This is a true story but the name of the Master Gardener has been changed to protect the guilty. In the spring of 2013, a Master Gardener whom I know intimately decided to plant a small vegetable garden in her back yard. Since she had a large weedy area at her disposal and really didn't want to plant too many veggies (she's married to a guy from Ohio who eats only green beans, corn, peas w/ potatoes generously plopped on the side – BUT NOT TOUCHING), she decided to use 2 plastic half barrels that she had found at the side of the road at work. Into 1 barrel went 1 “Sweet 100” tomato plant and around it, she strew some multi-colored carrot seeds; this was her idea of living dangerously! Since the carrots would be small for a while, she also tossed in some “Globe” radish seeds. In the other barrel half, she strew beet and more carrot seeds which were followed by the rest of the radish seed packet. Being a good, well trained Master Gardener, she of course had read the instructions and followed them to a “T”! She was expecting great things, things that her husband would eat. She watered and waited for the goodies to sprout. She waited and waited – nothing came up! No radishes, no carrots and, certainly, no beets!! So much for the follow directions and there they grow. Nothing!! Nada!! Zip!! So the well-trained Master Gardener said “Phooey ( r words to that effect) and give up her veggie garden plans. Oh yes, she got tomatoes, just not very many; but she got tomatoes!

After the first frost that year, the tomato bush croaked and was pulled up. Lo and behold, here were little ferny tops growing and 2 little beet sprouts. She decided that they were true “late bloomers” and left them alone to grow or become raccoon or possum or rat treats ( he lives close to the Suisun Marsh). They survived the cold and damp and were still growing this spring.

Leaving these veggies to their own devices, the Master Gardener left them alone – she watered as necessary but did nothing more. Last week, it looked like she had a passel of beets and carrots growing there in the half barrel. Nosiness took over and she decided to see just how many beets were in the barrel and ready to eat. With a yank, the “beets” came out of the ground. Yipe, there was only 1 huge beet with 5 leafy tops. When weighed, that beet was a 5 lb. whopper!! The 2 carrots each weighed 2 lbs each: 1 was light red-orange with bite marks out of the top of one side and the other turned out to be white with a 6 inch band of green at the top. The orange carrot was 10 inches long and the green/white one was 12 inches! Not too woody when cleaned and cut and cooked.

The beet unfortunately was shaped pretty much like a beef-heart and was a very pale yellow which faded into white when cut up and cooked and then pickled; the core was removed because of pith.

And what did the well-trained Master Gardener learn from all this? She told me: buy the fresh produce from the Farmers' Market and don't let beets and carrots grow for 2 seasons!