A Seed Saver's Garden

[Pulsegleaner]

That looks exactly like a Tinga pea, even the foliage. Could it be a late germinating straggler tinga maybe?

No, simply because I know were I planted all of the tinga pea seeds, and this was transplanted from somewhere else.

 

[flowerbug]

... I don't know a soul who eats it. Okay, maybe one, but they eat all kinds of weeds so that doesn't really count.

hahaha!

i would give it a try - i'll have to put it on my list of seeds to scout for. i so rarely look at the seed racks these days (to avoid temptation to pick up yet more projects than i already have). it may not get planted for some years though. i have largely given up trying to get Mom to eat anything new. the other issue would be attracting yet more animals that like to eat leafy greens. but i would love a large leafed ground cover that would not be eaten by critters. my last favorite was buckwheat but the critters kept mowing it down and actively digging up the seeds that got planted so it would not persist any place i planted it.

 

[heirloomgal]

hahaha!

i would give it a try - i'll have to put it on my list of seeds to scout for. i so rarely look at the seed racks these days (to avoid temptation to pick up yet more projects than i already have). it may not get planted for some years though. i have largely given up trying to get Mom to eat anything new. the other issue would be attracting yet more animals that like to eat leafy greens. but i would love a large leafed ground cover that would not be eaten by critters. my last favorite was buckwheat but the critters kept mowing it down and actively digging up the seeds that got planted so it would not persist any place i planted it.

I'd be surprised if critters like it, but you never know. And it certainly returns very easily without human intervention, I found a few more plants out there again today. The seeds are quite bizarre as seeds go.

 

[heirloomgal]

I'm so glad that I tried the Lagos Spinach plants, they are just so pretty for a veggie. I am definitely going to grow these again. I can't quite figure out why some have bushed out with several heads, and others are taller, pointy and less bushy (like this one). I can't recall pinching them? Anyway, such a perfect plant for an edible front yard. I can't bring myself to pick the leaves off and eat them yet.

 

[digitS']

Amaranth.

Wait. Baker Creek calls it a Celosia. Well, not much difference. Of course, very similar on the dinner plate to their other cousin, the beet greens.

I have some very large ones around my new, little fountain. It isn't really the center piece for the backyard landscape because they are so BIG and have now gone into full bloom.

Steve

 

[heirloomgal]

Amaranth.

Wait. Baker Creek calls it a Celosia. Well, not much difference. Of course, very similar on the dinner plate to their other cousin, the beet greens.

I have some very large ones around my new, little fountain. It isn't really the center piece for the backyard landscape because they are so BIG and have now gone into full bloom.

Steve

They're the same! I had no idea! Wow, both Amaranthus.

I'm very curious what type of amaranth you grow for eating @digitS' ; I know there are a lot of varieties out there, many of which are decorative, and some of which are for grain use too it seems. I was slightly terrified of amaranth because I confused it with Magenta Spreen - one of the most terribly invasive vegetable plants on earth imho. But in doing this celosia search I see that that too is a different species, Chenopodium. I noticed a picture of an amaranth that looked just like the plant my beans are climbing, so I think you were indeed correct about that. This plant is darn big though.

I've grown green tassels amaranth twice. It's gorgeous, never tried the leaves though.

 

[digitS']

I'm very curious what type of amaranth you grow for eating @digitS'

I am sorry to say that I don't know. The lady who gave me the seeds had received them from someone who didn't say what it is. I'm fairly sure that it is an ornamental variety and yes, it produces seed and volunteers the following year, readily. Beyond a doubt, ONE flowering plant is enuf for that.

Its special value to us is providing a choice beyond the brassicas that can produce into Summer. Orach might play the same role but it would require starting seed late. That was something I didn't bother with and instead allowed it to volunteer for the first greens of the growing season. These days, and after leaving the garden where it was a volunteer (property sold), I haven't found the variety that worked so well for that purpose. It appears that there are many, many species and cultivars in the Amaranth family.

Steve

 

[heirloomgal]

I am sorry to say that I don't know. The lady who gave me the seeds had received them from someone who didn't say what it is. I'm fairly sure that it is an ornamental variety and yes, it produces seed and volunteers the following year, readily. Beyond a doubt, ONE flowering plant is enuf for that.

Its special value to us is providing a choice beyond the brassicas that can produce into Summer. Orach might play the same role but it would require starting seed late. That was something I didn't bother with and instead allowed it to volunteer for the first greens of the growing season. These days, and after leaving the garden where it was a volunteer (property sold), I haven't found the variety that worked so well for that purpose. It appears that there are many, many species and cultivars in the Amaranth family.

Steve

My above post was incorrect, it turns out that Magenta Spreen is in the amaranth family too! Chenopodium is a subfamily of amaranthus apparently. Amaranth, orach, celosia, chenopodium - all these leafy green things, I can't figure them out!

 

[heirloomgal]

Did a huge tomato harvest today, lots of box flats full. I was determined to get photos of each variety, since sometimes this gets by me in a season.

For any short season, challenging circumstances tomato growers that might follow this thread, this post is for you. I tried SO MANY tomatoes this year bred to do well without a long season, or without a super hot season and yet also have an early maturity in particular. I tried a few early tomatoes years ago and my conclusion was... bleh. Not my cup of tea, I'd rather take a risk with a longer season variety. But, this year I thought I'd try again with them, considering there is a possibility the grand solar minimum will cause terrestrial cooling and shorter seasons in the upcoming decades. Plus, these varieties are rare and need a little help sticking around.

I have been super, super impressed with most of what I've sampled so far. The taste has been just wonderful on most of them, and the production exceptional. The plants are absolutely loaded with fruit. I'd say most of them have fully matured at least half of the fruits on the plants. Most of them are a big cocktail tomato size, but some creep toward a small beefsteak. 'Cesu Agrais' has been both one of the earliest and most productive, a fabulous little tomato. Another one called 'Gnom', or Gnome I'm guessing in English, has been very similar but on a smaller plant. All around winners, to my surprise. The only one that I haven't found thrilling is 'Oldendorf Red' - the one I tried seemed a bit firm for my taste. It may just be like that, or it needs more time on the counter. Might be more of a market tomato. 'Alaskan Fancy' has been a little firm too, but not as much. The production though has been stellar. None of the tomatoes are sour, as I've found so many earlies to be. I also didn't see blossom end rot issue on a single fruit, and there is a lot of tomatoes out there.

This is 'Zuckerstraube', not as early as some of the others, but a nice very large cherry tomato. Did well with the cool nights of June and July.

A real knockout, with a weird name '0-33'. Excellent short season producer. I'd put this one in the top 10 for sure this year. The tomatoes are a fair size too. So glad I tried this one, because I was tempted to avoid it being so super early.

I don't think there is another tomato out there this year that grew on a truss like this, not a bigger sized one anyway. 'Siberian Red', which I haven't tried yet. Like little red eggs.

I didn't try this one for it's earliness, I just tried it because it seems to be all the rage right now in newly bred tomatoes. It is supposed to be early though. The color is very nice, but I found the plant leaves a bit sensitive to high humidity. Fruit is only just starting to turn color, so I wouldn't classify it as being a super early like the others. Haven't eaten one yet....

'Glacier' tomato. This one was indeed early, but I grew it in a pot so gauging it's potential for production is tricky. I didn't find it a huge producer, but the rest were in ground, so I can't compare. I do like the potato leaves on it, like Cesu Agrais has.

A new little one called '1534 El Salvador'. Seems too juicy to be for cooking. Looks like there will be a lot of fruit.

The downside now. It was a TERRIBLE idea to grow these and let them sprawl. None of them were able to stay up even a little, despite being smaller plants. Some of them were slightly scalded by the sun as a result too - this has never happened in my gardens. So, I'm guessing the cold tolerance they have also might mean not terribly tolerant of hot, direct sun on the tomatoes. I will only grow these in cages in the future. They do not grow well without support. So grateful to have these special tomatoes.

 

[mikethegardener]

Did a huge tomato harvest today, lots of box flats full. I was determined to get photos of each variety, since sometimes this gets by me in a season.

For any short season, challenging circumstances tomato growers that might follow this thread, this post is for you. I tried SO MANY tomatoes this year bred to do well without a long season, or without a super hot season and yet also have an early maturity in particular. I tried a few early tomatoes years ago and my conclusion was... bleh. Not my cup of tea, I'd rather take a risk with a longer season variety. But, this year I thought I'd try again with them, considering there is a possibility the grand solar minimum will cause terrestrial cooling and shorter seasons in the upcoming decades. Plus, these varieties are rare and need a little help sticking around.

I have been super, super impressed with most of what I've sampled so far. The taste has been just wonderful on most of them, and the production exceptional. The plants are absolutely loaded with fruit. I'd say most of them have fully matured at least half of the fruits on the plants. Most of them are a big cocktail tomato size, but some creep toward a small beefsteak. 'Cesu Agrais' has been both one of the earliest and most productive, a fabulous little tomato. Another one called 'Gnom', or Gnome I'm guessing in English, has been very similar but on a smaller plant. All around winners, to my surprise. The only one that I haven't found thrilling is 'Oldendorf Red' - the one I tried seemed a bit firm for my taste. It may just be like that, or it needs more time on the counter. Might be more of a market tomato. 'Alaskan Fancy' has been a little firm too, but not as much. The production though has been stellar. None of the tomatoes are sour, as I've found so many earlies to be. I also didn't see blossom end rot issue on a single fruit, and there is a lot of tomatoes out there.

This is 'Zuckerstraube', not as early as some of the others, but a nice very large cherry tomato. Did well with the cool nights of June and July.
View attachment 67868

A real knockout, with a weird name '0-33'. Excellent short season producer. I'd put this one in the top 10 for sure this year. The tomatoes are a fair size too. So glad I tried this one, because I was tempted to avoid it being so super early.
View attachment 67869

I don't think there is another tomato out there this year that grew on a truss like this, not a bigger sized one anyway. 'Siberian Red', which I haven't tried yet. Like little red eggs.View attachment 67872

I didn't try this one for it's earliness, I just tried it because it seems to be all the rage right now in newly bred tomatoes. It is supposed to be early though. The color is very nice, but I found the plant leaves a bit sensitive to high humidity. Fruit is only just starting to turn color, so I wouldn't classify it as being a super early like the others. Haven't eaten one yet....
View attachment 67873

'Glacier' tomato. This one was indeed early, but I grew it in a pot so gauging it's potential for production is tricky. I didn't find it a huge producer, but the rest were in ground, so I can't compare. I do like the potato leaves on it, like Cesu Agrais has.
View attachment 67876

A new little one called '1534 El Salvador'. Seems too juicy to be for cooking. Looks like there will be a lot of fruit.View attachment 67875

The downside now. It was a TERRIBLE idea to grow these and let them sprawl. None of them were able to stay up even a little, despite being smaller plants. Some of them were slightly scalded by the sun as a result too - this has never happened in my gardens. So, I'm guessing the cold tolerance they have also might mean not terribly tolerant of hot, direct sun on the tomatoes. I will only grow these in cages in the future. They do not grow well without support. So grateful to have these special tomatoes.

Wow, amazing tomato harvest! I'm impressed by the variety of short-season tomatoes you've tried. The photos look great, especially the 'Zuckerstraube' and '0-33' varieties.