Oh Dear The Drum Kit Broke & Carrots

Tragedy today in the Nicholas household (WOO HOO - sorry cannot help self).  Alas, it seems someone left the electronic drum kit outside and then it rained (HURRAY). And now it no longer works (YEEEEE HAR).

Please let's all have a moments silence for the dearly departed drum kit.  Let's just listen to the silence. Aaaah, silence.

Anyway. Carrots. 

Now that spring is getting into full swing, I'm thinking a lot (more than is healthy) about how much of what to plant.  I focus on stuff that we eat all the time, like carrots, zuchinni, peas, corn, and that means that once we are in full production I can just potter out to the garden and get what I want for dinner or lunches - my idea of heaven :).

Yesterday I went to visit the seedling lady at Hornsby Markets and stocked up on things I want to get in the ground now.  This included 30 lettuces, 20 leeks, 30 onions, about 120 carrot seedlings, and 15 parsleys - which set me back $35.

I also have carrots, onions and leeks growing from seed.

Figuring out how much of everything to grow is a challenge, it depends on space and what we will use or be able to store before we get to December when a lot of things will cook in the heat or bolt to seed.

We use hundreds of carrots, the kids love them and I snack on them constantly, they freeze well for later use in stews, so I want a lot of carrots.  In her book, Backyard Sustainability, Jackie French says she plants 12 square meters of carrots in Spring and eats them through the year.  I don't have that much space, but I like the idea of that much abundance.  So I'm aiming for about 5 sqm of carrots.

So far I've got about 15 carrots just about ready to harvest (most didn't make it through winter and various chook incursions).  I've got 1 sqm just starting to come along (there are 60 carrots in there).

And another 2sqm worth in this punnet, to plant on the weekend.

And 2 packets of seeds coming from Diggers; orange St Valerys and purple dragons.

I reckon that this will keep us away from horrid watery tasteless supermarket carrots for a good few months.

Hopefully.

Phew. :)