A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

thorns! arg! love the looks of the fruits though. would love to try the taste, but surely do not want anything with thorns here. i have enough troubles...

anyone cross breed this to remove the thorns yet?

I don't think so @flowerbug, I think this one is 100% wild. It doesn't have any varietals either. I think Baker Creek said somewhere this seed type was one of their most popular sellers recently. You can cook them (I haven't yet) and there's a pie/tart recipe in the BC catalogue. They are not as dangerous as they look; the thorns pull right back and away from the fruit when they're ripe. The plants are prickly, but if you don't brush up against them, you're fine. If you are into feeding pollinators too, this one flowers for me right into October here (probably Nov for you), which is a miracle, and will stand up to minus 6 or so.

 

[heirloomgal]

Looks like only one day of sun (Tuesday) for the next 7 days, the rest is rain. It will be warm thankfully. On the bright side, it's a good thing I'm growing out so many pea varieties, at least one vegetable will appreciate the weather! So, a few more pics from gardens past.

'Ozark Sunrise' starting to get some antho shoulders. It ripens to a bright, clear pink and the blue shading against that looks pretty neat. Collected piles of seed from this one. Super productive & meaty.

'Striped Cavern' tomato. I scoop out the insides and fill with a tasty rice & pepper mixture, then bake in the oven topped with cheddar cheese. I LOVE to cook. Almost everything we eat is made 100% from scratch, even the salad dressings. It's lots of work, but the fam really does show appreciation for it. Plus, I'd like my kids to be able too cook (and know) good food themselves when they grow up.

Cannot for the life of me remember the name of this kale!

'Red Zebra' Seedy tomato. 💓

'Chocolate Cherry' Wish I had a picture of them stuffed with herb cream cheese. Best way to eat these for sure. Heat is hit and miss, but pretty mild either way. I quite enjoy all the little stuffing peppers out there. I need a true yellow one!

'Black Zebra Cherry' This is a tasty little cherry tomato, very zippy. But it's crunchy as celery, even dead ripe. Good pot plant as it stays small.

Went through a 'bi-colour' tomato collecting phase. You need a hot, dry summer to get them to achieve peak taste, otherwise some find them bland. I tend to dry grow tomatoes as much as possible, to keep the fruit's flavour as concentrated as I can. I think this one was 'Northern Lights'.

'Lilascheke' pole bean. It really is a true 'grape' purple, not common in dry beans. Need to grow this one out soon again as I don't have many seeds. A yellow wax type.

'Trinidad Perfume' The scent of this pepper is amazing, possibly the most aromatic I've grown. Has no heat. Regrew my seed stocks for this one last year, though it was not as bountiful a seed harvest as I would have liked.

'Heart seed Vine' (Cardiospermum) A very dainty, elegant vine that grows little balloons. Each balloon contains black seeds with a perfect white heart shape on them. When you pinch the balloons before they're ripe they make a funny 'pop' sound. My daughter loved these, and all the kids loved 'popping' them. I had to guard the plant so I could get some seeds!

 

[digitS']

That kale, HeirloomGal,

That there is known as "Tall in June."

I'm certain of it ...

Steve
wonderful veggies, even if that Trinidad pepper looks lethal!

 

[heirloomgal]

Geez, I can't remember that variety name @digitS' ! Is there any other name for it??? I've grown way too many kale varieties 😉

Trinidad perfume is tame, it only looks lethal 😉

 

[heirloomgal]

That kale, HeirloomGal,

That there is known as "Tall in June."

I'm certain of it ...

Steve
wonderful veggies, even if that Trinidad pepper looks lethal!

Found it! REDBOR is what it was called!! I gotta grow this one again. Totally forgot about it 'til I found the photo.

 

[digitS']

Have US seed companies been a source for you, HeirloomGal?

I'm thinking especially of Territorial Seed in Oregon. They have quite a selection of kale seed and several other vegetables that may fall in an overlooked category by many gardeners.

I became frustrated with high shipping prices for their seed potatoes when I first became aware that I was missing out by thinking only of soopermarket varieties. However, I ordered from Territorial in 2020 for the first time in years because resistance to their many varieties of other seed had broken down.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

That kale, HeirloomGal,

That there is known as "Tall in June."

I'm certain of it ...

Steve
wonderful veggies, even if that Trinidad pepper looks lethal!

i thought it was a tree...

 

[heirloomgal]

Have US seed companies been a source for you, HeirloomGal?

I'm thinking especially of Territorial Seed in Oregon. They have quite a selection of kale seed and several other vegetables that may fall in an overlooked category by many gardeners.

I became frustrated with high shipping prices for their seed potatoes when I first became aware that I was missing out by thinking only of soopermarket varieties. However, I ordered from Territorial in 2020 for the first time in years because resistance to their many varieties of other seed had broken down.

Steve

I haven't Steve, mostly because getting the seeds across the border could possibly be a problem, and also the exchange rate. I didn't want to risk premium cost seeds getting hung up, or paid for, and never arriving. If I could shop @ US seed companies though, without risk....
Potatoes, yes, I know what you mean, so costly to mail order. I've never done it even in Canada. If I had a root cellar, to keep them going as seed potatoes, I would though. Luckily, with the whole gardening thing going *boom* in the last year or two, I've found the seed potato market is really expanding. That's how I got some unusual types this year, without a mail order. Was SO hard to limit my potato purchases this year, though I had stopped growing them for a few years. All that variety selection makes me go

What potato varieties could you not resist, that you'd recommend?
My best tasting one so far has been 'Shephody'.

 

[baymule]

I love love love all the pictures you post! You are truly a marvelous gardener!

 

[heirloomgal]

I love love love all the pictures you post! You are truly a marvelous gardener!

Aw, thanks so much for your kind and generous words @baymule