This Year’s Top Crop

This is broom corn.  As in, the stuff they use to make corn brooms.  I bet you always wondered about that, didn’t you?

 

I’m not sure what possessed me to order the seeds from Seed Savers.  It must have been some really good marketing on their part.  Or, maybe I’m just a bit strange.  Yeah, I’m thinking I’m a bit strange.  Anyway, you can discuss that amongst yourselves…

 

So, I tilled up a five or six foot long row in the garden and threw the seeds in.  I didn’t give them much care beyond weeding them one time.  The plants popped up and grew so fast that weeding wasn’t really an issue.

 

And, this is what I ended up with.  A row full of plants that were at least 10 feet tall.  This one was easily 12 feet tall.  Danny looks so small next to it.

 

 

Seems rather silly to say, but I almost hated to harvest this pretty little row.

I’ve really enjoyed watching it grow.  It towers over the tomatoes and seems to guard the peppers…

But the day had come to harvest my pretty little crop.

 

 

 

Broom corn is a type of sorghum.  I think it’s pretty.

 

 

My chickens think it’s tasty.

 

 

 

This praying mantis thought the bugs that were living on the plants were tasty.  I think I surprised him when I pulled this stalk down to cut it…  He sure surprised me!  I made sure he got to the ground safely, though.  These little guys are valuable in the garden. 

 

Curious and Slick were very interested in the harvest.

 

 

 

 

My short little row provided me with an overflowing basket of broom corn.

 

 

 

It looks kind of neat, mixed in with some fall flowers. 

It would be fun to make a broom, but I think I’ll settle for using it to decorate for fall and then feeding it to the chickens.  Any good decorating ideas? 

 

 

I’m linking up today at Blue Cricket Design.