Carrot Garden

Dedicate to earthworms

Last spring You may have seen me digging the ground at the corner in front of the manege. It was six month ago already.

I start making the carrot garden in June It took me much longer than expect just to soften the ground. I found that it was full with stones and old bricks from renovate the Rijksakademie building long time ago. I had my family sent me a special digging tool for a tough ground from Thailand. First two day I dug very strong to break the stones and bricks in to small pieces and mix with the ground. Yes, I also broke my hands from doing that and killed a lot of earthworms. I almost gave up. But all of the sudden, I thought to my self “why didn’t I collect them? “ Then I dug very slow and gently to careful not to break any stones. I pick them up and took them out one by one. Then I quite enjoy. But, still some earthworms were killed. When I was in school, my teacher said “If we cut an earthworm in to two, they will become two earthworms”. But what if they were cut in to three or four pieces?

Beginning of July. I put the seeds. Some weeks after the little carrots start to come out from the ground.

It was summer time, sunshine, warm, and beautiful. When I watered them in the afternoon there will be a rainbow above the carrot garden. It seems good for everything to grow up. But not the little carrots. They didn’t grow. Some of them die every day…by the neighbor‘s cats (using the garden as a playground), free birds and Rijksaksdemie’s chickens (They walk so so far from the back yard to have a lovely family picnic in carrot garden only on weekend…That was very impressed me)

One day while I was watering the carrots, an unknown person stop by out side the fence and told me “I saw a rabbit in your garden”. (But I don’t believe that.) Or whatever the reason, the carrots keep dying everyday.

I replace the dead one with new seeds. I was desperate about them so I went to the market and bought baby carrots then replace the dead one and grew them. However or Whatever, my carrit, market carrot, any type, any generations… they keep dying. The rest of them just didn’t grow.

I gave extra nutrition, soften the ground, be enemy with cats and birds but the chicken…I don’t know what to do with them because I’m quite impressed their effort.

I brought a plastic net for making fence. But, however, I didn’t make it. Because of aesthetic and conceptual reason (I’m too lazy actually).

August pass…September also pass. Carrots still tiny. I thought to my self “Shit…I have to give up this project…another fail art project again…” Gert my friend came and said to me “ Carrot is the carrot, of cause, they don’t give a shit about Art”.

OK. I see…

I grew some vegetables at home in Chiang Mai. I know what the cabbage, onion and bean like or don’t like. But I know nothing about carrot. Carrot is not a Thai native vegetable. Now a day hey do grow them somewhere far away on the mountain. Carrots sell everywhere. They sell delicious fresh carrot juice in bottle. But however, it is still an exotic vegetable for me to grow them.

Knowing that I can't do any better, I felt down and guilt to see them, so, I stop going to the carrot garden.

The end of September.

Mathilde knew that I was desperate with the carrot so she asked her dad who grows carrots in his garden.
He said that carrots like tough ground, rain, strog wind and need no extra nutrition.

I was surprise by that information about the carrot. Actually, I have everything that carrot need already plus cats, birds and chickens. “Hope” come to me again.

It’s true.
Autumn came.
Trees fall their leafs. Other plants are dying. But the deserted carrot garden became healthier and grew up very fast under cold and wind. Incredible! They love tough condition. Need no take care. What a vegetable!

Now, we are in the end of autumn. Winter is coming. I’m going to harvest the carrot. Exciting to see how the root under the ground. The orange part hidden under the ground and work so hard there.

We will see them.

Sudsiri Pui-Ock
November 2004