A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

Well, progress report on the front yard mostly edible landscaping project. It's getting closer to where I want it to be, but still a work in progress. The perennial poppy & delph foliage is dreadful, but nothing I can do about that really. It's just the way it is if I'm going to rely on them for early/mid summer colour pop before the veggies get growing. That will always be an obstacle to overcome. It's actually a lot of fun this project, and I'm amazed at the number of sidewalk pedestrians that have told me they are enjoying it. Next up is - till weedy lawn and re-seed. ThenI'll be cooking with gas!

I should have more thoughtfully considered where I should plant the lettuce.

These collards have really thrown me. At first they were so nice, and then the cabbage moths started to pester them. I kept on top of it as best I could, watering all the time as well to not let them get drought stress. I started losing the bug battle as other parts of the garden got more demanding. So I decided to just let them go. No water, no manure, no bug checks. And today I saw this. Now that is weird. They're doing waaaay better with utter and complete neglect.

The 'Sonja' sunflowers are not cutting the mustard. Bleh. Gotta live with them now though, too late to pull them out. Maybe once they start branching out they'll look better.

Loving the look of these guys! Italian cooking tomatoes.

Lots of bees out there right now. Yeesh. Everywhere I go they're zooming.

Good things seem to be happening in the amaranth.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

FINALLY some pods on the cowpea!

Pods on all the common beans as well.

Still nothing with the rice beans. If they fail, I really should toss the regular red ones (they're taking up a lot of room), but I have reservations.

It's like this-this is the first time I've grown rice beans under more or less controlled conditions. Formerly, since there were always so many seeds, I just tossed them in somewhere and hoped for the best (they're a field crop. after all.)

I've long known there is a "right" type of rice bean that will flower and fruit in my zone, and a "wrong" type that won't*, with the "wrong" type commoner.

But it occurs to me that, instead of the "right" being all right it may just be it contains SOME that work, and what's growing may simply not contain any.

The currant tomatoes are ripening, but they seem to be red, not yellow (so, did they send me the wrong ones?)

 

[heirloomgal]

FINALLY some pods on the cowpea!

Pods on all the common beans as well.

Still nothing with the rice beans. If they fail, I really should toss the regular red ones (they're taking up a lot of room), but I have reservations.

It's like this-this is the first time I've grown rice beans under more or less controlled conditions. Formerly, since there were always so many seeds, I just tossed them in somewhere and hoped for the best (they're a field crop. after all.)

I've long known there is a "right" type of rice bean that will flower and fruit in my zone, and a "wrong" type that won't*, with the "wrong" type commoner.

But it occurs to me that, instead of the "right" being all right it may just be it contains SOME that work, and what's growing may simply not contain any.

The currant tomatoes are ripening, but they seem to be red, not yellow (so, did they send me the wrong ones?)

Which currant variety are you growing @Pulsegleaner?

 

[heirloomgal]

The many faces of the Shirley poppy.

It hardly seems worth the bother to plant them since the blooms are so remarkably brief, barely more than a day. The flowers are extremely delicate and fussy too. The color lasts in a patch only because the blooms open in succession. But the diversity within the silky flowers seems to make it worthwhile anyway. I had no intention to save the seeds because they have carrots at their feet who'd like them to go, but I have enjoyed these so much that I may just sacrifice having big carrots to let them dry down.

 

[Branching Out]

I love your lettuce patch-- it's beautiful.

And I agree that Shirley Poppies have value, but can be a challenge to place in the garden. I would happily sow them every year if only I could find the right spot to put them.