Demo School Garden

I've been working with school gardens for about 5 years, and I'm often asked how to start one. These questions prompted me to begin the installation of a small garden at my work site. It's dimensions will total about 300 square feet. I will be blogging about it here as well as taking photo and video footage of the site.

I'm using the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew to design the garden. The book was was first published in 1981, and it's innovative methods have inspired many gardeners.

Often school and community gardens are created with great enthusiasm, only to fall into disrepair and weediness. Much of this has to do with overplanting, something Mr. Bartholomew's book discusses. Although a packet of carrot seeds contains over 1,500 seeds, don't be tempted to plant all of them at once. The work involved in thinning is eliminated using the square foot gardening method. Thinning your crops is the greatest chore in many gardens aside from weeding. In Square Foot Gardening, gardeners plant less seeds and enjoy their garden more.

You'll be able to watch the creation of the garden through the photos posted here. Please feel free to comment and share your experiences.

Growing Carrots

(photo by Aziz Bauameur)

As both a horticulturist and a gardener, I’m constantly on the lookout for new and exciting vegetable varieties. An article in Small Farm News (Volume 2, 2007) regarding carrots by Aziz Bauameur recently caught my attention.

The University of California Cooperative Extension is researching the performance of various carrot types to determine their yield in a small farm setting. The carrots in the study include shades of white, red, green, yellow, purple and almost black. The reason carrots in grocery stores today are orange dates back to the 15th century. During this time, the Netherlands was in a struggle for independence. The House of Orange developed the orange carrot as a patriotic emblem. The color stuck, and orange remains the most popular carrot color in the Western part of the world.

Locally, I visited several nurseries and garden centers looking for unusual seed colors. I didn't have much luck, but did find a seed packet called “Rainbow” which is a blend of orange, white and yellow carrot varieties. Nursery employees assured me that colorful carrot seeds can be ordered upon request. They can also be found online at Kitchen Garden Seeds, Territorial Seed Company or Kitazawa Seed Company. Each of these companies has a great selection colored carrots. However, at this time I have been unable to locate sources of green or black carrot variety seeds.

In my garden I will be growing “Purple Dragon,” “Atomic Red,” “Yellowstone,” “Snow White,” “Solar Yellow,” “Lunar White,” “Purple Haze,” and “Kyoto Red.”

I’m using Mel Bartholomew’s "Square Foot Gardening" as a guide for planting carrots. He advises not to overplant, which often happens when planting seed. When seeds sprout, many gardeners are overwhelmed with the chore of thinning. Although carrot seeds are tiny, the author does not advise sprinkling them along a row. Instead, in an area that is 4'x4', he divides the plot into 16, 1’squares by tracing it with a finger. He adds a single seed to each small square and covers it lightly.

Carrot seeds germinate best when soil has good drainage and is free of dirt clods. Add compost to the soil and mix to a depth of at least 12 inches. Keep soil moist while seeds sprout, as this can take up to 2 weeks. Carrot seeds can be easily washed away, so water lightly. During this warm month of August, do not let the soil crack or crust over.

We will be installing a school garden demonstration plot here at the Cooperative Extension behind our building. I’ll be blogging about its progress as well as the carrot patch at here. Please feel free to make comments or detail your experiences with growing carrots or gardening in general. Or send me an e-mail at aschellman@ucdavis.edu