Check Out This Crazy Carrot

Check this bad boy out!

JoeSoGarden 2014 Bloomfield Edition, Part 1

Spring has arrived! Between April 20th and May 1st I got the yard all cleaned up and put several seedlings, seeds, bulbs, and even rocks into the ground. First take a look at the yard before I got to work. It didn't look too bad, but I had plenty to do.

I needed to clean out all the vegetation and debris from the back sidewalk/corner; dig out (and replace) all the rocks in the small rock bed along the fence to the right; till a few spots and plant grass seed; and rejuvenate both planter bed areas with fresh soil and compost. The one on the left also needed some minor reinforcement around the corners.

Redoing the rock bed took several hours over several days. Someone must have put these rocks in a few years ago, but without any plastic tarp or fabric underneath. So the weeds and soil had reclaimed most of it, and would have overtaken the remaining rocks by year's end. I had to do something!

So I got down there and dug out all those rocks, put down a few layers of plastic, and left the rocks out on the sidewalk for the rain to clean them. If the sun ever comes back out, I'll take a picture of the finished rock bed. (...Ok, a week later the sun did return!)

In my old apartment on Penn Ave we had a second floor deck that opened off the kitchen out back. In those close living quarters, though, we had no privacy from all the houses behind us, so I bought these 3' by 10' faux bamboo screens to run along the deck railing. I tried it here above the rock bed, but ended up moving it down further to cover the other neighbor's dilapidated wooden fence.




I also tried putting some of the planters in the rock bed, but I didn't like that either. I think I'll just leave the rocks to rock out on their own in their little spot along the fence. I mean, who really gives a fuck at this point, I just need to fill up a bit more text on the left side of this post to balance out the pics on the right. Alright, that'll do, pig, that'll do.

With the rock digging underway I focused on restocking those garden beds and eventually getting some grass seed down and this year's seedlings in the ground.

I went to Phipps Conservatory's used bulb sale a couple weeks ago also, and got some tulips, hyacinths, and something else I can't remember. Those will return in all their glory next year. I don't know whether to keep them in planters or put them in the ground.

I also planted broccoli (from seeds and seedlings), carrot seeds, cilantro seeds, a basil plant, and a stevia plant. Last year's oregano and mint plant have also returned. I'll get those pics up soon... 

Yesterday I picked up some more decorative shrubs and flowers. Dude at Home Depot cut me a sweet deal, too, because he couldn't get it to ring up at the advertised price of 3 for $10. And then when I thanked him, he said, "any time." Now, maybe he just says that all the time, but I wonder if he actually meant he would hook me up with a deal "any time." I'll have to go back and see. I wonder what I could hook him up with in return...

JoeSoGarden 2014 Edition Part 2 coming soon

Daily Harvest

For the last month I've had something to harvest almost daily. Plenty of cilantro, mint, and oregano. Lots and lots of broccoli. And now the carrots and tomatoes have started. Check out what I reaped today: oregano, a carrot, and some tomatoes.

Garden Update: Carrots Ready to Harvest

What Up Doc

I planted a row of carrot seeds April 16 and they have really grown nicely. I harvested two last night at sunset and took pictures of the first one. They came out thick and hardy! Very impressive. I should definitely plant carrots again next year and in future gardens. One row of carrots didn't take up much space and you hardly need any space between each carrot -- they grow straight down. I think they would do well in a container (a deep one). I grew mine in one straight row across the middle of the planter box next to the broccoli on one side, and a row of red onions on the other.

I cooked the carrots last night with potatoes, onions, and my first tomatoes harvested from the garden! I chopped the carrots and potatoes and boiled them first for a few minutes with water, oil, and spices -- curry powder, hot paprika, some fresh basil and cilantro from the garden -- then added a decent amount of brown sugar, onions, garlic, and lots of chopped tomatoes from the garden. I let the water cook off some, but it stayed wet from all the tomatoes and a little oily. Then I made a bold move -- I add a big squirt of ranch dressing! It came out really well. The brown sugar was crucial and the ranch gave it a tangy creaminess. Tremendous. I called it Sweet Ranch Curry.

JoeSoGarden Update: Cilantro/Coriander seeds in the ground

Yesterday I planted a handful of coriander (cilantro) seeds next to the already grown coriander (cilantro) plant. (I <3 the shit outta cilantro.) 

I only see one carrot plant sprouting so far from the seeds I planted on April 16, 2013. I expect about a 15 day germination time on the carrots, so they should start poking their little stems through pretty soon! I do feel a little nervous that they won't come up at all. "Wool Sea."