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Saturday, April 12, 2008

You eat them with BBQ Sauce

I received two questions yesterday. The first was about lettuce.

Could you talk about lettuce? I tried growing some in pots and it didn't do to good. The plant got about two feet tall, with small spaced out leaves, then it flowered and went to seed.

To be honest, I have never seen a 2 foot tall lettuce plant. I have seen stems grow close to that before seed though. You can start eating lettuce as soon as it sprouts, but to keep it producing, wait until a good amount of leaves have been produced, stripping the plant of both mature and baby leaves as it grows (from the lower 1/3 of the plant). The leaves will grow back. As for bolting, lettuce will do this when the days get longer and warmer. To help slow down the bolting process, try placing a wet cheese cloth over it (them). But as this question stated, the leaves were too small and spaced out. Lettuce likes water, air, light and well crumbled soil that has been fertilized the year before. If the soil isn't good for lettuce, it will concentrate on seeds rather then leaves. Lettuce have very short root systems and will not go on the hunt for food. I hope that helps.

I have a peach tree in the back yard. It produces peaches, but the squirrels always get to them. Do you know how I can keep those pesky long-tailed rats away!

I don't have squirrels here. My uncle us to make them into Buffalo Wings. Most people use netting to keeps birds out. And your local garden stores will have blow up owls and snakes (some have plastic ones). I hear these work wonders for keeping them away. We have a 6 foot gold manikin dressed in loose clothing, this keeps birds away.

I also received an email about my cows being the best antidepressant. This link was included:

ScienceDaily (Apr. 11, 2008)Time down on the farm with animals could provide some therapeutic benefit for people with mental illness, according to researchers. The results come from the first randomised controlled study of the benefits of farm animals, as opposed to domestic pets.

And my mom needs your help. She is trying to name her goat. Got a good name? Silly name? Go leave it here for her.

3 comments:

TexasWren said...

sigh Squirrels. At the farm, we had 2 or 3 really lovely peach trees. I got peaches 1 year. I guess there was a squirel plague that year or something.

I've tried everything-scarecrows, dogs, fake owls, cds. One year, someone told me to tie a little tulle bag with red pepper flakes over the peaches. Squirrels would get one dose of the pepper and leave the tree alone.

So, I sewed up dozens of these cute little tulle bags, put in the flakes and tied them over the choicest peaches.

I must have weird squirrels. They thought the pepper flakes were condiments for the peaches.

I found those blasted tulle bags all over the farm, for years--acres from the peach trees. I think they stored them in their nests and threw one down now and then, just to thumb their noses at me.

I didn't get any peaches that year either.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info on the lettuce. I just discoverd that my lettuce isn't lettuce and is actually green beans. I planted a few things in my pot without keeping track of what was what.

Phelan said...

ok, now that's just too funny wren! Husband o'mine says get those grandkids of yours bbguns, that will take care of the problem. ;)

Fountainpen, you are welcome. And yes, that would make a difference :D

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