A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

Misery. Miserable weather that is, 43F/6C right now. Every day - for what feels like an eternity - has been raining and cold, this must be some record for lack of sunshine. I'm 2 days behind schedule starting beans in pots because this weather is far too inhospitable. I've put off the lettuce too for the same reason. Most of the snow is gone at least. I decided to put the pepper starts out in the cold greenhouse these last 2 days because many are too big to be under my lights in the current set up. I guess overcast is better than nothing, and I put in a few space warmers on a low setting. Hope it works well enough to stop them dropping leaves from unhappiness.

I'm actually feeling tempted to do some pea starts since they could handle this once sprouted.

 

[heirloomgal]

In my resolve to grow only things I can save seeds from, I gave up on pansies from the greenhouses. But I allowed myself a few small indulgences today for DH's bday table decorations.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Is this the plant that also goes by the name 'Cast Iron Plant' and is often grow as a houseplant?

Yes.

 

[heirloomgal]

There is some, I'm not sure what to call it, folklore/wisdom/tradition/superstition about planting out times re: frost. Apparently the last new moon of June is when the last frost risk is. I've tried to keep track over the last ten years to see how often it comes true vs deviates. I'd say 75% of the time it's turned out to be fairly accurate, but still, 25 percent is a lot of deviation. This year the last new moon of June is the 18th.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Plant your peas in the Fall!

Growing Peas in the Fall - Our Stoney Acres

Depending on where you live, growing peas in the fall can be a little tricky. This guide will help you come up with the perfect planting date for your area.

ourstoneyacres.com

Use you indoor seed starting setup and plan to transplant. MINE is in my basement and will be cave temperature in July.
I am still gonna throw a few in the ground this week, just to see.

Two problems with that. One I don't HAVE a real indoor setup with lights (I HAD one once, but the lights have long since broken, and, by now, the room where it is has been so filled up by my parents with stuff in storage that getting it back to plant might be a battle beyond my strength. Plus, they've taken away my space for my fermentation jugs, so that space might have to be used for that.) And even if I could get it working again, a table in a basement room is not a great place to try to grow indeterminate vines.

Two, it isn't enough for me to be able to get to the point of green pods, I need to get to full mature seeds. I only have about five or so of my special peas to work with, so I really have no margin for error.)

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Potted up the twelve viable corn seedlings I had so far before the roots started getting damaged by hitting the bottom of the container (or started growing into the peat plugs next to them, making separation without damage difficult.) Now just have to hope they can hold on in their pots in the cold frame until they've used up their stored endosperm and can be safely planted in the ground (they're mini-kernel corns, so they should use it up relatively fast.)
Herbs arrived via UPS tonight, so I'll pot those up outside tomorrow.

STILL not sure what to do about my mulberry dilemma. In THEORY, the tree is big enough now that it should start producing even in the pot it's in, but it hasn't yet. I don't know whether to put it in the ground or not. if it IS an eating mulberry, I'd hate to waste it, but if (far more likely) it's one of the wild ones that grow all around here, planting it is the LAST thing I want to do! Why did I have to dump those dried mulberries back THERE of all places!

I managed to shell my mystery Prunus pits (the spherical ones I bought from Eastern Europe as game counters) so they are ready to plant. Though I suppose it is prudent to only try and plant HALF of them now, in case I make a mistake (as I don't know what species they are, I don't know if they need vernalization or not. Not every member of the family does. Hunza apricots don't, for example; they'll sprout if direct sown from the shell with no problem.)

 

[heirloomgal]

Had a little 'witch tomato' miracle.

I mentioned a bit ago that my DS flipped one of my hexentomate pots over on it's head by accident while helping me move them. It snapped off just above the soil, a fairly clean break. Given I had only one other plant & no more seeds, I decided to take some plastic wrap, cover a drinking glass full of water with it, poke a hole and put the broken plant in with the bottom of the stem submerged about 1/2 an inch. Seemed like a long shot, and nothing happened for awhile. Until something did! The darn thing grew a whole bunch of hairy roots in no time. I replanted it into a new pot and it's now huge. Miracles!

 

[ducks4you]

I understand that you can do with suckers midseason, too.
SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!

 

[Zeedman]

STILL not sure what to do about my mulberry dilemma. In THEORY, the tree is big enough now that it should start producing even in the pot it's in, but it hasn't yet. I don't know whether to put it in the ground or not. if it IS an eating mulberry, I'd hate to waste it, but if (far more likely) it's one of the wild ones that grow all around here, planting it is the LAST thing I want to do! Why did I have to dump those dried mulberries back THERE of all places!

Of course, it could turn out to be a male tree. I have a row of mulberries on one of my property lines (originally 5 or 6) and only one of them bore fruit. The others are male.

And because mature mulberry trees apparently like to split & lean over into my neighbor's property, I'm probably bringing in a boom & taking all of them down. Sure wish those trees weren't so uncooperative, I hate cutting down living trees... especially when I'd like to focus on taking down the 30-40 dead ASH TREES instead.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Of course, it could turn out to be a male tree. I have a row of mulberries on one of my property lines (originally 5 or 6) and only one of them bore fruit. The others are male.

And because mature mulberry trees apparently like to split & lean over into my neighbor's property, I'm probably bringing in a boom & taking all of them down. Sure wish those trees weren't so uncooperative, I hate cutting down living trees... especially when I'd like to focus on taking down the 30-40 dead ASH TREES instead.

Wait a sec, mulberries are dioecious? Then I'm screwed either way. If the tree is male, then I'll get no fruit at all, and if it is female, then it's only pollinators will be the wild ones in the neighborhood. It might not effect the fruit of THAT one (since the edible parts is all maternal anyway) but it means that any further seed born descendants will basically be crap (and I have mentioned how much trouble I have with any sort of vegetative propagation.)

Tossing the thing out is sounding better and better, especially considering I don't even particularly LIKE mulberries, ESPECIALLY the ones in the fruit package that theoretical seed might have come from (I tossed them out because I DIDN'T WANT to eat them, and thought the birds might. I've just been sparing it because I didn't want potentially good fruit to go to waste.)