Experiments, observations, and lessons learned

[Ridgerunner]

You do not want to leave the sweet potatoes until frost. If the vine gets frost bitten the sweet potato will rot. As long as they are buried and you get them out before they freeze the sweet potatoes themselves should be OK but at least remove the sweet potato vines.

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks! I didn't know that. You have saved me from Disaster!!!

 

[ducks4you]

@Ridgerunner. looks like they have another 3, maybe 4 weeks to grow before the first frost. I may cover the bed with sheets when the first frost is forecast, then rip everything out of that bed.

 

[flowerbug]

i've kept one garden for almost 20 years. the soil is gradually improving. what am i doing wrong?

 

[Zeedman]

i've kept one garden for almost 20 years. the soil is gradually improving. what am i doing wrong?

Blame it on the worms...

Whenever I grow a member of the gourd family for seed, I allow the mature fruits to cure for several additional weeks before opening them for seed (or until they start to rot). The seeds generally fatten up during that period. So I am just now beginning to collect seeds from the luffa, which I've never grown successfully until this year.

The good news: it appears the seed was able to mature.
The bad (or less than great) news: wow, is it hard to get those seeds out! I had to cut through those tough fibers lengthwise to expose the seed cavities, and even then had to squeeze the seeds out from their surrounding cell walls.


Luffa "Joy"

The fresh seeds initially look much like hull-less pumpkin seeds, but will dry to black. Now that I've seen the membrane surrounding them, I might try to ferment them next time (this time I'll rub off the membrane, as I do with squash).

The mature gourds are more prone to rot than other cucurbits I've grown, so 2/4 of those let go for seed needed to be done now; the remaining 2 will be done when they too begin to brown. I will boil the sponges in vinegar water to clean them.

By far not the greatest yield of any gourd I've grown; but I am happy to finally find a luffa that succeeds at my latitude. The young fruits are sweet & slimy when cooked, similar to okra... good in soups or stir fried. Filipinos call it "patola", and use it in Misua, a somewhat slimy soup. The vines are really eye-catching in bloom (which DW really wanted to see). The large male flowers develop on long racemes that bloom over a long period. An interesting plant, but not for those with limited space.

 

[ducks4you]

@Zeedman ,
"I might try to ferment them next time (this time I'll rub off the membrane, as I do with squash)."
So you do not ferment all of your squash seeds?
I have never heard of rubbing off the membrane of the seed. Please explain.

 

[flowerbug]

@Zeedman ,
"I might try to ferment them next time (this time I'll rub off the membrane, as I do with squash)."
So you do not ferment all of your squash seeds?
I have never heard of rubbing off the membrane of the seed. Please explain.

i never ferment squash seeds, just dry them out then they have the shiny seed membrane on them with sometimes a bit of pulp that has dried. that will all come off easily by rubbing them with my fingers or a dry wash cloth.

 

[ducks4you]

What is your germination rate?

 

[Zeedman]

@Zeedman ,
"I might try to ferment them next time (this time I'll rub off the membrane, as I do with squash)."
So you do not ferment all of your squash seeds?
I have never heard of rubbing off the membrane of the seed. Please explain.

I've never needed to ferment squash seed. After a long curing period indoors, I open the squash & scoop out the seeds. After pulling out large pieces of debris & pinching off clinging seeds, I clean the seeds on a screen, under running water, gently separating the seeds from the pulp. Most of the pulp will then cling to the screen as I pour off the seeds - but the membrane is still attached. As I do for any wet seed, I drain them, then pour the seeds on newsprint to dry. Sometimes I transfer the seeds to a tray as soon as excess moisture has been wicked off (as I did with the luffa).

If the squash seeds are fully dry, they can be scraped off the newsprint. Most of the membranes & any remaining debris will cling to the paper. Any remaining membranes (or all membranes, if dried on a tray) can be easily rubbed off between two hands. For larger amounts of seed, I can place the dry seeds in a tall container & stir them briskly with a wooden spoon, winnow the seed to remove the loose membranes, and repeat until the seed is clean.

My germination rate & seed longevity are very high. The Tromboncino squash I grew for seed last year was from 2009 seed. IMO squash seed viability is most affected by the maturity of the squash at harvest & whether the squash was allowed to cure before opening. The cleaning method itself should have little to no impact... unless fermented seeds are soaked to the point of sprouting.

 

[flowerbug]

funny that part of yesterday's garden club meeting we were talking about lufas, eating them when young and how to clean them. since i have no experience directly with them it's interesting to see the pictures.

once the seeds are fully dried can they be frozen for long term storage?