A Seed Saver's Garden

[Pulsegleaner]

I didn't know that Job's Tears would be able to survive your winters? Well, that comes as a surprise! That plant seems to be such a finicky germinator and not east to get all the way to fully mature seed. So it's understandable you want to hang on to any viable seed, no matter where it is!

It doesn't HAVE TO be able to survive winters. Like most grasses, Job's tears are an ANNUAL (at least here), you plant it, grow it, collect the seeds, and re-plant it again in the spring.

The germination issue is due to a combination of two factors. One, like pretty much all grasses, Job's tears is pollinated by the wind. Two the "shells" form whether the seed is fertilized or not (it's basically the glumes of the seed, so it's all maternal tissue.) So, unless you crack it open (hard to do with anything but the eating kind) you have no idea if there IS a kernel in there. As with most other grasses, to get good pollination, you have to plant a LOT of it, in a block that encourages pollen from one plant to land on another one. Since Job's tears tend to produce quite a decent number of "beads" per plant, most people aren't going to do that, they'll only plant a few. So little pollen hits other plants, and little actual seed is produced. I suppose one could up the odds with hand pollinating, like one can do for corn, but that would be a lot of work.

Instead of throwing out your pot and possibly risking viable seeds in the process, why not let it go for one more year to see if you get more sprouts and hide the broken top (the top edges I'm guessing?) with some floofy, edging plant that hangs like Creeping Jenny or some of the lobelias? The shovel idea though also seems very workable too, if your seeds aren't buried any deeper than 2 or 3 inches.

The breaks are WAY too deep to cover (about the top four inches of the pot are in fragments. Plus, the cracks and broken off chunks keep getting deeper; the plastic of the pot itself is now too brittle to be saved. Every year I hold off increases the likelihood of the breaks getting down to below soil level and the contents starting to wash out in each rainstorm.

And I don't have to just worry about next year, but about ALL years coming. seeds can stay dormant in the ground for a long time (I still get the odd senna and rice bean plant popping up in the lawn and garden, and I haven't thrown seed for either to the birds there in about five or six years [the rice beans I plant on purpose I soak first, specifically to make sure I only have to concern myself with them for the present year.) They'll be potential sprouts coming up out of that soil for the foreseeable future. I actually DID get a few flower sprouts last year, it's just that each pot developed something (the surprise tomatoes in one, some senna in the other) that so outgrew everything else it quickly put it in permanent shade. With those not there (well, with the tomatoes not there, there is some senna in the other one, but I think it was non-viable.) maybe the others will have a chance.

 

[heirloomgal]

The transplants and seeds are nearly all in. Pea seeds tomorrow and some flower baskets, a few odds and ends. I'll be happy to be done, as much as I enjoy it.

Altogether DH has made 16 copper coil antannaes for the various garden beds. It cost nothing since he used old wire that had been hanging around for years from jobs he did years ago. *Apparently they also help to repel insects and critters, fingers crossed. Most of them have a little Slinky formation at the top, but one looks like Beaker's hair.

I'm doing a ton of pots again this year (eggplants, tomatoes, peppers) but we got a new pump for the water containments which so far is working fantastic and I can run a garden hose from it with good pressure, so it won't be so hard to keep them all watered as it was last year.

Now, to wait for all the seeds to sprout.....

 

[Alasgun]

Wow, i quit at 3 antennas but they’re up now! I did not get too imaginative with the wrapping.

 

[heirloomgal]

Wow, i quit at 3 antennas but they’re up now! I did not get too imaginative with the wrapping.

Finally got to take some photos today. DH clearly had a little fun with this because we had so much copper wire. He was shaping some of the coils on a funnel, lol.

 

[Alasgun]

My gauss meter showed up today and a quick walk thru shows up on the meter; as what, im unsure.
i will look it all over directly And see what i can learn.

Nice looking antenna’s!

 

[heirloomgal]

My gauss meter showed up today and a quick walk thru shows up on the meter; as what, im unsure.
i will look it all over directly And see what i can learn.

Nice looking antenna’s!

Gauss meters! I had to look that one up @Alasgun. Very interesting! I'll have to show this to DH, he is quite interested in these subtle, and often powerful, aspects of things. I found a little blurb about the 'Hall Effect' and how the magnetic field will affect the flow of electric current. This certainly ties into the effect that electro culture is trying to create.

 

[Alasgun]

It’s time for a rocket scientist to join this conversation!

With meter (and instructions) in hand; i spent some time trying to see just what i’ve got going on here.
The meter will read Magnetic fields, Electric fields and Radio frequency And i have readings in 2 of 3 categories. The field of activity is strongest at the antenna and dimmenishes as i move away, which i expected. My “field of activity” is roughly a 30ft. Diameter which means i’ll need one more antenna to cover the garden proper.

per the instructions, normal activity in a neutral location would read 50 V/M and i have 120-195. I don't know what this is telling me other than the antenna‘s have excited this area of the yard.
In the Radio Frequency mode my highest reading is 875 mW/m. Again, all im sure of is that my antenna bank is working; whether for the good or bad im unsure at this point.
Walking around the rest of the property all readings are very minimal With the greatest activity being inside the antenna bank.
Currently my antennas form a triangle and once i add the additional one this will change and i’ll re-read the garden area to see if something is different.

Warning to anyone considering this experiment: I understand there is a very real possibility of having all your children born entirely naked which is something to consider if you are of child bearing age?

As i mentioned earlier, i grow the exact same things year after year from the same seed source so i have a real good idea what to expect. Im excited by and having fun with this little project and will come back in roughly 3 months with my observations!

Back to you @heirloomgal, thanks for letting me join in here!

 

[heirloomgal]

It’s time for a rocket scientist to join this conversation!

With meter (and instructions) in hand; i spent some time trying to see just what i’ve got going on here.
The meter will read Magnetic fields, Electric fields and Radio frequency And i have readings in 2 of 3 categories. The field of activity is strongest at the antenna and dimmenishes as i move away, which i expected. My “field of activity” is roughly a 30ft. Diameter which means i’ll need one more antenna to cover the garden proper.

per the instructions, normal activity in a neutral location would read 50 V/M and i have 120-195. I don't know what this is telling me other than the antenna‘s have excited this area of the yard.
In the Radio Frequency mode my highest reading is 875 mW/m. Again, all im sure of is that my antenna bank is working; whether for the good or bad im unsure at this point.
Walking around the rest of the property all readings are very minimal With the greatest activity being inside the antenna bank.
Currently my antennas form a triangle and once i add the additional one this will change and i’ll re-read the garden area to see if something is different.

Warning to anyone considering this experiment: I understand there is a very real possibility of having all your children born entirely naked which is something to consider if you are of child bearing age?

As i mentioned earlier, i grow the exact same things year after year from the same seed source so i have a real good idea what to expect. Im excited by and having fun with this little project and will come back in roughly 3 months with my observations!

Back to you @heirloomgal, thanks for letting me join in here!

Wow! This is pretty incredible that you've got a meter that can detect the altered 'field of activity'! I haven't read as much about electro-culture as you & the DH has, so I wasn't aware that such things could be done. I find it extremely interesting that you got coverage for 30 ft diameter. Whatever DH was reading mentioned a 15 foot square foot area per pole, depending on the height of the antennae. But I trust the more 'hard science' of your meter, so that is something to keep tucked in our hats. Such a fun experiment and it's always a pleasure to find new, natural ways to improve the garden's output! I won't be able to compare as closely as you are since I'm always growing new stuff, but I still have a fair record of bean weights from the last few seasons, so I can at least compare to that. I'm also really hoping that the reported deterrent effect on voles and other pests from the antennaes works!

 

[Alasgun]

@heirloomgal actually im most interested in the insect repellant aspect. there are years with a few slugs and if they went away i’d be completely happy.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Two notes

1. The black horse gram I planted in the pot where I put the (probably dead) ginger family member seeds has already sprouted.

2. General warning for anyone buying from Prairie Moon Nursey (I think, I have to find my seed packet to be sure).

Do not plant ANYTHING from them without opening the packet, pouring out the contents, and picking it over. Since they presumably collect their seed from the wild, there are a fair number of other seeds mixed into whatever it is you are trying to plant, some of which may be weeds you don't want in your garden. I had to go through a packet of small flowered fuzzy bean last night because it got a hole in it, and mixed in with the actual beans were a fair number of other seeds, quite a few that looked like ragweed, something flat and shiny (maybe some sort of sage?) and what looked like a seed of prairie mimosa. And I recall similar results with most of the other seeds I have gotten from them.