I’ve never had success growing carrots before. In Japan, the ‘carrots’ I grew were as thin as pencils and shorter than crayons. Here in Gulu, though, the dark, rich soil is carrot-friendly. The harvest shown here in these pictures—almost 15 lbs. of veggies—required next-to-no maintenance throughout the growing process.
Because of its equatorial location and long rainy season, Uganda enjoys back-to-back growing seasons. Never before have I been able to rip up a bunch of crops one day only to plant a bunch more the next. It’s incredible! I changed up the beds this time around and planted zucchini, butternut squash, mixed lettuce, two varieties of carrot, chili pepper, watermelon, and tomato.
Did you know that only 35% of northern Uganda’s farmland is currently being utilized? A quarter-century long conflict and the wake of land mines it left behind it have rendered massive swaths of land inaccessible to farmers. Ugandans, an agrarian people, have had their land ripped out from under them by the hands of war.
Hi Dear Andrew:
I hope your are having and interesting and fun time there.
Regards
Elizabeth
By: elizabeth sanchez on August 31, 2009
at 12:00 am
Thank you Elizabeth! All is going well here. I hope your school year is going well!
By: andrewedwardmorgan on August 31, 2009
at 7:57 am
Totally random question but does anyone ever say anything about your tattoos where you are?
Do they carry a ‘stigma’ in Uganda as they do in Japan?
By: Anonymous on October 6, 2009
at 5:51 am
Sometimes people ask questions about them, or sometimes they’ll reach out and touch my arm. Usually, though, it’s not a big deal. In Uganda, there’s no tattoo stigma like there is in Japan…thankfully!
By: andrewedwardmorgan on October 6, 2009
at 5:55 am
I want to start growing carrots aswell. Please could you give me some gardening tips? Angelina
By: Angelina on June 16, 2010
at 10:19 am