The news from When Pigs Fly Farm

Meet Assistant Farmer Holland. He's been visiting the farm for a few days while his folks -- Farmer Jim and Mrs. Farmer Jim's middle son and daughter-in-law -- are out of town.

Assistant Farmer Holland is a Resourceful Lad.

He is an expert at

swamp mitigation

irrigation systems

and, as he pointed out on his resume, has Very Good Eyesight.

He discovered a veritable shower curtain of new peas on Farmer Jim's pea trellis that I SWEAR weren't there two days ago AND spied a second tomato -- yes, I have tomatoes! -- on Snowberry, my heirloom cherry tomato plant (which, by the way, for the record, I have nursed back from certain death. Thank you, fish fertilizer.)

I predict Assistant Farmer Holland has A Future in vegetable gardening.

He also attracts all sorts of Interesting Characters.

Which is another thing he's got going for him.

Come back soon, Assistant Farmer Holland!

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I have tassels!
No, not THAT kind.
Pervs.

Almost all my InstaCorn have tassels. That means they're G.R.O.W.I.N.G.

And I can see baby peppers. Assistant Farmer Holland was particularly taken with my baby banana pepper. After I described what it would look like when it "grew up," he looked at me and sighed sadly.

"I wish it was grown up now. I would like to eat it."

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I've finally had a chance to visit When Pigs Fly Farm Composting Incorporated. Let me tell you, it's an impressive operation.

Would you like a tour? Well then, follow me!

Note: Assistant Farmer Holland has attached A Clue to the WPFF compost machine..

Thank you for visiting WPFF Composting Incorporated.

Please. Feel free to stop by any time.

Actually, there's a little more to composting, and Farmer Jim is Still Doing Some Research so not all the stations are set up, BUT check out out what he and Assistant Farmer Holland (what did I tell you? the kid has POTENTIAL!) constructed this weekend.


It's for gathering leaves in the fall. And it's on freakin' WHEELS. Farmer Jim and Assistant Farmer Holland, you. are. rock. stars.

Off season: Chariot races down Lincoln Street!!

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After all this WPFF mayhem and merriment this weekend, I'm frankly amazed I'm still upright, ambulating and relatively coherent. BUT there is one more critical issue yet to be addressed:

Farmer Jim has broken out The Hammock.

I sense a serious decline in productivity. . . . .

The news from When Pigs Fly Farm

1. I have a carrot!

Operative word/article -- "a".

On close inspection of Farmer Jim's adjacent acreage, I discern he has two. The Great Carrot Race is ON. Bring it, Farmer Jim!

P.S. Sorry for the blurry photo. My camera is sadly underequipped for microbial photography.

2. Arugula (right): In it's own little party world. May have to thin in the next decade or so.

3. Romaine (left): Somewhat noncommittal at this point, but giving it a try. Will get back to me when we have more than a nanosecond of sunshine.

4. Tomatoes: Have decamped to an ottoman under a south-facing window in the living room. Based on this week's gardening column in the newspaper, the best time to plant tomatoes was 1957

Mr. Stripey (aka Tigerella! who knew?) and Cherokee Purple have two new buddies courtesy of Farmer Jim's daughter -- heirloom cherry tomatoes called Snowberry. (What! No Wikipedia entry on Snowberry -- unthinkable!)

So goes another electrifying report from When Pigs Fly Farm.

Happy Mother's Day!