A Seed Saver's Garden

Pulsegleaner

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Assam lemon cuttings are planted for rooting, as are the kernels from the greengage and other plum pits. I put ALL of them in to be sure (well, all that still had the growing tip intact,) so depending on how many actually sprout, I'll have to do some SERIOUS thinning. Have to do the same with the lemons, probably (I got six scions because I don't have experience rooting cuttings and wanted to hedge my bets, but, in the end, I only have room for ONE final tree.

Having a second go with the chestnuts up in my room as well. The first sprouts failed due to feline interference (Juniper started digging in the pot and kept going until he emptied it more or less.) But when I recovered the bag with the rest of the nuts that hadn't germinated at the first time, another dozen or so had. And, since the mung bean plant is gone now, I had a big pot with nothing in it, so in they went, pot was watered, and we'll see what develops (if they're already germinated, shoot growth should not take too long).

Probably time to start the things that get started indoors soon, like the garlics and the pansies. Conventional wisdom says it's time to start tomato seeds as well, but, given how late the actual warm weather has been most years, I think that, if I did start them now, they'd be to leggy and etiolated by the time I put them out to be able to thrive (I am willing to stake tomato plants when I have to, but, in general, a tomato plant that needs to be staked when it is still basically just a seedling is not going to do well, they need to get the thickness of stem that comes from growing out in the wind and the rain.)

Favas and peas will probably get sown in three to four weeks; in pots so I can keep them mobile (with our crazy weather, I think the best bet for any cool weather crop succeeding is to set it up so it can be outside in the better weather, but still be capable of being hauled in in case of a late hard/long freeze. I'm now sort of GLAD we don't have the soil for lettuce, rigging up a mobile for THAT that was big enough to produce enough for any use would be extremely cumbersome.)
 

Pulsegleaner

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Garlic? Are you starting TGS (true garlic seed)?
Nah, I don't have any TGS, and, even if I did, regular garlic doesn't seem to do very well here. What I was referring to was the seeds of the various species of wild "garlics" I managed to accumulate, since I am still going through trying to find one that actually LIKES it here. Rakkyo was a bust (can't put on enough bulk over the summer to have the energy to divide come the following spring, so each year there was less. So was the Korean Mountain garlic (I got maybe one pea sized bulb (which is as big as the get, so that wasn't the problem) for ever forty or fifty bulbils I originally planted (THAT was the problem). Plus, it can't store outside of the ground. So this year, I'm trying out a bunch of Eastern European and Trans-Caucasian species ( those at least have to be fairly cold hardy), plus one errant South African species.

There also seems to be someone on Etsy offering long stamen onion aka Japanese/Chinese garlic which I may get if I can scrape together the money and find somewhere to bide them over until it's warmer (they're out of bulbs, so I'd have to use live plants.)
 

heirloomgal

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Assam lemon cuttings are planted for rooting, as are the kernels from the greengage and other plum pits. I put ALL of them in to be sure (well, all that still had the growing tip intact,) so depending on how many actually sprout, I'll have to do some SERIOUS thinning. Have to do the same with the lemons, probably (I got six scions because I don't have experience rooting cuttings and wanted to hedge my bets, but, in the end, I only have room for ONE final tree.

Having a second go with the chestnuts up in my room as well. The first sprouts failed due to feline interference (Juniper started digging in the pot and kept going until he emptied it more or less.) But when I recovered the bag with the rest of the nuts that hadn't germinated at the first time, another dozen or so had. And, since the mung bean plant is gone now, I had a big pot with nothing in it, so in they went, pot was watered, and we'll see what develops (if they're already germinated, shoot growth should not take too long).

Probably time to start the things that get started indoors soon, like the garlics and the pansies. Conventional wisdom says it's time to start tomato seeds as well, but, given how late the actual warm weather has been most years, I think that, if I did start them now, they'd be to leggy and etiolated by the time I put them out to be able to thrive (I am willing to stake tomato plants when I have to, but, in general, a tomato plant that needs to be staked when it is still basically just a seedling is not going to do well, they need to get the thickness of stem that comes from growing out in the wind and the rain.)

Favas and peas will probably get sown in three to four weeks; in pots so I can keep them mobile (with our crazy weather, I think the best bet for any cool weather crop succeeding is to set it up so it can be outside in the better weather, but still be capable of being hauled in in case of a late hard/long freeze. I'm now sort of GLAD we don't have the soil for lettuce, rigging up a mobile for THAT that was big enough to produce enough for any use would be extremely cumbersome.)
Do you have an Assam lemon tree? I remember the year my greenhouse went up, I celebrated by buying a large potted citrus plant, a lemon variety I think (can't recall for sure). What I do remember is the blossoms released one of the most heavenly scents I've ever experienced.

Etiolated, thank you for introducting me to this word, I didn't reaized there was a technical word for that! I thought I'd copy this over - kind of neat since I've only ever used the term leggy! Kind of like when I learned the technical term for when your seedlings turn their heads to the light, 'phototropism'. I'm a word geek I think. 🤓 But I do play Scrabble quite a bit, so anything that gives me an advantage is a w.

e·ti·o·lat·ed
/ˈēdēəˌlādəd/
adjective


  1. (of a plant) pale and drawn out due to a lack of light.
    "etiolated mung bean seedlings"
    • having lost vigor or substance; feeble.
      "a tone of etiolated nostalgia"
 

Pulsegleaner

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Do you have an Assam lemon tree? I remember the year my greenhouse went up, I celebrated by buying a large potted citrus plant, a lemon variety I think (can't recall for sure). What I do remember is the blossoms released one of the most heavenly scents I've ever experienced.
Assuming the cuttings root, I will. And I already have the Baladi lemon tree as well (though I won't know if it is a doqq or a bouserra until it actually makes fruits and I use them.)

The person I got my cuttings from still has a few, if you want to give it a try

https://www.etsy.com/listing/133189...ick_sum=da6be536&ref=user_profile&cns=1&sts=1
 

Artorius

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With @heirloomgal permission, I am posting here the current list of tomatoes with Polish roots I am looking for. I will be very grateful for your help in obtaining them. Of course, I will cover all costs.

Berkshire Polish
Berkshire Polish Beefsteak
Anna Dutka Family
Andy's Polish Pink
Polish Non-Acid
Lillian Maciejewski's Poland Pink
Lebiaskowskij
Joe's Polish
Henry's Polish
Big Raspberry
Polish Paste
Bramki
Grandma Mary's Polish
Grandpa Charlie
Polish Giant Paste
Polnische Saeulentomate
Polish Yellow Dwarf
 
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Zeedman

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Berkshire Polish
Berkshire Polish Beefsteak
Anna Dutka Family
Andy's Polish Pink
Polish Non-Acid
Lillian Maciejewski's Poland Pink
Lebiaskowskij
Joe's Polish
Henry's Polish
Big Raspberry
Polish Paste
Bramki
Grandma Mary's Polish
Grandpa Charlie
Polish Giant Paste
Polnische Saeulentomate
Polish Yellow Dwarf
The varieties in bold are currently being offered in the 2024 SSE Yearbook. They also list a "Polish Paste" which although it doesn't say 'giant', refers to fruits up to 1 pound in weight.

I don't know whether or not it is possible for me to send seeds to you from the U.S., but if so, would be happy to help. Just send me a PM.

And BTW, SSE has several other Polish varieties not on your list.
 
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