Parsons' Prairie Farm

Well, I find myself off on another tangent.  I do this often, you know see something in a magazine or shop that sparks an idea.  But sometimes an idea just pops into my head from nowhere and I’m determined to explore it further.  I’m not sure where this comes from.  I like to think that it comes from having a creative mind, but some might say it is a curse being so unfocused.  But I have been like this for as long as I can remember….my head full of ideas but often not enough time to implement them.  I read an article about a year ago on Luffa Farming and I thought it sounded like the greatest thing ever.  When I mentioned it to my family I got the typical response….eye rolling, snickers behind my back, telling me I was crazy right to my face…..you can imagine.  But as I was sitting in my house a few weeks ago trying to get through the Winter That Never Ends/Spring That Still Hasn’t Come, I began to consider Luffa Farming again.

So, instead of jumping in head first like I often times do, I am trying to take this one slow.  I have purchased  just one packet of seeds and am determined to make that package the sum total of my 2013 crop.  Please join me on my Luffa Farming Tangent.  We’ll see how it goes!

The Luffa (sometimes spelled Loofah or Loofa) comes from a gourd, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family that also includes cucumbers and pumpkins.  You can purchase the seeds on the internet, but I was trying to start off as easy, slow and inexpensive as possible so hoped to purchase some locally.  I was excited to find a packet of Luffa Seeds at Planters Spice & Feed in the Farmers Market area of Kansas City. 

Luffa need a fairly long growing season (at least longer than what we typically have here in MO) and I do not have access to a greenhouse.  So I started my seeds indoors.  I planted them on 4/1 and put them in a sunny window.  This is how they look today.

Jeff has tilled up an area for my small loofa crop.  I just need to attach an old piece of fencing to help trellis the plants as they grow.

Now, I just need it to warm up enough to put my little plants outside.  Stay tuned…….