1st Ever Carrot... Please Don't Laugh

Today it was warm enough that I pulled open the end of the hoop garden bed to see what's really going on inside. We've had several nights in the upper teens and I wasn't sure what to expect.

Then I picked my first ever carrot, and since I've never successfully grown something that could be called a carrot by any stretch of the imagination, I consider it a milestone! I forget the variety; the seeds came free with a seed order that I think was from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

You may remember I posted that the flooding from TS Lee (or was it TS Irene?) washed away most of my seedlings in this experimental hoop bed, and by then it was too late to replant.

The faint white circles on the photo above outline a few beets, carrots and spinach that have survived despite chewed-off tops. (I should have used a heavier line weight for the circles on the photo, but it's too late now.)  

The larger plants down the middle are Brussels sprouts, and purple cauliflower towards the far end; the seeds of everything in there were planted at the same time. I believe most of the insect damage seen in the front Brussels sprout plant is from before I closed up the hoop, although the chewed off carrot and beet tops are clearly the work of Br'er Rabbit when the hoop still had gaps.

The Brussels sprouts are not filled out yet, but certainly much larger than 2-3 weeks ago when the clamps to fasten the fabric properly against Mr. Rabbit (and the weather) were installed.  


All in all, I'm not a bit disappointed in how bed has functioned thus far, even though there are very few plants inside of it. The weeds are also doing great; too bad they are not edible weeds!