A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

Not necessarily. Nearly all miniature corns are popcorns*, but not all popcorns are miniature corns. there are plenty that are more "standard" sizes (including most of the ones grown professionally, since they want bigger kernels to make bigger popcorn.)

Though I have noticed that corn doesn't appear to have all of that smooth of a spectrum with regards to ear size. You get a cluster down at the "mini" level of about 6 inches and a cluster at the "standard" end at around 9-12 inches, but you don't find all that much in the middle (except when a standard ear comes out a bit undersized due to stress).

In the ornamental corn market (where most of the colorful corns have their major economic niche outside of specialist growers like us) I think this may be on purpose. They want all of the corn to be more or less the same length, so that, when they bind them into the standard groups of three ears for doors, the ends line up (I know that one of the major impediments I have in putting the ears I don't want kernels from back together to hang on the door is trying to find three that are the same length. That and trying to get the rubber band/wire back on correctly.)

*Well, except mine.

I just rechecked the site I got it from, and it says 6 inch cobs on 5 foot plants? Which these are neither. I hope I wasn't sold the wrong variety! I do know for sure the kernels I planted looked like pink glass?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I just rechecked the site I got it from, and it says 6 inch cobs on 5 foot plants? Which these are neither. I hope I wasn't sold the wrong variety! I do know for sure the kernels I planted looked like pink glass?

Sounds like possibly a pink Glass Gem selection. Glass Gem DOES come in a mini form, but it is not all that well known or paid attention to, and so may not be all that stable with regard to size.

This person says he has a mini purple (a mini blue, as well). I've never bought any (since I have a whole jar of mini full spectrum, with a couple of whole ears on top of that) But I don't see WHY he should not be telling the truth.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/563193227/20-mini-purple-glass-gem-corn-miniature?click_key=2676b978a6064498532ab6dc973124074fba7232:563193227&click_sum=4c058129&ref=user_profile

NOTE: If you go through the whole seed list, pay attention to the descriptions. The pink selection is NOT mini, it is full sized.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Purple and green pods on pole beans that are all supposed to be the same

Are those different colored pods on the same plant? If they are on different plants then I'd expect to see different colors/patterns of seeds, an outcross or segregation. Different colored flowers on different plants is another sign of an outcross or segregation.

If they are on the same plant, one of the Will Bonsall crosses I managed to stabilize (Jas) often had reverse pods. The regular pods were green with purple stripes but some pods on the same plant would be purple with green stripes. Jas also occasionally threw some reverse beans but there was no correlation as to which pods the reverse seeds were in. If yours are on the same plant I'd suspect a reverse pod.

 

[heirloomgal]

Are those different colored pods on the same plant? If they are on different plants then I'd expect to see different colors/patterns of seeds, an outcross or segregation. Different colored flowers on different plants is another sign of an outcross or segregation.

If they are on the same plant, one of the Will Bonsall crosses I managed to stabilize (Jas) often had reverse pods. The regular pods were green with purple stripes but some pods on the same plant would be purple with green stripes. Jas also occasionally threw some reverse beans but there was no correlation as to which pods the reverse seeds were in. If yours are on the same plant I'd suspect a reverse pod.

I checked as closely as possible and it looks like one of the 3 plants around the pole are purple, the others all green (judging by the stem colours as they are so intertwined). Looks like the green is earlier as there is a good pod set and no flowers that I can see, while the purple pods are small and still flowering fairly heavily.

 

[heirloomgal]

Sounds like possibly a pink Glass Gem selection. Glass Gem DOES come in a mini form, but it is not all that well known or paid attention to, and so may not be all that stable with regard to size.

This person says he has a mini purple (a mini blue, as well). I've never bought any (since I have a whole jar of mini full spectrum, with a couple of whole ears on top of that) But I don't see WHY he should not be telling the truth.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/563193227/20-mini-purple-glass-gem-corn-miniature?click_key=2676b978a6064498532ab6dc973124074fba7232:563193227&click_sum=4c058129&ref=user_profile

NOTE: If you go through the whole seed list, pay attention to the descriptions. The pink selection is NOT mini, it is full sized.

I couldn't find the pink popcorn in there? Though that purple corn is pretty incredible looking.

I took a little peek of one small 'side corn'. It was glassy pink and actually smaller than I thought, though it seems each plant has one big cob and one or two smaller ones lower down. Those ones seem more the correct size. I hope they make it. Every year I grow corn it is usually ready by now, or at least soon. So those very fresh looking green husks are a bit concerning. I wonder what the seed vendor meant by dwarf. Pretty vague term really, but these are much more than 5 feet. More like 7 or 8.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I couldn't find the pink popcorn in there? Though that purple corn is pretty incredible looking.

I took a little peek of one small 'side corn'. It was glassy pink and actually smaller than I thought, though it seems each plant has one big cob and one or two smaller ones lower down. Those ones seem more the correct size. I hope they make it. Every year I grow corn it is usually ready by now, or at least soon. So those very fresh looking green husks are a bit concerning. I wonder what the seed vendor meant by dwarf. Pretty vague term really, but these are much more than 5 feet. More like 7 or 8.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/549805...ga_search_query=corn&ref=shop_items_search_11

As for the dwarf thing, that's a little hard to say. There are plenty of corns that get a LOT taller than 8 ft (in fact, some of them get so tall I seriously wonder how they were harvested in the old days. Maybe plant them REALLY far apart so you could ride a horse between the rows?)

With my full spectrum mini GG I actually have two different versions (well, technically three, but the third is more of a sub variant of one of the others.) There's the one I originally found, and then there is a different version I acquired from someone on eBay which was supposed to be selected for dwarfism. That has somewhat larger kernels than the first one.

 

[heirloomgal]

The seed harvesting is daily now.

Given that I'm trying to save flower seeds too, it is a twice daily roam around looking for dried heads and pods. The nemophilias, Chinese houses, bird's eye gilia & meadow foam are all proving quite challenging indeed. My only guess at this point is, in order to collect the seed before it falls, I need to shear the plants off while the seed heads are immature and lay them on paper to dry. Will it work? No idea. But I can't see any other way of catching them. They're all too sequential and as soon as a pod is mature they just drop right out. Frustrating!

I was staggered (and elated!) to find my first pepicha seed heads TODAY. I've only been trying to achieve this for 4 years! And the quillquina is forming similar flowers so it would be GREAT to get some of those too. Nicotianas are making truck tons of seeds! This is a 1st for me too. Delphiniums, hollyhocks, Jerusalem Cross, all producing nice quantities of seed.
The dwarf cosmos seeds are elluding me completely though.

Collected about 1/2 the pea pods out there; Yokumo giant, Retrija, San Cristoforo, Gravedigger, Magnum Bonum and Dane Pea all a little slower than the rest. As far as I can tell, Dead Viking and Green Beauty are the largest producers. Huge production for those ones. Still early yet though.

Ah, life is grand.

 

[Zeedman]

Given that I'm trying to save flower seeds too, it is a twice daily roam around looking for dried heads and pods. The nemophilias, Chinese houses, bird's eye gilia & meadow foam are all proving quite challenging indeed. My only guess at this point is, in order to collect the seed before it falls, I need to shear the plants off while the seed heads are immature and lay them on paper to dry. Will it work? No idea. But I can't see any other way of catching them. They're all too sequential and as soon as a pod is mature they just drop right out. Frustrating!

Maybe break down some corrugated boxes to place under the plants? Be sure that each piece has a fold or flap. They should be fairly easy to slide in & out, and when collecting the fallen seed, fold the board into a "V" to pour the seeds into a container. You could pull the corrugate sheets out when rain is expected... unless you want to prevent the seeds from hitting the ground & volunteering (and you have plenty of replacement boxes).

 

[Pulsegleaner]

As for the dwarf thing, that's a little hard to say. There are plenty of corns that get a LOT taller than 8 ft (in fact, some of them get so tall I seriously wonder how they were harvested in the old days. Maybe plant them REALLY far apart so you could ride a horse between the rows?)

Actually, I should have mentioned the relationship to my one good idea for a kids book ("good" in that when I mentioned it to my sister, the children's book editor, she basically said "If you wrote it, I'd be happy to find you the help you'd need (like an illustrator, since I am terrible artist) and facilitate it getting published, since it actually sounds like it would sell." Pity that 1. I am bone ass lazy 2. I had a idea all of the words should rhyme (i.e. it be a sort of long poem) which makes it MUCH harder and 3. I'm a little worried about it being seen as un-PC (in this day and age, I'm not sure if I could get away with using the word "hoodoo".

The idea of the story was a town in the 19th century Midwest who are preparing for the celebration of the annual corn harvest, and who fall afoul of a old Hoodoo/Magic man who hates the townspeople for all the happy noise they are making. The magic man then curses the corn so that it keeps growing taller and taller, making the ears too high up to reach and pick. The town is facing starvation, until a circus comes to town and helps them via first their bareback riders (who can stand up on horses) then the stilt walkers, and finally the, clowns on a fire truck.

 

[flowerbug]

Actually, I should have mentioned the relationship to my one good idea for a kids book ("good" in that when I mentioned it to my sister, the children's book editor, she basically said "If you wrote it, I'd be happy to find you the help you'd need (like an illustrator, since I am terrible artist) and facilitate it getting published, since it actually sounds like it would sell." Pity that 1. I am bone ass lazy 2. I had a idea all of the words should rhyme (i.e. it be a sort of long poem) which makes it MUCH harder and 3. I'm a little worried about it being seen as un-PC (in this day and age, I'm not sure if I could get away with using the word "hoodoo".

The idea of the story was a town in the 19th century Midwest who are preparing for the celebration of the annual corn harvest, and who fall afoul of a old Hoodoo/Magic man who hates the townspeople for all the happy noise they are making. The magic man then curses the corn so that it keeps growing taller and taller, making the ears too high up to reach and pick. The town is facing starvation, until a circus comes to town and helps them via first their bareback riders (who can stand up on horses) then the stilt walkers, and finally the, clowns on a fire truck.

i like it. trying to figure out how corn rhymes with hoodoo (other than remotely if it comes out as doodoo on the other end of the processing chambers )...

instantly it strikes me as something like what Dr. Seuss would write and those usually were interesting and some were definitely not PC (and are being frowned at now).