Blog Title Change

So, I was walking into the lab this morning and this new title just popped into my head! Since I spend most of my farming life confused, puzzled and utterly mind boggled by what people tell me, I thought this was more appropriate.

No worries, though, I'm still a Macy's Girl through and through.

:) Farmer Ran

FYI: Edited because clearly I wrote this before I had my coffee... it basically lacked any kind of sense... well, the basic premise is the same!

Some Pictures of My "Baby" Veggies!

One day, my garden parents will slice me open, fill me with cream cheese and fry me because they love some Jalepeno Poppers!

Wooohoooo... I'm an heirloom!

Watch out... I'm prickly! Who knew cucumbers were prickly???

Teehee... it's like Where's Waldo? Can you find me??? I'm a baby green bell pepper!

Yet another picture of an heirloom!

Update on the "meter" savings from Town of Blacksburg

Do you remember when I posted about the water "savings" that the Town of Blacksburg offers by buying a special meter and monitoring the water not going to the sewer? Well, savings my right arm! The meter costs $150 or so dollars... we're spending MAYBE $5/month more in water due the garden. I'm not a PhD student in Environmental Engineering or anything, but I'm pretty sure that the payback period on that meter is 3 years. Oh wait, if we factor in that we only garden for 5 or so months of out of the year, I guess the meter will pay for itself in 6 years or so... Yeah, ok.

Needless to say (but I will anyway) we did not buy the meter!

Happy Farming!

When lettuce goes bad part duex...

After a quick trip to the Crow's Nest, I discovered that it was not DPR or Farmer Ran at fault in the lettuce fiasco, but rather, Mother Nature. Due to the extraordinarily hot few weeks we had, the lettuce all went to seed and bittered (to be expected, apparently). But there is an upside: the tomatoes are growing like weeds!!! WOOHOOOO!

A note to all you potential suburban farmer girls (or guys): you can replant lettuce at the end of the summer and get a nice healthy fall crop, but the dead of summer means death of lettuce!!!

:) Until next time...

EEEK -- When Lettuce Goes Bad

A word to the wise: Do not eat lettuce that has a flower growing from the center of it! IT WAS SO GROSS... after Googling, I discovered that when lettuce flowers it typically has gone bitter. Lesson learned, so after ripping out half of the lettuce, Dread Pirate Roberts is looking a little lopsided! One half is full of flowering plants (i.e., I'm going to have tomatoes, peppers and melon soon) and the other half is looking weak! I planted some green beans, so hopefully those will take off soon.

What is the key to getting everything harvestable at the same time and keep it that way for 2-3 months???? I'll think on that some more...