A Seed Saver's Garden

[ducks4you]

There is some, I'm not sure what to call it, folklore/wisdom/tradition/superstition about planting out times re: frost. Apparently the last new moon of June is when the last frost risk is. I've tried to keep track over the last ten years to see how often it comes true vs deviates. I'd say 75% of the time it's turned out to be fairly accurate, but still, 25 percent is a lot of deviation. This year the last new moon of June is the 18th.

WOW! You Really have a short growing season!
In 2012 I had 2011 planted spinach ressurect itself bc of a non winter.
This winter was more normal...just when we thought Spring was here we had a freeze.
Frosts are gone here now, fortunately.

 

[Zeedman]

Wait a sec, mulberries are dioecious?

Yes - or at least all the black?/red? fruited trees here are. I remember a purple blushed/white-fruited one in my youth that was growing alone... but there are wild trees everywhere here, and maybe it was being pollinated by the wild ones. That one had wonderful flavor, I wouldn't mind planting a small grove of those.

BTW, did I mention the roots? My line of mulberry trees runs on the back of my neighbor's 100-foot-long lot. When the lot was being excavating to build their house, they dug up those bright yellow mulberry roots running across the entire lot, all the way to the drainage culvert! Some of those roots also ran all the way to my foundation, and shot up saplings next to the house. Those same roots ran under one of my gardens en route, and started to send annoyingly large roots up into the garden... unsurprisingly, the tree responsible for that was the first one I took down.

But I have to say, despite their weaknesses, I may end up actually planting some - in my back lot. They grow quickly & seem to be fairly tolerant of soggy ground, so they might be useful replacements for all of my dead white ash trees. Wish I could grow the white mulberry, but it can't be sold in Wisconsin. Wish I could grow the very large-berried mulberries I've seen in the South too (saw some in Kansas that were HUGE) but unfortunately they are not rated for my hardiness zone. So I will likely cruise around when the berries are ripe, and seek a tree with higher-quality fruit to take cuttings.

While looking up Morus alba to see if Wisconsin classified it as invasive (it is) I found mention that some cultivars are monoecious. And that the dioecious males apparently expel pollen at high speed?!!!??

 

[heirloomgal]

Of course, it could turn out to be a male tree. I have a row of mulberries on one of my property lines (originally 5 or 6) and only one of them bore fruit. The others are male.

And because mature mulberry trees apparently like to split & lean over into my neighbor's property, I'm probably bringing in a boom & taking all of them down. Sure wish those trees weren't so uncooperative, I hate cutting down living trees... especially when I'd like to focus on taking down the 30-40 dead ASH TREES instead.

My whole street ( a crescent) is planted with Ash trees, put in by the City years ago who also thusly owns them. So nobody can cut the trees down in their front yard. The homes were all built roundabout the same time and the thus the trees mostly all went in round the same time, and they are now ALL dying. I think it's just old age. The trunks are all covered in what looks like lichen and only a percentage of everyone's branches leaf out, and the trees are darn big. They all look pretty terrible really. So the City is having a cut-a-thon right now, and soon the neighbourhood will be relatively treeless. I was surprised to learn they even come and dig out the big stumps for ya, after hauling away the tree bits. Luckily, our lot for some reason does not have its original planted Ash, the homebuilders may have had an option to refuse a tree back in the day. One things for sure, Ash trees do not seem to age well!

 

[heirloomgal]

WOW! You Really have a short growing season!
In 2012 I had 2011 planted spinach ressurect itself bc of a non winter.
This winter was more normal...just when we thought Spring was here we had a freeze.
Frosts are gone here now, fortunately.

Usually we get from the last weekend in May to the end of September beginning of October, or even later October in a lucky year. But it does happen that we'll get a threat of frost for a night or two at some point after planting out. Which is not fun! lol I'm usually out there with 50 blankets strategically covering everything. Many of those moments I thought I should start growing more peas!

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Yes - or at least all the black?/red? fruited trees here are. I remember a purple blushed/white-fruited one in my youth that was growing alone... but there are wild trees everywhere here, and maybe it was being pollinated by the wild ones. That one had wonderful flavor, I wouldn't mind planting a small grove of those.

BTW, did I mention the roots? My line of mulberry trees runs on the back of my neighbor's 100-foot-long lot. When the lot was being excavating to build their house, they dug up those bright yellow mulberry roots running across the entire lot, all the way to the drainage culvert! Some of those roots also ran all the way to my foundation, and shot up saplings next to the house. Those same roots ran under one of my gardens en route, and started to send annoyingly large roots up into the garden... unsurprisingly, the tree responsible for that was the first one I took down.

But I have to say, despite their weaknesses, I may end up actually planting some - in my back lot. They grow quickly & seem to be fairly tolerant of soggy ground, so they might be useful replacements for all of my dead white ash trees. Wish I could grow the white mulberry, but it can't be sold in Wisconsin. Wish I could grow the very large-berried mulberries I've seen in the South too (saw some in Kansas that were HUGE) but unfortunately they are not rated for my hardiness zone. So I will likely cruise around when the berries are ripe, and seek a tree with higher-quality fruit to take cuttings.

While looking up Morus alba to see if Wisconsin classified it as invasive (it is) I found mention that some cultivars are monoecious. And that the dioecious males apparently expel pollen at high speed?!!!??

Sorry I can't send you mine, if it IS from the dropped berries it'd be a white.

Around here, it's a little hard to tell white from red as they seem to cross quite readily. The big one across the road from us has pink blushed white berries (assuming it's still there, the neighbors may have managed to get a permit to cut it down by now. The one that was growing out of the wall on the other side of the property had ruby fruit (very small ruby fruit). There must BE a lot of blacks around, given all of the purple bird sh*t all over everyone's cars through the summer, but exactly where I don't know (probably a lot in Kingsland Point Park, if I remember).

They are considered a major pain around here, not only because of the birds but because there is way more fruit than the birds can ever eat, so most of it falls to the ground, rots/ferments and leaves the air filled with the smell of spoiled fruit and massive swarms of yellowjackets.)

 

[heirloomgal]

They are considered a major pain around here, not only because of the birds but because there is way more fruit than the birds can ever eat, so most of it falls to the ground, rots/ferments and leaves the air filled with the smell of spoiled fruit and massive swarms of yellowjackets.)

That sounds TERRIBLE!

 

[heirloomgal]

My oh my oh my. This post is gonna be dramatic, because I'm a bit giddy. Camphor basil, Ocimum kilimandscharicum. Holy cow!

It is a slow grower for sure, nothing at all like the Italian basils, and I've been checking on it every now and then to see if I can detect any scent. The seedlings are still only about an inch high, and thus far have had no smell. UNTIL TODAY.
I handled the new little leaves and smelled my hands after... I don't really have adequate words to describe the experience of the scent this plant is capable of releasing, even at its small size. Amazingly potent does come to mind! This is probably the most incredibly powerful odiferous herb I've grown. Restorative, curative and therapeutic smelling. Vicks Vapo-rub on ultra steroids, but more terrestrial, herby and utterly transporting. It's like a new dimension. I may just have to grow this plant forever.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

My oh my oh my. This post is gonna be dramatic, because I'm a bit giddy. Camphor basil, Ocimum kilimandscharicum. Holy cow!

It is a slow grower for sure, nothing at all like the Italian basils, and I've been checking on it every now and then to see if I can detect any scent. The seedlings are still only about an inch high, and thus far have had no smell. UNTIL TODAY.
I handled the new little leaves and smelled my hands after... I don't really have adequate words to describe the experience of the scent this plant is capable of releasing, even at its small size. Amazingly potent does come to mind! This is probably the most incredibly powerful odiferous herb I've grown. Restorative, curative and therapeutic smelling. Vicks Vapo-rub on ultra steroids, but more terrestrial, herby and utterly transporting. It's like a new dimension. I may just have to grow this plant forever.

If you get a chance, you may want to look into wild spikenard/musky mint (Hyptis suaveolens) That has a similar menthol like smell (shocked the hell out of me when I grew the seeds I found in one of my seed searches).

On the flip side I recommend AGAINST clove or tree basil (O. granitissimum). Contrary to the name, it doesn't really smell like cloves. Actually it's hard to describe WHAT it smells like (vaguely sickening is the best I can do) Plus, it's called tree basil for a reason, it get's ENORMOUS. Plus, if it doesn't freeze it's perennial so you can't just wait for it to die.) Oh, and it attracts whitefly like no one's business.
Managed to get a LOT of planting done today. All the herbs are done except the yellow lavender (since that goes on the other side of the house) and the ganghal I got for free (which will only get planted if I find somewhere to put it.) The direct seeded tomatoes are sown, and the pot for the inside ones when they are ready is waiting. All of the long pots have been sown with their lima beans, and the Egyptian mint is in its place in the sunken garden. Take care of the lavender and a few things on the side of the house tomorrow, and bring up two more pots for the mung/urd/mothe mix and the soybeans, and I can take a break until the corn has to go in the ground with the rice beans.

 

[heirloomgal]

Yellow lavender! I googled it and can't believe my eyes, I had no idea that lavender had a yellow variant! Do you like the fragrance? I read it smells a bit piney with a lavender undertone.

I scrolled through Richter's basil and don't see clove or tree basil on their list, so it isn't one I've come across. I do have a 'Lime' basil I'm trying, not the standard Italian type but Ocimum americanum. It actually looks a bit tree-ish in the photo but it says 40 cm for height, so not a tree but a lemony tea herb. I was tempted to also try the 'West African Basil', Ocimum viride. Maybe you've grown these already @Pulsegleaner. I may yet try it this winter, but felt like 2 new basil types was enough for a start. The fact that it is used for malaria and is described as containing thymol gave me pause. I loathe thyme along with sage and it's a family of smells I'd rather avoid. I'm not averse to strong scents, but those ones are exceptions.

What's Egyptian mint?

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Yellow lavender! I googled it and can't believe my eyes, I had no idea that lavender had a yellow variant! Do you like the fragrance? I read it smells a bit piney with a lavender undertone.

I scrolled through Richter's basil and don't see clove or tree basil on their list, so it isn't one I've come across. I do have a 'Lime' basil I'm trying, not the standard Italian type but Ocimum americanum. It actually looks a bit tree-ish in the photo but it says 40 cm for height, so not a tree but a lemony tea herb. I was tempted to also try the 'West African Basil', Ocimum viride. Maybe you've grown these already @Pulsegleaner. I may yet try it this winter, but felt like 2 new basil types was enough for a start. The fact that it is used for malaria and is described as containing thymol gave me pause. I loathe thyme along with sage and it's a family of smells I'd rather avoid. I'm not averse to strong scents, but those ones are exceptions.

What's Egyptian mint?

I may have, I've grown many basils, both conventional and holy. One of the holey basil types (i tend to get them mixed up) smells wonderful, sort of like sweet watermelon (alas it isn't the more herbily powerful one, so you have to mix the two if you want full benefits.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocimum_gratissimum.

If the O. americanum smells of lime, it will be interesting, as I was always told it smells like green peppers (or why I never grew it.)

Egyptian mint is Mentha niliaca. It's a fairly broad leafed mint, similar to apple mint. I find it my mint of choice for cooking, at least when I had enough to take some to cook with (in the pot I had it in, it grew like crazy. But the moment I put it in the actual ground, first it stalled, and then the gardeners mowed right over it and kept mowing until they eradicated it. As I said, I stuck a new plant in there this year, but whether it will take or not I do not know.)

This year, I also got my hands on some Chinese mint (Mentha haplocalyx) so we'll have to see how that does (I HAD some Jamaican mint shrub (Micromeria viminea) but, due to the post office misdirecting my package and therefore keeping it in unheated transit for an extra week, it suffered so much frost damage in the process it never recovered, and, unlike most of the herbs on the site I got it from, that was a special they didn't have more of.)