June 11, 2018
We had the sweetest carrots for dinner tonight. They were Scarlet Nantes which are short and sweet. I thought they were Danvers Half Long so I picked them when their tops were only three quarters of an inch in diameter. It turns out that both varieties are short and best picked tender. You can plant all summer long for a continuous harvest and the most significant aspect of growing carrots is to thin them. Crowded carrots get stunted, misshapen and hard to peel..
Carrots left in the ground too long get tough and woody and lose their sweetness. They don't overwinter like beets. Short varieties are easier to be successful with because the farther down your soil goes the more likely it is to become dense. Carrots, like all root crops, prefer fluffy soil..
June 12, 2018
The ripe strawberries are all gone and there are tunnels winding through the plants under the bird netting. I've got a raccoon or possom problem. This happened last year too, so I've got a repeat offender. Putting a radio on in the garden with an all night talk show can help keep them away. Having a sprinkler attached to a motion detector is probably the best way though..
Trapping them is hardest this time of year because there is so much else to eat, like cherries. Our cherries are all gone too, but we did get a few bowls full this year. The secret is to keep a !adder set up under the tree so that each time you pass it you can pick some of the ripe ones. If you wait for there to be a lot of ripe ones the birds will keep one step ahead of you..
