The second planting included two types of carrots and one type of onion. I chose carrots based on shape - I wanted short, fat, cylinder shaped carrots for easy slicing and dicing rather than cone shaped. I selected scarlet nantes and red core chanterey, both from seeds of change. They are planted in one of the raised lasagna beds. It was difficult getting the soil depth right when planting carrot seeds here, as well as onion seeds. Here are the results, a few weeks after planting.
You can barely see them, but there are a few fern-like carrot types in there. I was pretty satisfied with the germination, but gradually fewer and fewer carrots have been present. I'm not sure if they're dying due to poor soil or weather conditions, or if animals are getting to them. We rabbit-proofed the fence and we never see rabbits in the garden anymore, but we do see crows pretty often. I expected to get over 100 carrots, and right now there are about 10 plants. I would be shocked if any more germinated. The onions are doing about the same, which makes me think that the problem is poor soil. I've read that birds and bugs are repelled by onions, so if critters were the problem, the onions should be doing fine.
Luckily, carrots and onions can be sown again for fall harvest. I will work the soil some more, adding in fertilizer, and I will do some more research about planting, water conditions, temperature, to make sure I'm giving them the best shot.
I don't have photos of onions, because the slim little creatures just don't show up on camera. But I chose two storage-type onions, Newburg (from seeds of change) and Copra (from territorial). It is about time to re-sow onions! Both are open pollinated types.
Then we have broccoli. I chose Arcadia and Comet, both hybrids from territorial. Anytime I chose hybrids, it means there were truly no other options or that as far as I was concerned, there were no other options (see the "first direct seeding" post). Pictured below are the Comets, with at least one seedling in each spot. Success!
Not pictured are the arcadia, which were not so talented. I only got two out of five spots with seedlings for the arcadia. But, they did germinate about a week before the comets. Currently the two arcadia are doing well; the comets, for whatever reason, have fallen to two seedlings as well. An additional suspect: there is a tree hanging over the broccoli and carrot/onion beds. Since those are the only veggies not doing well, I am suspicious that it is providing just enough shade to limit their growth. I'm not sure if that explains why some of them are dying after successful germination...
But again, broccoli is a crop I can do a second sowing of for fall harvest, so I'm not freaking out yet.
I am keeping the broccoli bed weeded with a hoe - I try to get out there pretty frequently and just scrape the soil. It goes quickly and as long as I stay on top of it, the weeds are small enough to be conquered by the hoe.
Finally, I planted the second type of spinach - Bordeaux, another hybrid from territorial. I am disappointed to report that although I initially thought it had germinated, I never saw any plant with true leaves and there is nothing there any more.
Another thought is that I just waited too long. Once the soil warmed enough to plant these, it just got too hot for them. I wonder what would have happened if I had just planted them all when the soil warmed up to 45 degrees? Perhaps the broccoli, carrots, onions, and bordeaux spinach would still not be doing well, but who knows.
A friend who used the lasagna gardening method suggested putting a little seed starting mix in the furrows created for planting. I will probably do this when I try these varieties again in the fall.
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