Farm Girl's Corner - First crop and an important tip

Hey there, people, Farm Girl here! You know me, I help out Uncle Mac around the Shed and the garden and what have you. Why, just this morning Uncle M gave me a look and said,

"Slide on over here, I've a mind to plant something."

And once that was taken care of we went out and put in some tomato plants.




FARM GIRL

But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to show you our first crop from the spring planting, not the greens that over wintered.

And here it is!

FRESH AS CAN BE!

Oh I know it doesn't seem like much but from such humble beginnings springs a successful garden. And were they crunchy and good!

And now, just a wee word, a small matter of nomenclature if you will:

These are Swedes:

And that, a rutabaga with a few of his chums:

Confusing the two could make for a disappointing weekend.

That's it for now. Thanks for visiting Farm Girls Corner and stop back soon!

(Agnes is up to something...)

The voyages of Turnip the Red

Howdy! It's Aunt Agnes here and I'm as happy as Bill Clinton with a properly cured cigar!

LOOKS A BIT LIKE A DOG-END
HERSELF, DOES SHE NOT?

We told yew all earlier that we'd be keepin' an eye on some new veggies this year and one of them veggies were gonna be red turnips. They's spose'd to look like this here:

lI'L BITTY FELLERS, AIN'T THEY?

But ours are still growing, greens only 9 -10 inches so far but they's doin' good. Ours look like yonder:

 RIGHT HANDSOME AIN'T THEY IF A MITE SCRAWNY

They's jist fixin' to ball up and that means we have to thin them but we's waitin' on that t'il the last minute so we can sample a pot o' red beet greens, we bet they's good.

We only put in a few because they grow best as a fall crop but it's enough to tell yew all about.

Thanks for stoppin' by and check back soon for more info on the continuing voyage of Turnip the Red!

FARM GIRL'S CORNER - Never buy seeds again!

Farm Girl here and we're going to walk you through the garden cycle of cucumbers step by step, as we show you how to create your own home grown seed inventory. Your own brand of heirloom seeds, if you will, to pass down through the family. To swap with friends and neighbors, to sell here and there.

FARM GIRL AND FRIEND

What fun, how practical, and what a nice cost saver to boot!
 
And, you can thumb your nose at Monsanto for a while as well or at least until they buy a few more Senators. Then, in the interest of public safety Department of Homeland Security bulldozers will scrape up every last home garden and jail known seed hoarders.

But relax and have fun that's still two or three years down the road, boys and girls!

Now, Constant Reader, I'm certain that you recall my detailed instructions on saving cucumber seeds which I tapped out for you last fall but just in case we have a new reader (postulating an infinite universe it could happen, I suppose) the topic is covered here in Part 1, Part 2 and predictably enough, Part 3.

But, to summarize:

FIND AN ELDERLY, YELLOWED CUKE OR TWO AND SAVE IT/THEM INDOORS UNTIL IT IS SOFTENED, BUT NOT TOTALLY DECOMPOSED.



BREAK THE CUCUMBER OPEN WITH YOUR FINGERS, SEPARATE THE SEEDS FROM EVERYTHING ELSE TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE WITHOUT DAMAGING THE SEEDS.

 

Place the seeds and the pulp which adheres to them in a clean glass or plastic container, or an old crock with room temperature water and leave for at least 3 days or until the seeds have sunk to the bottom. Be sure to cover the crock and to check the contents and stir it daily.

 



SEEDS STILL FLOATING, NOT YET READY TO REMOVE AND DRY.

 

 

When the seeds are all at the bottom, remove, rinse, air dry for two or three weeks in a single layer. Store dried seeds in a paper envelope properly labeled until it is time to think of planting cucumbers once again.

 

Do you start your cucumbers indoors? New cucumbers, whether started in pots or directly seeded into the garden begin where our old, yellowed cukes left off, with saved seeds.

 

A WELL DRIED VIABLE GROUP OF SEEDS, READY TO POT OR PLANT

 

 

 

 





PLANT A FEW SEEDS 1/2" DEEP PER POT

 

 

A LITTLE TIME YIELDS HEALTHY SEEDLINGS

 

FIND A NICE PATCH OF SOIL AGAINST THE FENCE, DIG DEEP AND TURN IT WELL

 

ADD GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF SIFTED COMPOST

 

ALSO ADD EPSOM SALT FOR MAGNESIUM AND CRUSHED EGG SHELLS FOR CALCIUM, ALL CRUSHED FINE, A HANDFUL PER PLANT WELL WORKED IN

 

MAKE A HOLE LARGER THAN THE POT, FILL IT WITH WATER, LET THAT DRAIN AND THEN GENTLY REMOVE THE PLANTS FROM THE POT, PLACE THEM IN THE HOLE AND COVER, WATER AGAIN.

SAFE IN THEIR NEW HOME

 



A LITTLE FOLIAR FISH AND SEAWEED EMULSION WHEN FLOWERING BEGINS GIVES A BOOST OF ENERGY AND IMPROVES YIELD.



 

 



CRUNCHY DELICIOUS LADIES KNIGHT CUCUMBERS, OUR OWN HOUSE CUCUMBER HERE AT UNCLE MAC'S

 

And really, other than yes, you must weed, water and trellis this is all you need know, not only to grow great cucumbers but also to grow them year after year, from the same initial packet of seeds.

 

Thanks for visiting Farm Girl's corner!

Y is for Yam. Or possibly, "Yambag"

Some of you folks confuse yams and sweet potatoes. We wonder Y?

TINY WEE LITTLE SWEET POTATOES

These are sweet potatoes. They come from South America and are related to lilies.


We don't want any little wimpy assed sweet potatoes. We want a big burly Yam! Yams come from Africa and are related to morning glories.

THERE AM A YAM THAT AM A YAM!

Folks get passionate about yams. Popeye for instance:

ITS EASY TO SEE HIS DEPTH OF EMOTION VIS A VIS THINGS YAMMISH

Henry the Eighth, a passionate gatherer of yams, seemed to feel that doing so was his right as ruler of the land an all its peoples.

"I'M 'ENERY THE EIGHTH. I YAM"

No less a luminary than Rene Descartes felt that essential existance and proof thereof, depended on the noble vegetable:

"I THINK. THEREFORE, I YAM"

Personally, what can I add, folks? Except to observe that this is the A to Z bloggery challenge, and that I for one yam glad that it is nearly finished.

New use for an old vegetable!

No, not this old vegetable. There's not much use for her.

"Howdy! Aunt Agnes here and Ah'm happier'n a pig in sh slops! We found us a new use for an old veggie and it's right tasty!"

"Last year some of our Brussels sprouts failed to ripen before the frost got to 'em and so we just left them there in the garden. Now, although they started growing agin' this spring they won't ever produce sprouts yew can eat before the heat gets to 'em, not in this zone." 

"What we did was pick all the new tender leaves."

"We tried 'em two ways, steamed and also sauteed in olive oil and then served with butter, lemon juice, salt an pepper. They tasted really fine, especially the sauteed ones. And being brassicas they's good for yew as well!"

 

"So jist keep this in mind next time yer sprouts don't sprout in time. Thank yew for stoppin' by at Uncle Mac's, y'all come back soon!"

W is for Wee tiny veggies

Anyone can grow big vegetables. Here at Uncle Mac's Garden Shed and free fire zone we like to grow the tiniest of vegetables. Here is what we had on April 20th (Just 10 days prior to April May Maples Eve).

WEE TINY KALE

BEETLETS OF THE MINISCULE PERSUASION

SWISS CHARD TOO TINY TO YODEL

Sadly, sooner or later the babies will grow up. They'll be talking back, borrowing the car without asking, cooking meth, banging cocktail waitresses two at a time, (or they will be cocktail waitresses, banging meth cookers).

If only they could stay this size forever.

W IS ALSO FOR: "WE HAD THIS FLOWER TOO." 

U is for Unimpressive

And this post is surely that; it's about underarms,

 

 

 

Of various configurations

And undersea boats,

That looks like fun, speaking of fun it's about Terry Pratchett's Uberwald, a fun place to visit,

And for underwear, for Violets to bloom in.

Impressed? I didn't think so.