So Long, Farewell

Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye...

After just over a year of farming and blogging, I'm hanging up my hat. Turns out that a small family of cocker spaniel-sized woodchucks got the best of my farm, and me. Thanks to all of you--friends, family members, and a surprising number of strangers--for reading about all my (mis)adventures along the way, and for offering up advice, encouragement, and good-natured heckling on a regular basis.

Instead of ending with a photo of the carnage, death, and destruction on the Farm (the family came back for seconds, and thirds, etc., until all that's left are stems), I'll end with what may be the last harvest--a very tiny portion of the strawberries, protected from the woodchuck feast by some especially prickly wire fencing, and picked fresh this morning.

Speechless

So much for the farm. And probably the blog.

WOOHOO!

Hey It's Wednesday

How 'bout a MiniChuck's Eye View of the Farm that you haven't heard anything about in weeks? Sorry to be such an irresponsible blogger...

I'm currently wondering just what the chances are of the broccoli or cauliflower actually growing heads as opposed to awesome leaves... Time will tell. In the meantime, it's fresh salad all around!

Wando Peas!

Look how cool the first pea flowers look!

Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 71F
Yesterday's low: 50F
Mood of the farm: The cool weather crops are pleased as punch. Warm weather crops are just trudging along.

Updates from (and about) the Farm

Well folks, there's been some news. Aside from the fact that the farm is growing (like) weeds faster than anyone can imagine, it turns out the Farm is actually for sale. More specifically, the consumers' house is for sale, and along with it, the farmland. The blog may focus more on my plans to release small rodents into the consumers' house and undo the work of Jim the Critter-Gitter, just at the moment they try to show the house... Okay, seriously. I'll still update the blog until the farm is sold, and I'm still going to do some planting. But the big stuff (tomatoes especially) will find other homes. As you can imagine, I have many Feelings about this situation, but mostly I'm excited for the consumers to get central heat so I can visit them in the winter.

And without further ado, because I have got to get some work done today, here's a whole host of updated photos, including (!!) the salad stuff for my dinner tonight. Last year at this time, we hadn't even had the idea for the Farm yet, and this year dinner is already grown. Amazing.

Peas

Dinner

Broccoli

Chard

The Oak Leaf Head Lettuce, and a few carrots I thought hadn't germinated. Really? I couldn't get those things to grow last year no matter what I tried, and now, NOW, they want to grow in the lettuce. Nice.

Spinach

Strawberry with first blush

More berries

Green beans in one row and a row of surprise seeds for H.


And now for the awesome green onion flowers...

So about that farm...

I am so far behind on farm updates, that these pictures are probably a week old. One day, I will catch up, but in the meantime, rest assured... Stuff is growing. Harvesting will be happening this weekend (lettuce!). And life on the Farm chugs along, especially the weeds I spread in not-fully-heated compost from the neighbor, whether I am there to watch every development or not. Phew!

A Gourmet Farm

So, you know those "wild garlic onions" I've mentioned here and there... Yeah. At the shwank Mill City farmers' market yesterday, someone was selling them (for a hefty price, I might add). Turns out, they're ramps. One of the first harvest-able things on any farm (or forest). A really fancy food. Used as a key ingredient in more than one episode of Top Chef. The object of desire for chefs that write for Gourmet magazine. Yep, those ramps. Luckily, I found out just in time for a harvest. Cooking them tonight with the freshly picked Minnesota asparagus available at the St. Paul farmers' market from today (yes, I go to multiple farmers' markets...).

And so as not to be misleading... Here are pictures from the first official spring harvest: a green onion. First, still a little dirty, with the farm dog moving at what appears to be her Standard Spring Speed.

Second, all cleaned up, with the farm dog in a rare pause...

Green Thumb Sunday | Houston, We Have a Problem Edition

Green Thumb Sunday | Houston, We Have a Problem Edition

(and by "we" I mean Suburban Gardener)

The St. Paul Farmers' Market, amazing though it may be, is completely enabling my Farming habit. I had grand plans for 8 tomato plants, four conventional kinds started from seed, and four heirloom types I was going to try based on what looked good at the farmers' market. Um, yeah. Look what happened. In my defense, most of these belong to Suburban Gardener. But without further ado... Here's the list of tomato plants currently in my window:

Lemon Boy (from seed)
Early Girl (from seed)
Super Sweet 100s (from seed)
Aunt Ruby's Green (from seed)
Yellow Pear (from seed)
Russian Big Roma (from seed)
Black Cherry (from seed)
Gold Medal Yellow (from seed)
Amish Paste
Brandywine
Grandma Oliver's Green
Carolina Gold
Old German
Grape
Garden Peach
Yellow Brandywine
Black Prince
Big Rainbow
Bonny Best
Green Zebra
Roma
Tomatillos

Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 57F
Yesterday's low: 41F
Mood of the farm: Settling in amidst a lot of upheaval (details to come...)

News Flash: Farm Dog Afraid of Puddle

I have NO idea what was happening here, but I could watch this all day. Hilarious.

Also, check out the latest Wando pea development. They found the tomato cage all on their own!

Transplant Day!

Guys!
It's transplant day!

This afternoon, the following seedlings are going into the ground:
Chard
Lettuce heads
Cauliflower? Maybe one--these are tough times
Sunflowers!

Everything is getting too big for the little peat pots, and the sunflowers are itching for more sun. There's a reason they say not to start sunflower seeds indoors, folks. And CERTAINLY not two months before you want to plant them. Do you know how fast those things grow???

Pictures to follow. Naturally.

Green Thumb Sunday | You Know What This Means

Green Thumb Sunday | You Know What This Means
I didn't either. But I looked it up, and turns out we will have strawberries this year (knock on wood).

Garlic Layout

Here's the view of miniFarm with the garlic, for reference a few months from now when I've forgotten... [Wild garlic onions in foreground]

New Additions on the Farm

Things are growing away on the farm (photo updates soon), and I have some exciting news. I've wanted to grow garlic since the beginning of the farm, but never quite managed to get everything in order at the right time to do it. I figured last October was my last shot, and at that point, the Farm was in danger of becoming a garage. So imagine my surprise when Suburban Gardener and her Partner in Crime gifted me three varieties of garlic from the St. Paul Farmers' Market (which also sells fresh chicken eggs! I am SO going there this weekend. Anyone interested?) and advice from the garlic farmer who said you can plant them now for smaller bulbs late-summer. Woohoo!!!

So. The Farmer extends Learning Opportunities to garlic. Planted today: Music, Inchelium Red, and Georgian Fire garlic plants. Possibly shallots next. Stay tuned.
And finally, seeds for 5 varieties of heirloom tomatoes were planted today, a little late, but better than never. Seems like the summer push is in full swing.

Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 62F
Yesterday's low: 29F (WHAT???! Farmer had no idea it was supposed to get that cold last night. Luckily, everything looks okay)
Warnings: Farmer better pay closer attention to the lows!
Mood of the farm: Excited about the new additions, and the rain.

Green Thumb Sunday | Farmer Self-Portrait Edition

Green Thumb Sunday | Farmer Self-Portrait Edition

Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 56F
Yesterday's low: 39F
Warnings: Cucumber seeds (indoors) about to sprout!
Mood of the farm: Glad the worst of the storms are over....

Early Farm Glamor Shots

Readers.
There is a serious Threat of Rain for the Farm tomorrow. And not just any kind of rain. We're talking about the one inch (double what we've had all month!) pouring down with thunder and lightning and possibly hail--all the stuff that keeps baby seedlings up with worry at night. Baby seedlings, Farmers. Same difference... Anyway! Since the rain is coming whether I pitch a tent on the farm and tend to the seedlings or not, I thought I would take some glamor shots of the spouts, so we have a pre-storm record. If you are not a farmer/gardener, you might find these pictures boring. I, however, have been staring at them like a new mama stares at her infant. They're beautiful. Just sayin...

Hey look! The Farmer learned how to space since last year's fiasco...

And let's not forget the dainty Farm Dog, caught mid-sniff to her left, just after getting off her leash and ROLLING in a DEAD ANIMAL. And plenty of dirty to go along with it. Good news = she was not hard to catch.


Farm Vitals
Yesterday's high: 71F
Yesterday's low: 44F
Warnings: Threat of Rain
Mood of the farm: Growing in its own merry way
We're Growin' Up Fast Moment: Baby indoor seedlings to begin the hardening off process...TODAY! Two hours on the shaded, but windy screened-in porch, then back to the comfort and safety of the overprotective, doting Farmer. My babies are growing up!

Learn Something New

Hey, check out today's official weather warning:

".. RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING."

What, you ask, is a red flag warning? (That part comes at the end of the notice...)

"A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW... OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS... LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY... AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL."

Now we know. And we have a new tag to go with threat of hail and threat of frost. Threat of fire.

Consulting Update

Here's the scoop on the new plant consulting job. Yesterday, when I was at the magical place that has cured me of a decade of daily headaches, I noticed a very sad looking plant sitting on the windowsill. Turns out, due to a variety of weird circumstances, Dan acquired this plant in tough shape. He knew it needed new soil, but only had the kind good for a cactus on hand, so I offered to help. Now folks, let's be honest. I make at least as many mistakes at farming as I have victories, but really, this plant was on its last leg anyway, so it seemed like as good a time as any to begin the consulting job. I carefully drove the thing home, and took this hasty (blurry) picture before getting to work.


Turns out, the thing was potted in what seemed like dust from an empty lot, with chunks of concrete (yet, you read that right) at the bottom of the pot. Unfortunately, there was not much of a root structure at all, and some of the branches were basically like lawn ornaments, stuck in with not a root to be found. So! I gave it some new, loose soil, removed the unrooted branches, made a cutting for a cup of water and a cutting to plant directly into the soil (not sure which one is right), and here we are. Still really droopy, but I'm hoping it will perk up a little bit soon.

Updates, of course, will be forthcoming.

Also, farm update: another Wando pea seedling is up! And the spinach has finally sprouted! The lettuce, on the other hand, is a Situation. I think the seeds either blew or floated to a low spot in the bed, because I know I spaced the seeds this year...

Acquired my first plant consulting job. 4Runner acting as ambulance for troubled plant in mint family. Details to come.

It Was the Best of Times

(thanks to Mother Nature, the first Wando pea seedling has emerged)


and It Was the WORST DAMN TIME in the Entire History of the farm (thanks entirely to the ridiculous and not forward-thinking farmer).

What happens when your farmer puts you in a sunny windowsill on a windy day.

All the potential tomatoes... You know what this means: Raise a glass, and pour one (or a few) for the homie...