A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

Another exciting day in the 'countdown' period until June 1st, when I can be responsibly free to plant without real risk of frost. The last new moon is June 14th, which is another marker generally for last frost risk, but of course that would really be too late for me.

Got some more plants today! I pulled out the last ho-hum perennials I didn't want anymore and felt liberated to now import some better ones. I FINALLY got a peony that I dreamed of, but didn't think I'd get in a brick and mortar store - 'Coral Charm', a peach colored peony. Between the 'Buckeye Belle' I got last year and this one I'm having some great lucky with peonies. The last one I dream of getting is the 'Bartzella Itoh' peony, which has golden yellow blooms.

(Coral Charm)

I found some really pretty little strawberry plants that I plan to grow mostly for their blooms! The plants are already flowering so I don't have to trust the tag! lol I cut all the developing strawberries off when I got home. I think they're labelled 'strawberry rose'.

Got a few purty hibiscus, some more pastel blue larkspur type plants (accidentally killed the last 2), a dwarf iris in midnight purple, a giant allium, 2 more clematis. Been eyeing a double red coneflower for a few years and finally got one of those too.

Crosnes are sprouting! They look like lemon balm! The skirret is finally developing leaves and it looks like they will be somewhat attractive plants. The Chinese pink celery color is a stunner! And the tomatoes are finally starting to really catch up being in the greenhouse for over a week. I'm going to repot everything into bigger containers tomorrow, don't want to stunt them again. The germ rates for all the newly bought seeds are really good, I'm quite happy with that.

So much to do this time of year, I wish each day had 30 hours instead of 24! Those darn coyotes need to stop waking me up in the middle of the night yipping in the backyard, I want to feel as rested as possible every day for the next 2 weeks!!!! My dog gave the groundhog a scare of a lifetime (never knew those little hogs could fly) nearly ragdolling him, and I'm hoping he has skedaddled for good, which hopefully means no coyotes.

 

[flowerbug]

...
My dog gave the groundhog a scare of a lifetime (never knew those little hogs could fly) nearly ragdolling him, and I'm hoping he has skedaddled for good, which hopefully means no coyotes.

i'd like a robot that could do that sort of thing for me including one that could go down into a groundhog burrow and harrass and evict the creature and then backfill it and compact the area and then replant it with things that discourage groundhogs from ever coming back...

it's too hard on my body to work on these slippery clay large drainage ditch edges.

 

[ducks4you]

*Wince* wow. I knew it was big, but that is a bit bigger than I expected. In 1 year? Will it survive the cold in a pot? Even the garage gets quite a bit below freezing.

I have now gone over to the dark AI side, and here is your answer:
"Yes, horseradish can survive the winter in a garage in a pot. Because it is an extremely hardy perennial (thriving in USDA zones 3-9), the roots will survive even freezing conditions, but they perform best if the pot is kept from freezing.
To successfully overwinter potted horseradish, follow these steps:

• Location: Place the pot in an unheated, attached garage, which provides a buffer against the harshest outdoor winds and deep sub-zero plunges.
• Watering: Reduce watering significantly, but do not let the soil dry out entirely. Give the pot a splash of water every 3–4 weeks just to keep the roots viable while they are dormant.
• Insulation: If your garage is unattached and tends to get very cold, insulate the pot by pushing it into a corner and covering it with a thick layer of leaves, straw, or an old blanket.
• Replanting: The foliage will die back in the winter, which is completely normal. Once spring arrives and the danger of frost has passed, you can move the pot back outside into full sun or divide the roots for replanting"

 

[Rillowen]

I have now gone over to the dark AI side, and here is your answer:
"Yes, horseradish can survive the winter in a garage in a pot. Because it is an extremely hardy perennial (thriving in USDA zones 3-9), the roots will survive even freezing conditions, but they perform best if the pot is kept from freezing.
To successfully overwinter potted horseradish, follow these steps:

• Location: Place the pot in an unheated, attached garage, which provides a buffer against the harshest outdoor winds and deep sub-zero plunges.
• Watering: Reduce watering significantly, but do not let the soil dry out entirely. Give the pot a splash of water every 3–4 weeks just to keep the roots viable while they are dormant.
• Insulation: If your garage is unattached and tends to get very cold, insulate the pot by pushing it into a corner and covering it with a thick layer of leaves, straw, or an old blanket.
• Replanting: The foliage will die back in the winter, which is completely normal. Once spring arrives and the danger of frost has passed, you can move the pot back outside into full sun or divide the roots for replanting"

Thank you for this, I actually asked then Went and looked it up myself! I have it in a designated area where I wanted it to spread a bit, I was hoping to harvest it both for the classic condiment and for roasting roots (supposed to be mild and tubber ish) and salad leaves for a large (salad loving) family. I think I'll dig down and place bricks and root barrier around the border instead of putting it in a pot, the amount of pots I'd have to move and keep in the garage is a bit crazy.

 

[Rillowen]

Another exciting day in the 'countdown' period until June 1st, when I can be responsibly free to plant without real risk of frost. The last new moon is June 14th, which is another marker generally for last frost risk, but of course that would really be too late for me.

Got some more plants today! I pulled out the last ho-hum perennials I didn't want anymore and felt liberated to now import some better ones. I FINALLY got a peony that I dreamed of, but didn't think I'd get in a brick and mortar store - 'Coral Charm', a peach colored peony. Between the 'Buckeye Belle' I got last year and this one I'm having some great lucky with peonies. The last one I dream of getting is the 'Bartzella Itoh' peony, which has golden yellow blooms.
View attachment 81248
(Coral Charm)
View attachment 81249


I found some really pretty little strawberry plants that I plan to grow mostly for their blooms! The plants are already flowering so I don't have to trust the tag! lol I cut all the developing strawberries off when I got home. I think they're labelled 'strawberry rose'.

View attachment 81247

Got a few purty hibiscus, some more pastel blue larkspur type plants (accidentally killed the last 2), a dwarf iris in midnight purple, a giant allium, 2 more clematis. Been eyeing a double red coneflower for a few years and finally got one of those too.

View attachment 81250

Crosnes are sprouting! They look like lemon balm! The skirret is finally developing leaves and it looks like they will be somewhat attractive plants. The Chinese pink celery color is a stunner! And the tomatoes are finally starting to really catch up being in the greenhouse for over a week. I'm going to repot everything into bigger containers tomorrow, don't want to stunt them again. The germ rates for all the newly bought seeds are really good, I'm quite happy with that.

So much to do this time of year, I wish each day had 30 hours instead of 24! Those darn coyotes need to stop waking me up in the middle of the night yipping in the backyard, I want to feel as rested as possible every day for the next 2 weeks!!!! My dog gave the groundhog a scare of a lifetime (never knew those little hogs could fly) nearly ragdolling him, and I'm hoping he has skedaddled for good, which hopefully means no coyotes.

My medium sized dog stood on the front porch and let out just a single deep bark (she sounded like a very lage dog!) The coyotes havnt been back since. good girl.

 

[heirloomgal]

Thank you for this, I actually asked then Went and looked it up myself! I have it in a designated area where I wanted it to spread a bit, I was hoping to harvest it both for the classic condiment and for roasting roots (supposed to be mild and tubber ish) and salad leaves for a large (salad loving) family. I think I'll dig down and place bricks and root barrier around the border instead of putting it in a pot, the amount of pots I'd have to move and keep in the garage is a bit crazy.

I planted mine away from the main garden on its own, and surrounded the plant with bricks in a circular pattern. I gave it space of about 4 feet across, I don't think I'll ever need more horseradish than that, lol.