A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

I didn't know that, you may be on to something indeed. The soil in the pot is likely acidic. Knowing that I can get them to flower from a late start (next year I'll plant them min. 8 weeks before LFD, not 4) I may create a purposely more basic potting mix and see if the flowers lose the purple tones. It is rather a surprise that they have been so quick to flower all things considered, and it is a plant I feel would be worth both trying to overwinter as well as trying again from seed just in case.

It may have to do with the acidity of your soil. The blue turns purple in the presence of acid (which is how they can make the ices change color by adding lemon juice.) I imagine, if one's soil were acid enough it might change the flower colors.

 

[heirloomgal]

If I can find the energy, it's going to be a 'Yellow Hinkelhatz' seed harvest tonight. Did the 'Lemon Starrburst' earlier today and the burn has finally passed. Round 2 awaits.

 

[heirloomgal]

First harvest of kenikir seeds, which I almost threw away as a weed as I didn't recognize that it belonged to the plant. I though it was a weed at first! It makes odd seed heads that don't match the flower heads. It was a bittersweet moment, because I saw as I inspected the plant that the recent rains have made the growth swollen & brittle; as a result a huge chunk of the plant broke right off just like the marigolds.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Jut got back from cutting into some rotten tomatoes from my Farmer's market purchases to save their seeds, and there were some WEIRD results.

The full sized ones (one purple with green stripes, the other yellow and red striped) looked more or less normal inside, but the cherries I did were REALLY strange.

First, there were a trio of long green cherries that, unlike the ACTUAL Thompson's Grape tomato, actually DID look like green grapes (even down to the paler shade of green). Unfortunately, they shared another trait with those grapes, as the tomatoes were seedless as well, all three of them. They had gel but the gel was all blank (no seeds in it.)


On the other hand the whitish cream ones I cut open were just the opposite, they had no gel AT ALL. The seeds (of which there were a great number) were completely bare. The tomatoes were rock hard and bone dry as well (and bear in mind I bought those particular ones several weeks ago, so they should have either ripened or rotted by now.) I wonder if there is a market for a rock hard bone dry cherry?

 

[heirloomgal]

Jut got back from cutting into some rotten tomatoes from my Farmer's market purchases to save their seeds, and there were some WEIRD results.

The full sized ones (one purple with green stripes, the other yellow and red striped) looked more or less normal inside, but the cherries I did were REALLY strange.

First, there were a trio of long green cherries that, unlike the ACTUAL Thompson's Grape tomato, actually DID look like green grapes (even down to the paler shade of green). Unfortunately, they shared another trait with those grapes, as the tomatoes were seedless as well, all three of them. They had gel but the gel was all blank (no seeds in it.)


On the other hand the whitish cream ones I cut open were just the opposite, they had no gel AT ALL. The seeds (of which there were a great number) were completely bare. The tomatoes were rock hard and bone dry as well (and bear in mind I bought those particular ones several weeks ago, so they should have either ripened or rotted by now.) I wonder if there is a market for a rock hard bone dry cherry?

Seedless cherries? Huh, I wonder if they were the first to be harvested from the plants; that's the only time I tend to see seedless tomatoes?

A rock hard, bone dry cherry tomato....hmm, I don't think I could come up with a culinary use for those. Actually, maybe on skewers with other veggies for a bbq? Marinated? Sound like they bred a white cherry with a roma type, which seems more and more popular. Some of those I actually really like (Roma Nano and Gardener's Sweetheart come to mind) but the ones I've tried though dry-ish were chewy and meaty, great texture.

It is remarkable the variety of tomatoes you can buy @Pulsegleaner . If you have actually grown Thompson''s Grape I am VERY envious. That is one I've always wanted to try, but they just aren't available in Can. I did have my first Flamme tomato tonight and it was AWESOME. Both plants came true from seed I saved back in 2016. What a gorgeous little cocktail tom.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

The most truthful answer is that I don't KNOW if I have ever grown Thompson's Grape! There certainly WAS a packet of it in the giant pile of old tomato seeds I planted four or so years ago, and the one plant that came up from that mess WAS a green cherry tomato, but whether it was Thompson's I don't know (though the fact it was a round green cherry sort of argues against it.)

But if you want Thompson's Seedless Grape, just use these people. Provided you pay with an international money order in U.S. dollars, they have NO PROBLEM shipping to Canada.

https://www.sandhillpreservation.com/cherry-salad-tomatoes

 

[Zeedman]

Did the 'Lemon Starrburst' earlier today and the burn has finally passed. Round 2 awaits.

So you didn't use thicker rubber gloves?

 

[flowerbug]

First harvest of kenikir seeds, which I almost threw away as a weed as I didn't recognize that it belonged to the plant. I though it was a weed at first! It makes odd seed heads that don't match the flower heads. It was a bittersweet moment, because I saw as I inspected the plant that the recent rains have made the growth swollen & brittle; as a result a huge chunk of the plant broke right off just like the marigolds.
View attachment 51143

those look like cosmo seeds (except maybe bigger).

 

[heirloomgal]

So you didn't use thicker rubber gloves?

Didn't purchase them yet, and I thought just this ONE time i'll be really, really careful and use a small knife. In the kitchen. Not sure why I continue to delude myself with such ideas. Not only did I get the sneezies, and trapped beneath the fingernails burns but the air in the room got saturated with capsicum. This all holds some level of *trauma* lol for me and DD as DH once accidentally pepper sprayed us. A visitor to the US brought me back a little 'flashlight' wink wink (not sure they're legal here). I had tucked it in the entrance cabinet and when DH found it, he thought, wow what a nifty little flashlight, let's try it!

We both were quite .

 

[heirloomgal]

those look like cosmo seeds (except maybe bigger).

Makes sense, Latin name is cosmos sulphureus.