On 6Sept10 (day 249), Mark did more flame weeding on the root seed bed. Update on root vegetable seed planted on day 244: not a single carrot has appeared, and the beets are just starting. The rutas are about half germinated. Thinned some of the rutas.
Flame weeding observations: close vegetable spacing makes flaming much harder once the veggies start germinating because telling which is a weed and which will stay is very difficult if the seedlings look similar. Since beets and pigweed are in the same family, their seedlings look very much alike. New weeds have germinated in the previously flamed spots. In the future, water new beds well before seeding, then flame, water, flame, etc. to knock down the weed population. If doing transplants, the weeding is not an issue – you know where your plants are, and you can cultivate around them easily.
Root crops are proving to be a challenge, since direct seeding is required, and you get weed problems, and you must remove stones, and you must have the beds ready early.
In the root bed A5, soil crusting seems to be a problem for the emerging seedlings. Perhaps mulch with compost in the future.
Both bed A5 and A2 were covered with Agribon 19 floating row cover.
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