Some surprising survivors

I am pleasantly surprised by how many plant seeds survived our drought and came up on their own. I was able to get a good meal out of the Gailan by cutting them one by one out of the weeds. I like them in my miso soup. My rainbow chard came up but I am letting that go to seed for the Fall. Oregano somehow came back from the roots. My turmeric is back but I gave that a bit of water to help it along. The clump managed to expand even with the dry conditions. It is popping up in places I didn't expect it. I thought my lemon grass was a goner but it is starting to put out new shoots.

Gailan: shows some of the ease required to "save" brassica seed.

I have to figure out what I might do to save chard seed. I've never done that with either beet or chard.

I'm trying a Japanese, narrow stem chard this year. I'm hoping that it is as nice as the Italian, Verde De Taglio Swiss Chard. As it is, I have to either change my seed buying habits or continue to trouble @ninnymary for seed each year.

Steve

So happy to hear from you, @hoodat. It is amazing how effective Mother Nature can be at times. Notice, however, that the expensive or difficult edibles are less likely to be back.

digitS' said:

Gailan: shows some of the ease required to "save" brassica seed.

I have to figure out what I might do to save chard seed. I've never done that with either beet or chard.

I'm trying a Japanese, narrow stem chard this year. I'm hoping that it is as nice as the Italian, Verde De Taglio Swiss Chard. As it is, I have to either change my seed buying habits or continue to trouble @ninnymary for seed each year.

Steve

Click to expand...

Ha! I like trouble.

Mary

For chard just let a couple of them go to seed. You'll be surprised how tall the stalk will get. Over 6 feet sometimes. Let the seed dry on the stalk but harvest as soon as the stalk dies back or it will shatter and you'll have it everywhere. Treat it like beet seed. Like beet seed it is not one seed but a cluster of them. When you plant it you will get a clump of plants from each seed. Thin them to the best one in each clump. Chard is nothing but a beet without bulbous roots. By eliminating the beet roots the leaves can get bigger.

digitS' said:

Gailan: shows some of the ease required to "save" brassica seed.

I have to figure out what I might do to save chard seed. I've never done that with either beet or chard.

I'm trying a Japanese, narrow stem chard this year. I'm hoping that it is as nice as the Italian, Verde De Taglio Swiss Chard. As it is, I have to either change my seed buying habits or continue to trouble @ninnymary for seed each year.

Steve

Click to expand...

Asians plant primarily for taste. Europeans and Americans plant for yield.

I am really glad for you that the drought is over and you can garden again. And what a nice surprise to find some hardy survivors out in the weeds! Look out weeds!! Hoodat is in the garden!

hoodat said:

For chard just let a couple of them go to seed.

Click to expand...

I will expose my ignorance regarding chard.

This is probably only the third season that the vegetable has been in my garden. Beets have been a forever thing. Both -- Biennials.

Practicing "clean cultivation" at the end of the season and often having the tractor guy show up even before I get out there in the spring means that I only vaguely remember noting that the beet plant might survive the winter.

Would chard be a survivor if it was left through a subzero winters?

Steve

wonderful it sounds like you are off to a good start