My Nature-Defying Mutant Carrots

(So, I’m Growing My Garden Indoors)

Can you believe how these carrots turned out great (left), but a few feet away, another entire square foot of carrots (right) … went mutant?

They looked like they were doing great, as the carrots were huge, looking at what was above ground. And then I pulled them, and they were these strange-looking things.

I was excited to pull them, to put in my Hot Pink Breakfast Smoothie. Luckily, they all blend the same.

(That’s my most popular recipe of all time, which is saying a lot, because I have a bunch of great recipes! That smoothie is our breakfast every single day. Not many people get a raw beet and carrot in their day, by 10 am. Maybe that’s why I don’t need prescription glasses, at age 56?)

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But, the mutant carrots … maybe they overwintered–we had five nights of freezing temps in January–and then when they started growing again, they kind of sprouted off into little mini-carrots?

I don’t know. But this is an example of my Florida gardening efforts. I may have a “brown thumb,” as people say, despite growing a garden most of my life. Despite a 10-month growing season, it isn’t really that easy to grow something and have it survive the pests–chemical-free, especially, in FL.

I haven’t successfully grown a beet, yet, and other people growing in Florida tell me they’ve had no luck, either. And lettuces, herbs, most cabbages, and many other crops–I’m a total fail. I’ve tried for three seasons in a row.

Most crops–and I do mean MOST!--don’t even come above the ground, before pests get them. This squash looked like it was growing great, but some bugs ate the whole thing, on the inside, leaving me only the shell!

(Luckily, the hot guy in the background who leaned into the pic, he’s real–he’s a keeper.)

In fact, here’s our outdoor garden in March, about the time we set up our indoor Tower Garden.

John is sitting proudly next to it, because he’s the new official gardener. I like doing the work–but I work too much, writing stuff like this for you and keeping 12 people employed.

It’s not all bad. Check out my buckets and bags of potatoes. If they’re all eaten by caterpillars, I will be mad! But they’ve turned out great, so far!

But the real good news is, my first-time Tower Garden is crushing it. I couldn’t decide between the Home (for inside only) or the Flex (for indoor or outdoor).

So I bought one of each. I cannot believe how much more flavorful the greens are, versus what you buy in the store! Who knew we’d come to think of a big salad as a treat!

(Add some nuts from the Group Buy, chop your favorite fruit on top, maybe some garbanzo beans or black beans–-and/or some guacamole, and with that you don’t even need dressing!)

But here’s a great dressing, made with no oil, that we’ve also been enjoying on our Tower salads.

(Oils, or processed fats, damage the endothelial lining of your cardiovascular system, and I minimize them in our diet. Everybody knows processed sugar is bad for you–but nobody talks about processed fats and proteins.)

If you got walnuts in our Group Buy, this dressing is a fantastic way to use them.

In the Tower Garden, I’m using the nitrogen-based fertilizer the company provides. Which is actually what 99.9% of farming in America is using, including your certified-organic more expensive produce–

–but after that, I am going to use our Ultimate Minerals, in my next Tower, highly diluted. (I’ve already planted the seedlings.)

I read the labels, and these fertilizers are actually 93% to 96.5% water. To make you feel like you’re getting “more,” I guess, as the consumer.

When you eat a salad like the one I’ve described above, for dinner, you’re done digesting by the time you go to bed. So, you might just get the best sleep of your life, with a plant-based, quickly digested meal.

Then when you go to sleep, you’re actually resting, rebuilding, and repairing. Rather than digesting chicken, beef, pork, or seafood. (All night. For days, actually.)

And there’s basil growing on the tower! All I did, for my first round, is plant the seeds that came with the kit. Chop some basil (or chives, or any herbs you like) to sprinkle on top, too.

Now I’ve bought more seeds, and my next round in the Tower includes some smaller tomatoes and cucumbers, and many other greens and herbs.

If you want to start growing on a tower indoors, get a Flex for indoor or outdoors (depending on the season, or phase of growing) – or a Home model, for entirely indoors.

I think pretty much everyone buys the LED lights, rated for 50,000 hours. I leave mine on for 12 hours a day. Some people leave them on for 16 hours a day. Light through a window filters the UVB rays plants need, so any natural light needs to be actually outdoors or on a porch.

Learn more from my webinar here.

And if you need any help ordering, feel free to contact support@greensmoothiegirl.com, or the Green Smoothie Girl support on Facebook.

Thank you for your support of this channel. I always love to hear from you about your experience with an outdoor or indoor garden. And feel free to join our new GreenSmoothieGirl Tower Gardeners group, if you’re even wanting to just learn about this dirt-free method of growing. Sometimes my blog posts help financially support our mission, and today is one of those times.