would be the pitts!

Okay..........this is a fantastic idea BUT......I'm in a Zone 3b so we very often still have snow in mid April. Even if we don't actually have snow in the garden, we still have it in the shady areas of the yard and the ground is not thawed out yet. I can usually get cool weather crops in by about the beginning of May. We don't plant the majority of our garden stuff until around the 21st of May. We can expect frost until about the 12th or so of June.

If there is any way I can get a couple of squares thawed out enough to plant something, I will for sure, but I might have to be more than a few days late planting mine.

Gwynn

Old Hippie....no worries still weigh in with us!! I ran into the problem of the zones 3 and less needing to plant a little later, but if I pushed it to May 15th then a lot of the folks would already be a couple months in, and our friends in the south would already be baking. So definitely! Maybe if you could plant May 15th or something we can see what a 1 month difference makes! Blackrose may be right there with you, I am not sure....

middlemamma wrote:Blackrose may be right there with you, I am not sure....

I am 2 zones warmer than Old Hippie, I shouldn't have a problem planting in mid-April... with help... It helps that the box that I will be planting my carrots in will have all new Mel's Mix made for it about a week beforehand. Depending on the weather though, I may have to cover it with black plastic to keep it from freezing. Then I could put a cloche over that square to keep them from freezing.

Old Hippie: If you have enough sunny days in April, do you think you could thaw your soil enough with some black plastic over the squares you want to plant the carrots in?

boffer wrote:

kimbertangleknot wrote:Love your sig boffer. Tempted to steel it (get it?)!

That would be the pitts!

Aye.. It would be, but I am green with envy.

@OH How long is your growing season in general up there? I've always been fascinated even when I lived in WI by how people grow north of us. I find it even more fascinating when it's winter down here in the south and my tomatoes are a "Product of Canada." Are you sure there's not a "hot pocket" up there.

OH, you could even scrounge materials to make a small box or two. Like a 1x1 or 1x2 that you could move inside if necessary.

I was thinking the same thing, Boffer.

Kimbertangleknot, I once heard a great story about a greenhouse in Canada that grows amazing tomatoes. I think I heard it on NPR, but I could be wrong. It's pretty amazing what you can do with some ingenuity I remember them talking about the tomato vines being tied to bars at the top and the exhausted vine laying in loops on the floor, and the person who grows them was very passionate about not using harsh chemicals. It was really interesting!

If I send commercial seed from the garden center, customs probably won't fuss with it - I've sent and received packets of seeds with no problem *so far*.

But if someone wants Nantes seed from France(don't forget that the wording on the packet will all be in French) let me know, and we'll see what we can do.

Fair warning...seed is pricey here, as is the postage...but I'll find the best deal I can.

And yes - April 15 is just about last frost date for me, so it should work great!

LaFee wrote:If I send commercial seed from the garden center, customs probably won't fuss with it - I've sent and received packets of seeds with no problem *so far*.

But if someone wants Nantes seed from France(don't forget that the wording on the packet will all be in French) let me know, and we'll see what we can do.

Fair warning...seed is pricey here, as is the postage...but I'll find the best deal I can.

And yes - April 15 is just about last frost date for me, so it should work great!

I might take a bite on that. I think it would be fun to have a side by side comparison with seeds from the US and from France. If there's a way to work it out so I can pay you (pay pal possibly? I also think I can do a direct deposit to someone's account with my bank, but I know that is some pretty private info.) I'd be more than happy to pay for the seed and shipping costs. It would give me a thrill to think I'm actually getting something from across the pond. I never have.

kimbertangleknot wrote:
I might take a bite on that. I think it would be fun to have a side by side comparison with seeds from the US and from France.

I'll chip in too.

Let me see what I can find -- the garden centers are still pretty bare at this point, but we've got a little time. (I can't even find seed mix yet to start tomatoes!)

boffer wrote:

kimbertangleknot wrote:
I might take a bite on that. I think it would be fun to have a side by side comparison with seeds from the US and from France.

I'll chip in too.

Sounds Interesting. I would be interested. Maybe one of us could purchase a package and share? I am assuming that seeds in France are packaged similar to US - perhaps a 1 gram package. ( a 1 gram package contains about 650-700 seeds)

Yep - hundreds of 'em.

I'll keep my eyes peeled in the next week or two and see what's on the shelf yet - it's funny, the garden centers are all decked out for Christmas, then they're all but deserted with big empty spaces on the shelves until about March.

I would love to get some too, LaFee. My spoken French is pretty bad but I can read it a lot better than I speak it so the directions shouldn't be too bad. Besides carrot seeds are carrot seeds regardless of whether they are French, English or whatever.

Guys, I will find a way to get some carrots planted by the 15th of April, even if I have to plant them in five gallon pails of MM and put them on the front porch steps. Where there's a will there's a way. LOL! Besides, it will be fun to do it different than everyone else does.

Gwynn

Count me in too!
Nantes is about all anyone grows here so that is not a problem. Last year I planted them on April 30th so I'll try and be a bit earlier.
I'm also thinking of growing some in a single square perhaps so I can give to to my inlaws later in the summer - they moved from a big garden to a small balcony last summer so I think they would get a kick from having a few carrots to pull with none of the hassle of looking after them.
Ooh! getting all excited here - as I watch the snow fall steadily

Anyone want to "share" the expense of a local packet, I'm not sure what I can get my hands on, and would be willing to half the cost + a stamp to mail them.

Boffer-How can you BEAR to post that on your signature??? Guess you know who I'm rooting for now!

Well, if the cold weather people can thaw out a square to plant on April 15th I guess I can at least give it a try, even though I'm pretty sure it'll be too hot for them to do well. Or maybe it'll be a round square, if all my squares are fully occupied and producing (Apr/May is my best harvest time!)

I love this idea! And I bet my dd will, too!

FarmerValerie wrote:Boffer-How can you BEAR to post that on your signature??? Guess you know who I'm rooting for now!

WIthout a doubt, the chief influences on the game will be who has been a saint, and who hasn't paid their bills.

I think its a nice idea. Will be plenty busy and hoping I can keep up.

FarmerValerie wrote:Anyone want to "share" the expense of a local packet, I'm not sure what I can get my hands on, and would be willing to half the cost + a stamp to mail them.

Boffer-How can you BEAR to post that on your signature??? Guess you know who I'm rooting for now!

Valerie, check the new Seed Exchange Thread. I have some Nantes, that I got for free from Territorial Seeds, no specific variety given, just Nantes type. PM me first, so I can save some for you, then send me a SASE.