While working on a surprise project for H&N yesterday, I uncovered a massive colony of fire ants. Maisy thought it would be a good idea to check into them by taking a good sniff. Much sneezing ensued, and I think she got them all out of her nose. However, lesson not learned. She went right back for more... And promptly got yelled at. Turns out, there's even doggie time out on the farm.
Here's a little idea of what I found. For perspective, this piece of concrete is about 4 feet x 2 feet.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Projects on the Farm
The GoodQuite a few things have been happening on the farm in the last few days. More things are sprouting (spinach, look far right), first and foremost, which is a nice little boost of confidence for this farmer. Also, the mint apple plant seems to have risen from the almost-dead for good, and after removing some of the almost-frost-nipped leaves, looks pretty good!
The Bad
The woodchuck (aka MiniChuck), on the other hand, has been finding new and inventive ways to bring trials to the life of the farmer. As if the hissing and staring down wasn't enough! Now, MiniChuck has decided to sample the watermelon plants. According to MiniChuck, three plants, three snacks:
The Ugly
Now, let's all get on the same page here for a minute. I know this "fence" isn't going to win any awards anytime soon. Although, I did take a "green approach" by using some of the rocks I found while prepping the area to block some of the gaps in the fencing. *ahem* However, if I'm really lucky, it might just keep MiniChuck from snacking on the leaves. And, more importantly, snacking on the farmer.
(as usual, click for a bigger picture...)
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 72F
Yesterday's low: 53F
Warnings: None. It's finally sunny!
Mood of the farm: feeling safe and secure with the new fencing
Reason to consider a new career: let's just say my fencing skills leave something to be desired...
Friday, May 30, 2008
Surprises!
Maisy and I trudged over to the farm this morning for three reasons:1) to survey our Lands and Bounty (see right)
2) to acquire wire cutters from N to install the mini-chuck barrier this afternoon as a treat for working
3) to take a photo of the mint apple plant for a new post called "RIP Mint Apple," eulogy already written.
So imagine my surprise when we got to the garden and not only was the mint apple plant alive and kicking, but also THINGS ARE STARTING TO SPROUT!!!
Two types of lettuce:
What may be the first spinach seeding:
It's a surprise around every corner, folks. Never underestimate the farm!
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 62F
Yesterday's low: 52F
Warnings: More thunderstorms on the way...
Mood of the farm: SPROUTING!
Reason to consider a new career: writing a eulogy for a plant. before it is officially dead.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Scary Things
Two things on the farm have instilled fear in this farmer.
1.) Marmota monax. Has hastened the need for installing the chicken wire fencing this weekend by: staring down the farmer, hissing at the farmer. 'Nuff said.
2.) A worm, unknown species. Potentially a baby hornworm. Eating a cherry tomato plant, slowly but surely. Luckily, I spoke to a gardening expert (E. Hart, for those of you who are jealous), who suggested spraying the tomato plant with a homemade mixture of mashed up garlic and cayenne pepper in water. Of course, this is on tap for tomorrow.
Right now, due to unseasonably cool temperatures, cloudy skies, a long morning of doggie daycare interviewing, and some pressing pbfilter work, Maisy, the unknown worm (in ziplock bag), and I are hard at work sleeping, crawling, and data processing, respectively.
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 69F
Yesterday's low: 43F
Watches: potential thunderstorm
Mood of the farm: secretive!
Reason to consider a new career: Farmer couldn't wait to know what was happening underground and was reduced to uncovering a Wando pea seed. Verdict: there's a tiny root! Other verdict: Farmer needs to grow some patience, stat.
1.) Marmota monax. Has hastened the need for installing the chicken wire fencing this weekend by: staring down the farmer, hissing at the farmer. 'Nuff said.
2.) A worm, unknown species. Potentially a baby hornworm. Eating a cherry tomato plant, slowly but surely. Luckily, I spoke to a gardening expert (E. Hart, for those of you who are jealous), who suggested spraying the tomato plant with a homemade mixture of mashed up garlic and cayenne pepper in water. Of course, this is on tap for tomorrow.
Right now, due to unseasonably cool temperatures, cloudy skies, a long morning of doggie daycare interviewing, and some pressing pbfilter work, Maisy, the unknown worm (in ziplock bag), and I are hard at work sleeping, crawling, and data processing, respectively.
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 69F
Yesterday's low: 43F
Watches: potential thunderstorm
Mood of the farm: secretive!
Reason to consider a new career: Farmer couldn't wait to know what was happening underground and was reduced to uncovering a Wando pea seed. Verdict: there's a tiny root! Other verdict: Farmer needs to grow some patience, stat.
The trials of farming
Being a farmer has its disadvantages...
In other news, there have been requests (I kid you not) for an "Ask the Farmer" series of posts. Being the community farmer that I am, I'm happy to oblige. If you have questions for the farmer, leave them in the comments, and I'll give them my best shot.
Don't know how to leave a comment? There's no shame, family of mine! :)
1.) Click on the place at the bottom of the post you'd like to comment on that says "0 comments" or however many comments there are.
2.) Write your comment in the box on the right that says "leave your comment."
3.) Under "Choose an identity" select Anonymous by clicking on the circle to the left.
4.) Click "Publish your comment." And you're done! Every once in a while, it will ask you to type in some weird letters just to make sure you're not a robot, and you can just type those into the box.
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 60F
Yesterday's low: 37F (no, really.)
Warnings: Don't let your piggies freeze.
Mood of the farm: shivering
Concern of the farmer: cherry tomato plant, not at all happy
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday Top Five on the Farm
Top 5 ways my life has changed since becoming a farmer (in chronological order of my day)
1. I woke up without an alarm.
(to be fair, this one may be more a sign of the apocalypse than about farming)
I won't bore you with the details, but the short story is that I generally require at least half an hour's worth of snooze-button bonding in the morning. I've tried to break up with it--we had the talk and everything--but it never seems to stick. So to wake up this morning at 7:22am of my own accord was An Event.
2. Waking up in a cold room scared me.
People, there was a threat of frost this morning! You spend weeks growing tomato plants from seeds, and then you can laugh. But with a windchill of 35F, all thoughts were on getting up and over to the farm to check on everything instead of what normally would be a pleasant coffee-drinking-under-the-covers freezing cold morning.
3. Weather check. Before coffee.
I don't do anything before coffee.
4. The morning walk involves a new route.
Maisy has been a real sport about this one, except when I yelled at her today for stepping right where the zucchini was planted. Every morning now requires a farm check involving Maisy, my coffee cup, and I surveying our Lands and Bounty.
5. Seeing H&N even more than usual.
This one is self explanatory and great. Especially on mornings with said windchill because who doesn't want to see N start the day in socks and sandals on the grouchy bike ride to work??
I know it's only been a few days of farming, but these are serious Life Changes for a farmer who thrives on routine. Farming doesn't require a free spirit, folks--it requires lists, and planning, and rigid routines, and rushing to get your seeds sowed under threat of storms. And of course science in action. Somebody should have put a shovel in my hand when I was 2--I was born for this kind of life.
In blog maintenance news... I'm getting rid of the "mood of the farmer" from the Farm Vitals section because I can tell you right now I'm always going to be ecstatic and expectant about this project. It's being replaced by the dumbest thought I've had that day regarding the farm... If you have requests for the Vitals section, leave a comment.
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's High: 64F
Yesterday's Low: 46F
Current Weather Alerts: None, though we thought maybe a spur of the moment tornado...
Mood of the garden: sleeping, I think
Reason I should consider a different career: "I wonder how many carrots each of these seeds will make... Five sounds like a nice round number."
1. I woke up without an alarm.
(to be fair, this one may be more a sign of the apocalypse than about farming)
I won't bore you with the details, but the short story is that I generally require at least half an hour's worth of snooze-button bonding in the morning. I've tried to break up with it--we had the talk and everything--but it never seems to stick. So to wake up this morning at 7:22am of my own accord was An Event.
2. Waking up in a cold room scared me.
People, there was a threat of frost this morning! You spend weeks growing tomato plants from seeds, and then you can laugh. But with a windchill of 35F, all thoughts were on getting up and over to the farm to check on everything instead of what normally would be a pleasant coffee-drinking-under-the-covers freezing cold morning.
3. Weather check. Before coffee.
I don't do anything before coffee.
4. The morning walk involves a new route.
Maisy has been a real sport about this one, except when I yelled at her today for stepping right where the zucchini was planted. Every morning now requires a farm check involving Maisy, my coffee cup, and I surveying our Lands and Bounty.
5. Seeing H&N even more than usual.
This one is self explanatory and great. Especially on mornings with said windchill because who doesn't want to see N start the day in socks and sandals on the grouchy bike ride to work??
I know it's only been a few days of farming, but these are serious Life Changes for a farmer who thrives on routine. Farming doesn't require a free spirit, folks--it requires lists, and planning, and rigid routines, and rushing to get your seeds sowed under threat of storms. And of course science in action. Somebody should have put a shovel in my hand when I was 2--I was born for this kind of life.
In blog maintenance news... I'm getting rid of the "mood of the farmer" from the Farm Vitals section because I can tell you right now I'm always going to be ecstatic and expectant about this project. It's being replaced by the dumbest thought I've had that day regarding the farm... If you have requests for the Vitals section, leave a comment.
Farm Vitals
Yesterday's High: 64F
Yesterday's Low: 46F
Current Weather Alerts: None, though we thought maybe a spur of the moment tornado...
Mood of the garden: sleeping, I think
Reason I should consider a different career: "I wonder how many carrots each of these seeds will make... Five sounds like a nice round number."
Monday, May 26, 2008
Predictives
Now the fun stuff! What did we plant and when will we (hopefully) eat it?
Seeds sowed on May 24th:
Zucchini squash (ready around July 11th)
Select salad blend lettuce (ready around July 11th)
Bloomsdale long-standing spinach (ready around July 11th)
Contender bush snap garden beans (ready around July 18th)
Spacemaster bush cucumbers (ready around July 21st)
Parris island romaine lettuce (ready around July 28th)
Wando peas (ready around August 2nd)
Danvers half long carrots (ready around August 7th)
and one total long shot... Granex hybrid yellow onions (ready November 2nd???)
Plants we bough this weekend and planted May 25th:
Strawberry plants
Watermelon plants
Sweet basil
Thai basil
Cilantro
Mint apple (did someone say mojitos?!?)
Seeds I planted a while ago, but went into the garden on May 25th:
Early girl tomatoes
Lemon boy yellow tomatoes
Super sweet 100 cherry tomatoes
Seeds I planted a while ago, but are taking forever to grow past 4 leaves:
Sweet basil
What it all looks like (click to enlarge):
Yesterday's High: 80F
Yesterday's Low: 57F
Current Weather Alerts: None
Mood of the garden: slowly adjusting
Mood of the farmer: still ecstatic, and also expectant
Seeds sowed on May 24th:
Zucchini squash (ready around July 11th)
Select salad blend lettuce (ready around July 11th)
Bloomsdale long-standing spinach (ready around July 11th)
Contender bush snap garden beans (ready around July 18th)
Spacemaster bush cucumbers (ready around July 21st)
Parris island romaine lettuce (ready around July 28th)
Wando peas (ready around August 2nd)
Danvers half long carrots (ready around August 7th)
and one total long shot... Granex hybrid yellow onions (ready November 2nd???)
Plants we bough this weekend and planted May 25th:
Strawberry plants
Watermelon plants
Sweet basil
Thai basil
Cilantro
Mint apple (did someone say mojitos?!?)
Seeds I planted a while ago, but went into the garden on May 25th:
Early girl tomatoes
Lemon boy yellow tomatoes
Super sweet 100 cherry tomatoes
Seeds I planted a while ago, but are taking forever to grow past 4 leaves:
Sweet basil
What it all looks like (click to enlarge):
Yesterday's High: 80F
Yesterday's Low: 57F
Current Weather Alerts: None
Mood of the garden: slowly adjusting
Mood of the farmer: still ecstatic, and also expectant
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Descriptives
About now you're probably thinking, "But I thought you lived in an apartment?" and you'd be right. However, I have the greatest of friends, who also happen to be my neighbors. Busy doctor/professor friends who wanted a garden, but thought they wouldn't have time until next summer. Luckily for all of us, they have a patch of ground, and I have the farmer ambition...
Before I tell you what it looks like now, though, I need to give props to H&N who did a whole ton of work on the front end a couple of years ago, much of it requiring a machete...
Circa 2006
Circa May 24th, 2008, 11:00am
Circa May 24th, 2008, 4:00pm
So that's the garden! Five rows running east to west in bright, full sun.
Before I tell you what it looks like now, though, I need to give props to H&N who did a whole ton of work on the front end a couple of years ago, much of it requiring a machete...
Circa 2006
Circa May 24th, 2008, 11:00am
Circa May 24th, 2008, 4:00pm
So that's the garden! Five rows running east to west in bright, full sun.
Views from the farm
Why I needed a garden in the first place... The porch only has so much space.
Maisy, watching over the work and admiring what a big job lies ahead.
Welcome to adventures in farming!
Hello hello.
Some of you may have heard by now that one of my lifetime dreams, in a long list that includes ambitions such as: "cuttin' hair lady" (circa 1981), Vanity Fair pajama model (circa 1984), and professional beer carrier (circa 1986), has finally come true. I have my own vegetable garden! And since we live in the world we live in, I thought what better way to bore you with every single detail than to start a blog.
So! Here you will find the chronicles of my adventures in farming. I have a feeling there will be many trials and tribulations, but hopefully also some victories, and if we're really lucky, some vegetables. I plan to use as many farmer-ish phases, such as "under threat of rain" and "while riding my tractor," as often as possible. Maybe I'll be so good at slipping them in that you won't even notice. No matter what, there will be science in action, and that is a project I can get behind.
Comment away, whether to tell me I'm doing something right, or more likely, to mention that I'm about to wreck the whole thing. If you're signaling the garden apocalypse though, at least leave a suggestion or two for how to avoid it. Let me be clear: I have no idea what I'm doing.
Stay tuned for updates on Important Matters, such as: how I managed to find a garden, what's been planted so far, current puzzles and burning questions, etc.
Yesterday's High: 72F
Yesterday's Low: 48F
Current Alerts: Tornado Watch
Mood of the garden: grouchy, especially on the part of the tomato plants in regards to: being transplanted into a new place, experiencing wind for the first time, and being away from Maisy
Mood of the farmer: ecstatic
Some of you may have heard by now that one of my lifetime dreams, in a long list that includes ambitions such as: "cuttin' hair lady" (circa 1981), Vanity Fair pajama model (circa 1984), and professional beer carrier (circa 1986), has finally come true. I have my own vegetable garden! And since we live in the world we live in, I thought what better way to bore you with every single detail than to start a blog.
So! Here you will find the chronicles of my adventures in farming. I have a feeling there will be many trials and tribulations, but hopefully also some victories, and if we're really lucky, some vegetables. I plan to use as many farmer-ish phases, such as "under threat of rain" and "while riding my tractor," as often as possible. Maybe I'll be so good at slipping them in that you won't even notice. No matter what, there will be science in action, and that is a project I can get behind.
Comment away, whether to tell me I'm doing something right, or more likely, to mention that I'm about to wreck the whole thing. If you're signaling the garden apocalypse though, at least leave a suggestion or two for how to avoid it. Let me be clear: I have no idea what I'm doing.
Stay tuned for updates on Important Matters, such as: how I managed to find a garden, what's been planted so far, current puzzles and burning questions, etc.
Yesterday's High: 72F
Yesterday's Low: 48F
Current Alerts: Tornado Watch
Mood of the garden: grouchy, especially on the part of the tomato plants in regards to: being transplanted into a new place, experiencing wind for the first time, and being away from Maisy
Mood of the farmer: ecstatic
Saturday, May 24, 2008
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