Unusual crops

[Zeedman]

I guess sort of the same thing happens with the Egyptian mint (well, it did until the gardeners weed whacked it to the ground, I'll get more in the spring. The only way to get enough to meet my needs would be to break the rule of mint, plant it directly in the ground, and LET it take over.

That sounds like an act of horticultural masochism.

 

[ducks4you]

@Pulsegleaner , How do you KNOW that the tomato seeds died? Did you toss them? I didn't have the patience BUT I sprouted tomato seeds from my GF that were 35yo.
If you Haven't thrown them away, make a terrarium, like out of a cleaned out milk jug, put it where you won't forget it, like the top of the fridge, and check 2x/week to see any progress. I let My seedlings dry out but 7/~15 seeds Did sprout.

 

[digitS']

I'm wondering if parsnips are an unusual crop.

Thinking recently about all the various vegetables that I had never eaten before I became a gardener. We had a garden when I was a kid and Mom shopped at the health food store.

Even my first garden as a teenager, I can only remember growing green beans and tomatoes. There must have been more to it. It wasn't at all large but more than a couple of short rows.

My current veggie garden has such rocky soil I may not have dug out a single parsnip without breaking the tip off. It's really a surprise. I try to loosen the soil beyond what the tractor guy can accomplish, he goes about 8" down. I used the 11" spading fork the last few years. The roots go right on past into the rocks and, what amounts to little more than subsoil! The carrot variety DW likes is nearly as adventuresome.

Anyway, if you like to boil, then slice and fry carrots - you may like parsnips even better that way. Of course, they are just fine with other veggies, joining beef in a roasting pan or in a stew pot.

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

@Pulsegleaner , How do you KNOW that the tomato seeds died? Did you toss them? I didn't have the patience BUT I sprouted tomato seeds from my GF that were 35yo.
If you Haven't thrown them away, make a terrarium, like out of a cleaned out milk jug, put it where you won't forget it, like the top of the fridge, and check 2x/week to see any progress. I let My seedlings dry out but 7/~15 seeds Did sprout.

I planted them, they didn't come up. THAT'S How I know they were dead.

 

[seedcorn]

Love parsnips fried. Boiled, mashed by themselves, fairly plain. Biggest problem is getting a stand....

 

[digitS']

The problem that I have had with parsnips is the same as carrots - germination.

Small seeds, slow to start, and they have to be sown just a fraction of an inch below the soil surface. Dry weather in Spring and the seed can fail.

Carrots and parsnips would both be good candidates for the fluid seeding that I've tried. It's using one tablespoon of cornstarch boiled in a cup of water and allowed to cool. Seed is then mixed in and drippled into the drill . Or, the mix can be used to paste seed on toilet paper for a homemade seed tape .

Howsomeever ... about the the time that I was experimenting with fluid seeding, pelleted carrot seed became commonly available. A fail-safe for me! That coating of clay holds moisture just dandy! NOW, I see that both Johnny's and Osborne has pelleted parsnip seed. Haven't tried them but I just bet that it beats putting a board over the soil and seed for

Forgetful Steve

 

[baymule]

Unusual crops. Ok @seedcorn since you brought it up, try Cherokee Purple tomatoes. Get over your red tomato bias and live dangerously!

You try Cherokee Purple tomatoes and I’ll try something that you pick out for me. I’ll have to grow it in a container, but I’ll try whatever you pick out.

 

[baymule]

I have never tried parsnips. Too much like carrots, which I fail miserably at growing. Never tried leeks. I have eaten the little gherkins pickles, bought at the store. Never tried kohlrabi, celeriac or pie melons. Pie melons don’t even sound good. I like patty pan squash and have grown it.

I was wondering about those litchi tomatoes, now I know to skip them. I had yellow watermelons out the wazoo from tossing the rinds to the pigs. Volunteers that produced well, reseeded and came back for several years.

 

[meadow]

Another plant I have trouble with is something called wild mountain garlic (never been sure of the real species name) This shows up once in a blue moon at the Korean grocery store, never in great quantities. as I like the flavor I would LOVE to have it growing in my garden. The problem is that it shows up in the winter, and no matter how I have tried, I can't get the bulbs to last intact until spring. (bagged in plastic, they rot and go moldy. In a breathable cloth bag, they dry out).

I've had success with Korean garlic (from the Korean grocery store) planted in a long rectangular container/pot. Worked well! (no need to hold them over, just stick them right in)

 

[seedcorn]

Unusual crops. Ok @seedcorn since you brought it up, try Cherokee Purple tomatoes. Get over your red tomato bias and live dangerously!

You try Cherokee Purple tomatoes and I’ll try something that you pick out for me. I’ll have to grow it in a container, but I’ll try whatever you pick out.

Always up for a challenge but not for that. NO ONE that I know will eat a purple or black tomato. Try something else.