Will be trialing two things obtained from
@Eleanor during the seed swap:
"Pastella" -
C. ficifolia, a.k.a. fig leaf gourd, Malabar gourd, shark fin melon. I tried growing this species several years ago; rampant vines, powdery mildew resistant, but didn't flower or set squash until September - just before frost. The vines took up almost 1000 square feet, and produced only a dozen immature squash. Those were good in soup (look up "shark fin melon" recipes) and we ate quite a few of the tender vine tips; but it was daylength sensitive, and not worth growing again for the space it occupied.
I had heard that there was a true day-neutral cultivar, and tried to find it for years. Hopefully this is the one & will ripen in my climate, which would absolutely make my year.
"Sicilian Cicerchia" -
Lathyrus sativus, grass pea. A really unusual legume, so how could I resist trying it?
Though not without some trepidation, given that it apparently has toxicity issues... but then, so do Phaseolus beans when raw. Research, proper preparation, then eat in moderation.
Other new trials, all based upon observations at Heritage Farm:
"Murdock" a pole bean which appears to have potential as a shelly.
"Willie's Garden" an indeterminate tomato, yellow/orange oxheart type, which was loaded with nearly flawless tomatoes in a bad year when most of the varieties around it had failed. Appears to have some disease resistance.
"Vinedale" and "Red Belgian", two sweet peppers that had many ripe peppers by Labor Day, in a cool wet year.
Not as many new trials as in years past, most of the garden will be dedicated to renewing old seed stocks, which have fallen behind schedule after several consecutive wet years.
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