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Growing Organic Carrots And Radishes

Going green - the first organic veg begin to leaf up The eco-garden was taken over by an infectious weed over the summer. Extra roots suck...

organic radish carrot fertilisers eating healthy ideas
Going green - the first organic veg begin to leaf up

The eco-garden was taken over by an infectious weed over the summer. Extra roots suck away the water and nutrients from our vegetables - carrots, radishes, tomatoes. So we spent a few hours hand-picking out each unwanted weed.

Amongst my little vegetables plot is a patch dedicated to radishes and carrots. A first time for me, eco-mum provided age-old tricks for ensuring my red and orange gems were au naturale.

How is it organic?
If you think about it, farming was never meant to be an industrial process involving synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilisers. "Organic" food takes us back to the natural method of planting seeds for food, without machines.

Think of Prophet Adam `alayhisalam (peace be upon him) in Heaven, a young mind in a lavish green haven where he does not order a take-out or use bug-spray. He plants, he grows, he picks, he eats. (Well, Adam `alayhisalam did pick a little extra but praise be to Allah Who forgave him for repenting). So, growing organic is totally the way to go.

That's what I'm doing. By growing the fruit and vegetables I would have otherwise bought, I'm:
  1. Saving money, 
  2. Eliminating toxins and chemicals in my food,
  3. Eating healthier, 
  4. Appreciating the effort in each meal, 
  5. And getting a large dose of oxygenated air outside.

The only problem I have found this year (apart from pests, bah!) is that the compost that was brought in was not high-grade stuff. Some of it was clay-like and had far too many rocks. The soddin' awful lot of compost affected some of the vegetable growth as the roots were not able to retain water with all those gaps. Air pockets are great, allowing water to flow, but I'm talking mega-mole-holes.

organic radish carrot fertilisers eating healthy ideas
Not quite ready, white radishes need to turn red

I'm not a keen radish eater but I tried growing them from seed for the first time this year. Having planted the seeds (a little late) in April, after 3 months I finally saw the fruit, er-veg of my labour. Alhamdulillah.

organic radish carrot fertilisers eating healthy ideas
A few weeks later in August I see the radishes have swollen a bit more and gained the dark red colour they're supposed to have before eating. I would've liked them to be bigger, y'know, so I could hold it up like a fish at the docks and get it weighed...

organic radish carrot fertilisers eating healthy ideas
They still look great! A quick tumble in freshwater and these babies are ready to eat raw, sliced into salads and they work excellently in stir-fries - bamboo shoots and chicken. Yum!

organic radish carrot fertilisers eating healthy ideas

Rows of carrots are halfway ready. Can you see the rocky soil? Ugh, next year I'm making my own. Eco-mum demonstrates how to pick out the young sticks: dig your fingers on either side and tug the veg out, essentially, from the root.

organic radish carrot fertilisers eating healthy ideas
In July I didn't have any carrots ready to pick and eat yet. This is what a tiny 'newborn' carrot plant looks like. The reddish coloured part is the carrot DNA. This will be put back into the ground where it can grow further into a baby carrot.

Everything I've grown and eaten is tiny so far. You are what you eat.

Peace and eco-jihad,
Zaufishan, The Eco Muslim

More veggie power:
Photo Diary: Planting Sweetcorn & Courgettes With Eco-Mum
Tending To My Vegetables (Not A Euphemism)
Good Deed: Grow Your Own Tomatoes

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Post a Comment

  1. Yay, garden update! These are my favorite posts of yours my Eco-Sister. I don't eat radishes either, but fascinating to see the before and after pictures. 

    LOL @ Hz. Adam picking too much, but indeed, alhamdulillah for his Astaghfar  being accepted.

    Love the DNA reference of course.

    So your tiny then, is it? :-P As they say, good things come in small packages, whether it be gifts or Eco-superstars! Ma'sha'allah, keep up the great work!

    Peace and Eco-Jihad to you too!

    ReplyDelete

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