Jen Fulkerson

I have grown veggie for many years, but it was just something I did. My passion was my roses. I babied them, kept them pruned, deadheaded, fertilized and treated for pest.
Then I discovered Permies, and my whole perspective changed. No more chemicals for anything. I started to get more and more into my veggie garden. I was so focused on everything veggie garden I greatly neglected my poor rose garden. Also my drip system tanked, I knew it was going to be a ton of hard work to fix it and didn't want to give it the time and effort. Unfortunately the roses have gotten almost no water except rain which is pretty much non-existent in the summer, for a couple of years. I'm lucky any of them survived. I definitely don't deserve them.
I have really missed spending time in my rose garden. I'm determined to bring it back to it's glory.  It's such an overwhelming task I have broken it into 4 tasks. #1 prune. #2 weed, and clean. #3 replace drip system.  #4 put wood chips down.
I finished phase one.  I was beating myself up for my neglect, and was stopped in my tracks by a gift. I found a birds nest with a rose inside.  It made me feel a little better. It doesn't negate my neglect, but at least there was a benefit.  I found two nests. I also found a few long blackberry vines. Some of you might be thinking oh no, my family in Washington State would, but we love blackberries, and I have a difficult time growing them. I thought the vine I have on the other side of the rose garden was not doing as well as it is. I also found a few that rooted in the soil. I will dig them up and plant them in a better place.
I'm not looking forward to #2, but I'm happy to have started.

random acts of kindness are always uplifting. It's easy these days to question humanity. I work for a co-op, and last year I got to cashier in the outside nursery. A customer who was a nice but a quiet regular came through my line. Some how we started to talk about lisianthus. She grows them, and I had just ordered seeds. We had a nice chat. About 20 minutes later she came back with a little glass vase and her last lisianthus of the season, with a little note saying maybe we could share so we both have a bigger verity.
I was so touched. I'm not poor me, but I love sharing my flowers, and no one I know really grows flowers, so I don't get flowers. It fine because I get joy from sharing, but I have to admit it was very appropriated.  I hope to be able to share with her, though so far no luck with germination.
Thanks for sharing your story, it's very uplifting.

It's 1/23/26 and I went into the veggie garden, and there's a lot of hollyhocks growing. One is blooming a few inches from the soil which I have never seen before.  Most will be removed I wouldn't mind giving up that part of the walkway, but I do mind giving up the light they will block on my veggie this summer.

I think it's safe to say carrots are a challenging veggie to grow. There's lots of good, and interesting advice. Just like most gardening questions the answer is it depends. your climate, your soil, your seeds. time of year...
The good news is seeds and pretty cheap, and carrots will grow in containers, or pots, as long as they are deep enough for the variety you choose. Maybe start a pot several different times of year. Use a good potting soil, so it's nice and fluffy, holds water without getting too wet. Then try some of the different methods. I'm in zone 9B, so what works for me may not work for you.
For me there was a game changer, and a bonus. The game changer was the board trick. I went from getting little to no germination to decent germination. Then I discovered vermiculite.  Now I make a divot where I want my carrots, wet it well. Sprinkle a thin layer of vermiculite wet it.  Then I sprinkle the carrots seeds. I try to space them out the best I can because I hate waisting seedlings (I still have to thin them) Then I sprinkle a thin layer of vermiculite on top Mist it so the vermiculite gets wet, but doesn't displace the seeds. Now I place a board on top.  I've tried cardboard presoaked and staked down. This was better than not covering them at all, but not as good as the piece of wood. I wounder if the weight helps? Now I don't mess with it for a week. If it's hot and dry I may mist under the board, and/or water around it. This is not normally necessary because I don't usually start carrots when it's hot.  Once I see several little seedlings I will remove the board. It's important to keep them well watered to encourage more to germinate.  For me once they look like carrot tops I no longer have any problems. I will wait until they are 2" or 3" then thin them so they have enough room.
Good luck and keep trying, sooner or later you are bound to find what works for you.

Thanks Phil that was a nice way to let me know I messed up. I was on my lunch break and trying to be quick and posted pictures of an eggplant.
I fixed it. I'm sure I have light pink hollyhocks, but can't find any pictures of that one. I will be sure to post a new picture this summer.
Sorry everyone, my bad.

I planted a flower seed mix several years ago in a bed just outside of my veggie garden. Hollyhocks grew and bloomed the first year (I think some varieties bloom in the first year, and some bloom in year two) I have had hollyhocks ever since. I love them, but they have become a kind of weed. I let them grow where I can, and pull the rest.

Great idea Nancy.  I was going to cut it into sections to make some Christmas deer. My son and I made one for the Santa picture display at my work 2025. It was a big hit and I got several offers to buy it. (I gave it to a co-worker who adores Christmas) I may still use some of the wood for that, but I like the idea of something for my home. I will have to think about that.
Nothing will go to waist. I'm a crazy plant lady, and always building just one more raised bed. ( I've got to stop saying that, everyone knows it's a lie) I always fill the beds hugel style. I'm sure some will end up in a bed. I do have a little chipper that works great for small stuff.

Unfortunately I mentioned it to my son, and in a very short time he had to tree cut down and the trunk dug out. It was very fast. Maybe one of the reasons it affected me so.  No chance to change my mind.    

I thought about trying to grow a seedling, but the only volunteers were the ones that grew very close to the trunk. I think they are called root saplings, or something like that, and I believe the don't grow a productive tree. I'm not clear on any of that.  I decided to buy a bare root, and start a new.

I have never grafted. The one section still alive shot straight up and was quite thick. I don't know if it was a good candidate for my first try.

Thanks for sharing your story, and suggestions. It's nice to know there are like minded people who also understand the loss of an old and valuable friend, even if it's a tree.

When we bought our house more than 30 years ago there were two mature apricot trees. We have done our best most years to care for them, though some times we didn't.
One of the trees started to decline. Then it had a section that looked healthy and seem to be growing very well. Unfortunately a plum tree was growing next to the apricot, so close it intertwined. when it started to set fruit I realized what happened. The plums were terrible, so we cut it down,  Pruned the apricot, fertilized it tried to keep it watered. After 2 years I decided to cut it down. It was down to one living section. I'm the one to make the decision, I will plant a new tree, but for some reason it makes me very sad. It's been such an amazing delicious tree.

I did put 3 coats of boiled linseed oil on the inside and 2 coats on the outside. I hope this will extend the longevity of the bed.
As far as stunted growth I think it will depend on what he decides to grow. I was thinking he would grow veggie, and a lot have short roots. When I dropped it off he mentioned filling it with flowers. Not what I intended, but a gift is a gift, so as long as he enjoys it, I will be happy.