A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

Thank you @Zeedman @digitS'

I'm a bit baffled about what exactly I've got. I seen voles scurrying from bed to bed, DH too. But what I've read online says voles don't leave mounds, and I've seen 2 of those mounds. One in the tomatoes today. I cooked fettuccine as a worm 'wannabe' bait for the traps last night, nothing. Tonight I try pieces of date in the traps.

 

[heirloomgal]

Tomato harvest today. I realize as I post this I'm missing yellow and white in there. My yellow tomatoes didn't come true unfortunately, but it wasn't my seed, so not too disappointing. Next year! Cant believe the production of the oxheart, the highest of all varieties.

'Magnolia Blossom' is completely done, as well as fully dried and ready to be shelled. Oh, the satisfaction of collecting seeds! The exponential value is incredible! Started with 25.

'Spoon' mini's. So good! Will get tons of seeds too.

Here's 2 of the smaller ones. The tiniest tomatoes I've ever seen! Smaller than green peas. ☺

I think this was 'Cornplanter Purple'. I thought the colours were pretty, so much like a fresh peach.

'Seahorses' - odd ducks of the tomato world. Always have to grow one or two 'out there' types in a season. Lol

Total harvest from the 'Black Russian' fava bean plants. Probably about 12-13 plants. Hard to capture the colour 'cause the light bounces off the dark purple too much.

'Green Grape' cherry tomato. I LOVE green tomatoes!

Evolution of the compost pile. Wild sunflowers that take over now blooming. Wish they were sunchokes instead, very hard type of plant to get here. Have always wanted to try those, though I've not met anyone who sings their praises. Then again, burrowing creatures might like them too

First dry runner bean! The other one in the pod had sprouted !? Weird! Must have been the high humidity we had for awhile. I left the pinecone in the pic because as I took this they were being knocked out of the tree all around me by a squirrel. Kept expecting to get one on the noggin.

 

[heirloomgal]

Had some fun with the camera, fabrics and beans which are trickling in now. It's just the beginning and many more are yet to be ready, but those first few crisp, dry pods are so appreciated! Has been the most challenging growing year I've EVER had.

'Koronis Purple'. (X3) Trying to determine whether opposite colours on the colour wheel are better than complimentary colours against the beans. Just love the colour of this bean, it is one of my favourites, such a cartoonish purple. Plants were stunted from early high heat, but the pods that did grow were fine.

'Vermont Cranberry'

'Mayan Red'

'Amish Gnuttle'. I watched all the Jurassic Park movies with my kids this summer, and I can't help but think of dinosaur eggs looking at these now.

 

[Alasgun]

@heirloomgal, i believe you could provide seed catalog pictures to the various vendors selling the things you grow! You’ve certainly put together an attractive display; even if it’s just for your own enjoyment or record keeping. I keep paper records but the majority of how i do what when stuff; is on my phone. And not nearly as professional!

 

[heirloomgal]

@heirloomgal, i believe you could provide seed catalog pictures to the various vendors selling the things you grow! You’ve certainly put together an attractive display; even if it’s just for your own enjoyment or record keeping. I keep paper records but the majority of how i do what when stuff; is on my phone. And not nearly as professional!

Aw, thanks @Alasgun that's so nice of you. My daughter is truly my partner in the pic department, most gets passed by her discerning eye before posting.

 

[heirloomgal]

My sweet little 'Dapple Gray' bean. Gosh, how I've been wanting to grow this bean! Finally I've got my hands on it! This poor bean struggled pretty hard through the summer. It just barely produced sufficient foliage. I've no idea where it originates or what conditions it prefers, but it was not happy with what it had this round. Luckily, it looks like I'll still collect more than I planted & my home grown dapple gray seeds are considerably larger than the originals I bought - something I'm quite happy about. Onwards and upwards!

I learned something about okra pods today. The hard way. They can CUT you! The pod ridges on these were incredibly sharp. I've saved okra seeds before but I don't recall the pods being so large nor so dangerous. I suppose it's a form of seed protection. I'm going to let these dry a bit more before I bust them open. I'll need to wear gloves for sure.

Finished my 15th batch of fermented tomato seeds tonight. Been a good tomato year.

Cannot believe how productive the tomatillos are. From only two of the plants, in a matter of a couple days I filled 1/4 of a banana box. The volume of food these can produce is stunning. I don't know much about their nutritional profile though. Will be curious to read up on that. They are a beautiful fruit as well if they don't hit the ground, which they do pretty easily. So glad I tried them. Saved a large batch of fermented seed for them tonight as well.

Shelled some bean pods tonight, such an enjoyable and relaxing task. Will be working on picking off the last pea pods from the drying vines tomorrow. There are birds actually attacking the remaining pods to my surprise. On the very dry upper pods they managed to empty several. I didn't even know it was possible, I'd always assumed earwigs were the culprit in pod damage. Huh.

Can't believe the season is winding down already! Still in the 30 degree range right now, and it's humid, but at least it's not raining! This is pretty good drying down weather all things considered.

 

[flowerbug]

My sweet little 'Dapple Gray' bean. Gosh, how I've been wanting to grow this bean! Finally I've got my hands on it! This poor bean struggled pretty hard through the summer. It just barely produced sufficient foliage. I've no idea where it originates or what conditions it prefers, but it was not happy with what it had this round. Luckily, it looks like I'll still collect more than I planted & my home grown dapple gray seeds are considerably larger than the originals I bought - something I'm quite happy about. Onwards and upwards!

View attachment 43305
View attachment 43308

I learned something about okra pods today. The hard way. They can CUT you! The pod ridges on these were incredibly sharp. I've saved okra seeds before but I don't recall the pods being so large nor so dangerous. I suppose it's a form of seed protection. I'm going to let these dry a bit more before I bust them open. I'll need to wear gloves for sure.
View attachment 43306

Finished my 15th batch of fermented tomato seeds tonight. Been a good tomato year.

Cannot believe how productive the tomatillos are. From only two of the plants, in a matter of a couple days I filled 1/4 of a banana box. The volume of food these can produce is stunning. I don't know much about their nutritional profile though. Will be curious to read up on that. They are a beautiful fruit as well if they don't hit the ground, which they do pretty easily. So glad I tried them. Saved a large batch of fermented seed for them tonight as well.

Shelled some bean pods tonight, such an enjoyable and relaxing task. Will be working on picking off the last pea pods from the drying vines tomorrow. There are birds actually attacking the remaining pods to my surprise. On the very dry upper pods they managed to empty several. I didn't even know it was possible, I'd always assumed earwigs were the culprit in pod damage. Huh.

Can't believe the season is winding down already! Still in the 30 degree range right now, and it's humid, but at least it's not raining! This is pretty good drying down weather all things considered.

i think those Dapple Gray seeds look great! i've had reasonable results from them since i first grew them in 2018. @Bluejay77 sent them to me as a network bean and among those few beans he sent was one that was crossed or mutated because it gave me a bean i've come to call Monster which has been the source of many many other beans i have now. in the bean threads you'll see pictures of Monster Children (which many haven't been stable enough or named yet) and just this season i grew out one of them which has given me Dapple Pink. unknown if that is stable or not as it will take some years to figure that out. always fun and interesting.

Dapple Gray is one of those beans that has done fairly well here in various gardens. it seems to do better in the better garden soil i have in the North Garden. the habit of the plant is more upright than some of the others and i've gradually expanded my supply of seeds to where i'm trying to grow them out as a bulk bean this season. i'm not sure yet of the results.

i do have enough seeds that i can supply samples to anyone who wants them.

 

[heirloomgal]

It

i think those Dapple Gray seeds look great! i've had reasonable results from them since i first grew them in 2018. @Bluejay77 sent them to me as a network bean and among those few beans he sent was one that was crossed or mutated because it gave me a bean i've come to call Monster which has been the source of many many other beans i have now. in the bean threads you'll see pictures of Monster Children (which many haven't been stable enough or named yet) and just this season i grew out one of them which has given me Dapple Pink. unknown if that is stable or not as it will take some years to figure that out. always fun and interesting.

Dapple Gray is one of those beans that has done fairly well here in various gardens. it seems to do better in the better garden soil i have in the North Garden. the habit of the plant is more upright than some of the others and i've gradually expanded my supply of seeds to where i'm trying to grow them out as a bulk bean this season. i'm not sure yet of the results.

i do have enough seeds that i can supply samples to anyone who wants them.

Might be fun to try one of your little monsters @flowerbug

 

[heirloomgal]

Rain in the forecast for tonight, so spent some time this evening combing carefully through bean plants hunting dry pods ☺

Black Good Mother Stollard

Tigre. (made it to 60! Yay!)

Veense. Very flat pods, much like a roma type - my favourite texture of fresh bean. Impressed that so many pods are dry already.

Pods of Mayan bean... ❤ Never grown pods this colour before.

Speckled Algonquin

Shirolustruca Kovina

Hutterite.
All were strangely short semi-runners, though they were bushes last year.

First pods of 'Kaiser Friedrich'

Landfrauen. This bean has cropped as wonderfully as Louisiana. Tremendous production. If drying down continues to go well, I'll have plenty of this bean I think.
The 2 bean colours were from pods on the same plant. There were no dark ones in the original packet I was sent, so this must be a kind of marking reversal. Seems most beans do this even a little.

Weiner Treib. A delicate bean that has powerful resistance to heat, humidity and fungal issues. Like it very much. Wish all beans had such fortitude, especially other bush beans.

 

[flowerbug]

if those birdies are raiding dry peas i think you could try to decoy them with bird seed in a nearby feeder.