A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

I have a similar conflict with regards to wineberries. On one hand, I know they are super invasive and create dense thickets of thorny brambles. On the other, they ARE about the only fruit on my property can count on to produce anything.

As for "native", native to where? Your area of the country? Your state? Your county? I know plenty of things that can't handle being moved to another part of my LAWN. As far as I am concerned, the only truly "native" plants are whatever was there before anyone got there.

And speaking of "native", no, the fact that Native Americans grew it doesn't make it "native", or even "good". They did a better job of taking care of their environment than we do now, but they weren't magical earth children whose every action was in tune with nature. They altered and modified Their environment to suit their needs, and modified it MASSIVELY. To say otherwise is just "White Man's Guilt" bull****.

So true @Pulsegleaner. As usual, an in depth perspective with great points. Hey, even beavers create massive modifications in their environments. Modifying natural environments is natural!

 

[flowerbug]

Slow day for me flowerbug....translation please?

there are many other people who are concerned about such happenings other than invasive species awareness groups because we see a wider degradation of the planet when it is treated poorly and invasive plant species are only one part of a very big problem.

the cited plant is a prime example of something that a functional system could have dealt with but our country is stupid and because of that stupidity we pay many times over in damage pretty much forever after...

 

[heirloomgal]

there are many other people who are concerned about such happenings other than invasive species awareness groups because we see a wider degradation of the planet when it is treated poorly and invasive plant species are only one part of a very big problem.

the cited plant is a prime example of something that a functional system could have dealt with but our country is stupid and because of that stupidity we pay many times over in damage pretty much forever after...

No doubt there are some invasive species issues that could have been avoided, like the Burmese pythons of Florida. A tragic situation and only one of many that Florida is dealing with. At the same time though, so long as there is global movement across continents or even between different ecosystems there is no preventing it. The answer can only really be to have prevented people from ever moving from one place to another, and even more so, not allowing them to have things from other places whether flora or fauna. Or even, to alter the environment. Dandelions only grow on disturbed ground where I live, you never see them in forests.

But all that said, migratory species more mobile than ancient humans have always spread things from here to there. Chilies are not native to Asia, Africa, Europe, or Australia, but were spread there by birds. Who knows what else was spread by animals over time that we're unaware of. And believing Isaiah 51:6 I believe it's inevitable.

 

[heirloomgal]

Going through the peas tonight making up the grow out list.

Oh oh oh going to be a GREAT legume growing year!!!!!!!!!

Champion of England
Markerbse Somerwood
Zuckererbse Ilowiecki
Zuckererbse Bajka
Verdone
Markerbse Szesciotygidniowy
Super Snappy
Sugar Daddy
Garden Sweet
Juno
Espoir de Gembloux
Shiraz Purple Snow
Galina
Osayo Endo Snack
Heilong Jiang Snow
Ervilha Branca
Rondo
Avi Juan
Bijou
Black Badger Carlin
Cornetto del Vesuvio
Jaerert
Kent Blue
Lord Leicester
Luang Prabang
May Queen
Robinson
Serpette Guilloteau
Stokesley
Sutton’s Achievement
Turner’s Spring
Veitch’s Perfection
Corne de Belier (regrow for more seeds)
Winter Sima (same)
Gruno Rosyn
Prehobarty
Rimpaus Green Viktoria

Love and thanks to all my trading partners!! You make my seed world go round!!!

 

[flowerbug]

...But all that said, migratory species more mobile than ancient humans have always spread things from here to there. Chilies are not native to Asia, Africa, Europe, or Australia, but were spread there by birds. Who knows what else was spread by animals over time that we're unaware of.[...]

chilis were spread via humans, look up the Columbian Exchange... (beans, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, plus many other things too).

 

[ducks4you]

I must admit I have gotten fond of a little bit of heat in my food.
Eldest DD (Chef) makes a dinner called, "fancy mac and cheese." Her sister and dad didn't like the heat from the chilis, she and I DID like the heat, SO, she makes 2 versions of same and everybody is happy.

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

I like a little touch of heat too… Sriracha but a shortage in supply the last few years. So I hold on to my last container like it’s gold. Don’t tell anyone or I might have to share..

Sriracha hot sauce has a significant shortage of it due to a lack of red jalapeño peppers, the primary ingredient, caused by severe drought conditions in Mexico, where most of the peppers used for Sriracha are sourced. this has led to production halts by Huy Fong Foods, the main producer of Sriracha, as they wait for better pepper harvests.

 

[ducks4you]

I am SURE to get beaten up over this next comment, BUT, with So many, "burn your tongue out of your mouth" hot peppers, isn't there something else that you buy as a substitute?

 

[heirloomgal]

I must admit I have gotten fond of a little bit of heat in my food.
Eldest DD (Chef) makes a dinner called, "fancy mac and cheese." Her sister and dad didn't like the heat from the chilis, she and I DID like the heat, SO, she makes 2 versions of same and everybody is happy.

I like a wee bit of spice too! I had co-workers years ago who used to brew a milky tea that had cardamom, ginger, sugar and a tiny pinch of cayenne in it. I grew to really love that drink!

 

[heirloomgal]

Tonight is the night to get the *Beans 2025* list done!

I have so many little packages around from the last months of swaps, they all need to be tallied on a spreadsheet now! It feels a bit like dumping out the pillowcase on Halloween night!! A few more left to come in, but I have those on paper already, like this years network beans.

I really, really, really hope we have good weather this summer as this will be such a big, diverse grow out. It's a good beginning that the winter was SO brutally cold and harsh, as that tends to sterilize soil and knock back rodent populations. Today we finally got something falling from the sky that wasn't snow! Rain! Huge snow load this year, so that will also provide a lot of moisture deeper down too. For now, a bit flood-y out there though.

I'm still trying to figure out which corn, spinach & cucumber to grow. Leaning toward Sikkim. Elephant Head amaranth is the choice for that species. Going to try Hamburg parsley. Liso Calcutta Gherkin is slotted in (thank you @Zeedman for the suggestion - I LOVE them!!!) and I got the neatest selection of ground cherries (4 I think?) from a collector of those. I'm super glad that I can fit three kinds of them in this year with no crossing!!! Physalis pruinosa, peruviana and minima!

I'm usually excited during seed season, but this year just feels SUPER THRILLING!!!! Just this week a unique gardener in the UK who specializes in perennial veg reached out to me for a swap and I now may wind up with some very interesting onion seeds! Good times!