A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

So true!!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Beginning to see the first pansies hit the nurseries. Haven't bought any yet (a bit too raw here, plus, the first out of the gate are usually very boring ones,) but at least I can start looking.

I saw some of what MIGHT be the right MIX to find my red violas (based on the other colors there,) but there were no ACTUAL reds in any of the ones I saw, so I didn't buy any.

Sowed the few red seeds I DID have in a pot indoors, but so far, no sprouts.

 

[heirloomgal]

There are some unusual & pretty pansies to be found; I wish that greenhouses here would be a little more experimental with pansy varieties. They tend to have the pure white, the pure oranges and then the standards. I would love to try the baby blue 'Delta' ones, or even the Jolly Jokers I was able to find once, a long time ago. The 'Cool Wave Morpho' is especially unique. Too bad they aren't OP!

 

[heirloomgal]

@Jane23 posting about potatoes reminded me - I bought my first seed potatoes today! I usually lean toward purples and pinks for that extra nutritional value, and I do really enjoy eating Purple Peruvian, but I got 'Warba' instead. PP is sooo late, and HUGE! This one is a cream colour with bright pink eyes. What I really like about Warba is that it's super early, If I plant in late May I can eat them in early August, late July. They have a great flavour too. Plants aren't monsters either. An heirloom that dates to the 1920's.

A few years ago I did a comparison grow out of about a dozen potato types. The one that stored the best, and was tops in production tasted the worst! Too dry! I remember being impressed by Warba that year for the size of the tubers and how early they were. Probably has zero keeping abilities in a regular basement as I have. But no matter, this 'vegetable' is a straight from the garden to the pot to the plate for us.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

There are some unusual & pretty pansies to be found; I wish that greenhouses here would be a little more experimental with pansy varieties. They tend to have the pure white, the pure oranges and then the standards. I would love to try the baby blue 'Delta' ones, or even the Jolly Jokers I was able to find once, a long time ago. The 'Cool Wave Morpho' is especially unique. Too bad they aren't OP!

I must be pretty spoiled up here, as I would consider all of the ones you listed as being quite common and easy to get here.

It isn't so much a matter of OP versus hybrid, it's that, with pansy genes being so jiggly, it's sort of hard to predict the colors of ANY future flowers. "Delta" isn't even a distinct variety, it's a series, and a pretty wide one. Even when you DO have all of one type, you get a lot of reversions and crosses (as I mentioned, when I re-grew the seed I had collected from my Blackberry Sorbet violas, I got about 1/4 black sorbets, 1/4 pure purple, and 1/2 wild type (Johnny-Jump-up).

As for experimental, pansies are usually considered pretty cheap flowers, something you buy a LOT of to fill in a space. That doesn't all that MUCH avant-garde experimentation. If someone sees a mix they think might be popular, it is propagated, but there's a cap on how much you can spend developing one, since there is a cap on what people are going to be willing to pay for a six pack of pansies. Also, a lot of modern pansies are not all that prolific seed producers (I suspect that a lot of the new types have a lot of vegetative propagation going on to keep the supply up.)

What I really want (and have seen once or twice) is pansies and violas which have the ability to develop spots or speckles, like some violets can. Naturally serrated petals (not ruffled, serrated) might be interesting as well (I saw that once).

 

[heirloomgal]

I must be pretty spoiled up here, as I would consider all of the ones you listed as being quite common and easy to get here.

I'm envious @Pulsegleaner! How wonderful it must be to have that kind of selection. Pansies are one of those lovely blooms that are fabulously hardy and can go from early May until late October here. Most basket flowers don't have that kind of longevity. Simple deadheading seems to keep them in top shape. Lucky you!

 

[heirloomgal]

Stocked up on some fertility. I think I've come to the conclusion that I MUCH prefer fertility that is liquid based. I had a dickens of a time last summer mixing granulated fertility in watering cans. Waaay too much awkward stirring. My favourite method is dump a whole bottle into a rain barrel and water from there, one simple stir job and done. I couldn't even find liquid flower fertility that was organic (since I will dump the planter back into my main garden eventually). Today, I hit the jackpot.

I also got lucky with some unusual bonemeal. I'd really rather not use bonemeal, but it seems growing peppers without it is likely a guaranteed underperformance, so I finally found some I'd prefer to use.

Also bought a huge bag of granulated chicken manure, love the stuff. Stinky tho!

Made some more tags. This time for tomatoes. Here are some of the varieties sent to me by 'Tomato Man' Mr. Minkey. I'm excited to try them since he says he really liked these ones, and he's grown thousands so I feel confident they're going to be terrific!

Few others I plan to try for the first time. Some wierdlies in this bunch. I was only going to regrow what I already have from this point forward.... but I fell off the wagon this year....

I'm so enjoying this 'slow roll' of preparation. Tomorrow I'm sowing the eggplants and okras, yay! Going to try a whole bunch of new varieties of each. Also planting 'Chinese Pink' celery! Exciting!

 

[digitS']

I use the granular chicken manure soon after separating seedlings into 4-packs. It didn't used to seem necessary but my standard soil mix has changed. Nevertheless, it works okay used sparingly. (Like, what would a sparrow drop if it was traveling through in search of bugs for its nestlings .)

The fish emulsion in the basin for bottom watering comes later for tomatoes in 3 1/2" pots and after I begin to suspect that they have waited too long to be set out in the garden. A reason for the late use is because I feel the need to add some kinda nutrients because, whatever small amount is in the potting soil has been washed out. Using a hose to water probably has begun at this time because it's more expedient but -- there goes the plant nutrients for sure! I don't like to keep them in pots this long but cannot control the weather and one can recognize their pot-bound distress.

And yes, the emulsion will also go in the sprinkler cans for use - especially for tomatoes, which hold the mix so well on their leaves. However, this seems to happen more often after they are set out in the garden and I'm trying to get that growth spurt going following a recovery period from transplanting shock.

Steve

 

[heirloomgal]

Nevertheless, it works okay used sparingly. (Like, what would a sparrow drop if it was traveling through in search of bugs for its nestlings .)

Does this mean you do a little sprinkle over your 4-packs? Or perhaps mix it in with your soil and then transplant?

I've often wondered about the ideal or various possible applications of this amendment. I've tended to mix it in with the soil when transplanting into a larger pot, but I wonder if a surface application would work too on seedlings?

 

[digitS']

Moist soil in the tray inserts
Light sprinkle of organic fertilizer
Cover with soil mix
Bottom water

The way I have been trying to improve the potting mix the last few years.