Stratifying Perennial Seeds. 1.26.22

 There is conflicting information about whether some perennial seeds require stratification.  The seed packets don't state it.  Some references state that Coreopsis and Echinacea require stratification.  That means the seeds need a "winter" before they will germinate.  In the past, I've done that with apple seeds, peach, plum, daylily, milkweed seeds.  I'm not sure if I did for Echinacea.   Rudbeckia supposedly requires stratification, but mine (annual Rudbeckia hirta) grew like crazy without a cold treatment.  Maybe the seed supplier pre-stratified the seeds, or maybe the annual ones don't require stratification, I don't know.

It's easy.  For these, thoroughly moisten a paper towel.  Scatter the seeds on the moist paper towel, fold it, place into zipper lock sandwich bag, and seal.  Refrigerate for a month, then plant the seeds.

These will be ready to plant about March 1.

s need stratification.  To stratify, they need to be chilled in moist conditions.  That's how I germinated apple, peach, plum, daylily, milkweed seedlings in the past.  Some instructions state stratification is necessary for Rudbeckias and Echinaceas, and others either don't mention it or state it isn't needed.  The seed packets don't always mention it.  

Even though the first Rudbeckias germinated like crazy without stratification (annual Rudbeckia hirta), I'm not certain the others will.  So I moistened some paper towels, scattered seeds on them, folded, placed in sandwich ziplock bags, and placed in fridge.  They'll be there for a month, then I'll plant them.

A Nice Yeast Bread Loaf. 1.26.22

I haven't been making sourdoughs for a while and the culture died. I decided to try a yeast pizza crust using the refrigerator method - flour, water, yeast, salt. Nothing else.  Mix, knead, put into bowl, let rise to double, cover and refrigerate. Can use any time in two weeks, and has better flavor and texture after several days to a week.  The chilling makes the dough more workable and holds in fermentation bubbles for a nice texture.  I made a batch, then thought I'd make a second batch for a loaf of bread, but refrigerate in loaf pan. Otherwise the same recipe.  After taking Rufus for a walk, it was already completely risen so I sprinkled on bagel seed topping and baked 375 for 45 min. This had a great texture and flavor. Even though the topping is just sprinkled on, the flavor is present in the bread slices.

This reminded me of why I always made my own bread. It doesn't keep as long as store bought but is so good, it is used up before molds have a chance to spoil it.

An Orchid Flower.

Last summer, I divided this cymbinium and repotted it. Then it didn't get much care. Nice flowerto cheer up the winter days.

MaltoMeal Muffins. 1.25.22

My mom used to make these many years ago. They were my favorite breakfast muffin. These are made using Malto Meal hit cereal and the usual other muffin stuff (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, oil, egg, milk). The recipe is on the box.

I like to use cast iron and preheat the pan. That gives a crispier muffin bottom and sides. This tasted exactly like I remembered, and brought back memories of being in the kitchen with my mom.

Tabasco Pepper Seedlings. 1.25.22

This is a sign I've been watching seed packs entirely too close. Here are two, barely visible, tiny, Tabasco seedlings beginning to emerge.

It took them two weeks, which isn't bad. I was spoiled by the zesty Jalapeño seeds that took off running so quickly. Maybe they sensed I was discoraged by their slowness :-) I did plant new ones yesterday, along with new Thai Dragon seeds. By the way, just while planting the Thai Dragon seeds I could taste and smell the hotness. That never happened before. Now it's a matter of normal seedling care. They'll stay on the seedling warming mat another week or two, to see if other seeds germinate.

Onion and Shallot Seedling Update. 1.24.22

 The onions and shallots are doing pretty well.   About the same as previous years.

Unknown Shallot, seeds from a planted grocery store shallot.

Ambition hybrid Shallot.

Red Whethersfield heirloom onion. I might plant more of these seeds. They are a long-storage onion.  Edit:  Why think about it?  I went ahead and planted a 2nd container.   That way I wont say, later, "I wish I had planted more".  :-)

Yellow Spanish Sweet Onion, also heirloom variety. Some more seeds germinated. I think they are just old seeds and it's harder for them to wake up. Like me. :-)

Camelot Shallot. These were also old seeds. This is more than enough shallots, but they should keep many months in a cool dry place, so we'll eat all we grow.

First Bloom. 1.24.22

 A few buds are opened on a flowering cherry in the chicken yard.

The variety is "unknown".  Several years ago, I grafted a bloom spike from a flowering cherry tree in Vancouver, onto a volunteer wild cherry seedling.  This is the result.

Planting More Seeds. 1.24.22

 I gave up on the first Echinacea seeds.  From my reading, they don't maintain viability long at all, maybe a year at best.  I planted fresh seeds for those.  I found an old packet of dwarf carnation seeds dated 2014.  I don't recall ever growing them.  Eight years is a big stretch, but if I don't plant them, I won't know.  So I planted them too.

I also planted some Gloriosa Daisy seeds.  They are described as perennial Rudbeckia hirta, but some sources state that early planting can give same - year flowers.  Growing perennials from seeds can be very rewarding.  All of the mystery is taken out.  It shows one doesn't have to buy a potted plant for ten bucks, a three dollar seed packet will produce an entire row.   There is a sense if accomplishment, "I did that'" instead of "I bought it".  Even more if the seeds are home saved, but you have to start somewhere.

Of the peppers I planted earlier, only the Jalapeños and Serranos have germinated so far.  I'm trying a new packet of Thai Dragon, plus a planting with more Tabasco pepper seeds.  And a Hontaka Cayenne from the Chili Pepper Institute at the University of New Mexico.  I also decided to play with miniature tomato varieties, Micro Tom Tomato and  Red Robin Tomato  The plants grow the size of small pepper plants.  If they grow, I can see how they do under LEDs.  And last, starting some wild-type Coreopsis for the "will the damn deer eat them?" flower bed. I haven't planted a couple varieties in the photo, yet.

 

Seed Viability Testing. Capitano Beans. 1.24.22

 Here is the conclusion for the Capitano bean viability test.

Roughly 5 or 6 seeds appear to be viable,  Some are already rotting and others are questionable.  I think what I'll do is, plant all of the packet thickly. If enough grow to get a crop, I'll see if I like them and save seeds.  If they don't grow at all, that's OK,    Beans get planted when it's warm, maybe May or June so it will be a while.

Testing Bean Seeds For Viability. 1.18.22

 I was sorting old seed packets and found this one.  I don't know how old it is.  Five years?  Two?  Ten?  I don't recall ever harvesting this variety.  The packet was opened so I must have planted some.  It's a mystery, sort of like where did they bury Jimmy Hoffa.

I looked these up. They are a yellow pod Roma type bean. Why would I buy that? Well, there are the seeds. I decided to test them for viability. If they don't grow, the whole packet becomes chicken feed. If they do, I can eat the sprouts and, when it's warm and the air is perfumed by apple blossoms, I can plant the remaining seeds in the kitchen garden. Or maybe when the air is perfumed by rose blossoms. Apples might be too early. Count out 15 beans. Place them on a wet paper towel and fold it over twice.

Place them into a generic zipper sandwich bag, then onto the seed starting mat.

Now I can sit back and watch them grow.

Planting Peach Seeds. 1.18.22

 These are seeds that I stratified in the refrigerator.  The source peaches were from a tree that I also grew from a seed, that one from the variety "Oregon Curl Free".  The original tree died from canker but was not bothered by Peach Leaf Curl, the "leprosy" that usually kills most peach trees here.  Those peaches are delicious, nice size, yellow clingstone, great fresh, in pie, or canned.  The tree is highly productive and never bothered by peach leaf curl.

It might seem like it would take a long time for a seedling peach tree to produce fruit.  However in my experience, it takes about three or four years.  Almost as fast as a bought tree but no issues with the rootstock possibly being a problem (such as susceptibility to canker or carrying a nursery-borne virus).

The peaches ripened mid August.  I scrubbed some pits, wrapped in wet newspaper, and kept them in a closed jar in the refrigerator until a week ago. 

The pits are hard as rocks (maybe that's why they're called "stones" ha ha). I know peaches can be grown by planting the whole pit, but maybe they benefit by splitting the pit and removing the seed (see below).  That's what I did before. I used a hammer, tapping with some force on the pit edge against the concrete garage floor. A couple of seeds got smashed. Here are some nice looking ones.

To my eyes, these look nice and firm and viable. I planted six in seed starting medium in a seedling six pack.

Cover with more seed starting medium, water, label, place on seed warming mat.  The label is important.  Sometimes I think my mind is a sieve.

Will they grow? Who knows. I think, maybe.

[On removing hard shell from the seed.  Long ago when mastodons and wooly camels bellowed their forlorn songs across the frozen Pleistocene Savannas, I read an article in the Rodale era Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine describing how much better some seedlings grow if their outer coats are removed before planting the seeds.  The rationale was that the sprouts consume considerable energy breaking open the hard coat.  If the coat is removed, that energy goes into a burst of growth.  Why would I remember that after all these decades?]

Seedling Progress Notes. 1.17.22

 The peppers are starting to grow.  The Early Jalapeños are first.  Those are new seeds.  Maybe a Serrano is also emerging.  I look at them too closely but it keeps my mind occupied.  These were planted 1.11.22 so first to emerge was only 6 days. 

One thing I am learning is new seeds sometimes germinate faster and more uniformly, older seeds are slower and more sporadic.   My thought this year is save more seeds, such as from the peppers.  I think the fresh home saved seeds are faster and more vigorous as well as being a frugal and more reliable option.

The carnation seeds started to germinate too.  These are a few years old.  I bought the seeds but forgot to grow them.  

I haven't grown carnations before.  I don't know what to expect.  I'm guessing they will bloom late summer here if I start them now.  I don't know if they will survive the wet Pacific NW winter or whether deer or rabbits will eat the plants.  These are the variety  Picotee mix.  I'm also growing some Chaboud.  It's interesting how little they've changed in the past century.  This image via internet search.  Same as the peppers, 6 days to first sprout seen.

More of the New York Early onion seeds have germinated, but not many.  About a dozen.  I will be happy with a couple dozen, along with the shallots, a few Spanish onions that germinated, and the Whethersfield Red onions.  Some of those should be good keepers.  NY Early is and Whethersfield is described as a long keeper.  I have shallots that are all good from last summer too.

Seedling Update. Onions, Shallots, Rudbeckias. 1.15.21

Of the onions and shallots, Red Whethersfied Onion seeds are looking good,quite a few growing in under a week. Ditto for Camelot shallots. The Ambition shallots look pretty good despite the seeds being a year older. The New York Early onions are barely germinating despite being newly bought seeds. I see one or two sprouts so far. That's kind of disappointing so I planted another container of those. Maybe they are just slow. They grew very nicely last year, and are still keeping very well. 

 Red Whethersfield Onion Seedlings

Ambition Shallot Seedlings.

All of the Rudbeckias are growing already. I thought they might need stratifying, but they all germinated in about 3 or 4 days. That's even though those seeds are two or three years old. I added new 6-packs, some old Echinacea purpurea seeds (2018 and 2019), and Gallardias (2019). If they don't grow, it's OK. No use keeping the seeds if I don't grow them. Carnation seeds are not up so far. Neither are celery. Kale germinated in two days.

Setting Up Forsythia Bouquet / Cuttings. 1.13.22

I saw on a garden calendar that if forsythia stems are cut now, they can be persuaded to bloom early, indoors. Also it may be an OK way to start some more cuttings. I'd like to add about eight more plants to lengthen the hedge I started last year. Not much to it. I just cut them and put them into water. I'm aiming for about a foot long and not too flimsy.

The big vase contains Linwood (I think. It was grown from a discarded pruning about twenty years ago). The one in the jar is a more narrow, more vertical shrub with flowers more pale yellow, wider petals. I don't know the name.

Cleaning Up Some Flower Seeds. 1.13.22

During late summer / early fall I picked flower heads that appeared to be drying out. I stored them in paper lunch bags. Today I got them out, cleaned them up, and stored each type in their own paper envelopes. French Marigold. This strain must be pure, because they are all descended from a volunteer plant from three years ago. They have all grow out with identical plants and flowers.

Then grasp the flower base and pinch to hold the seeds in place, then pull off the petals. Then pull out the seeds. They come out nice and clean, ready to plant in Spring.

These dried marigold flowers are nice and perfumey. They remind me of my great aunts. I also cleaned up seeds from cosmos, and four o'clocks in two shades of pink - not sure if I will grow those.

What's Blooming? Helleborus. 1.13.22

 This is the sole outdoor flower in bloom right now.  

Planting Multiplier Onions or Shallots. 1.13.22

 These are either potato onions - a very old heirloom variety that multiplies in the ground, like a shallot - or shallots.  I messed up the labeling.  I'm hoping for potato onions but some have a red color that is probably shallot.  

I had them in a paper bag in the pantry so they would stay dry.  I decoded to plant them now.  It's mild.  They should even overwinter OK.

I planted then in a row near the end of what will be the chili pepper bed.  They wont take much room there and won't interfere with the peppers.  Even with rain and mud, it's not bad planting in a raised bed with a nice foot path. :-)

Footpaths in Kitchen Garden. 1.13.22

 I've been laying soil barrier and covering that with woodchips for a (if it works) mole-minimized and weed-reduced if not weeds-eliminated kitchen garden area.  Closer to completing this job.  The wood chips make a nice walking surface.  I'll deal with the drip irrigation lines later.

I couldn't be happier with the kitchen garden.  It's only mid January and the hardest work is completed.  

Aerial Views. 1.13.22

 Ning took aerial photos using his drone.

The garden acre.  About 1/3 to 1/2 acre is usable once easements and wetland/woodlot are accounted for.  

Most of the "brown" areas are leaf-covered beds for crops not bothered by "our" deer (sweetcorn, potatoes, and squashes that will be protected) and annuals for the soul and for pollinating insects.  Fruit and nut trees don't show well in the photo.  There are lots of those.  This week I added wood chips around the raised beds in the fenced kitchen garden.  The other half of that is miniature and espalier fruit trees.

The house is on the other side of the road.  Photo doesn't include the front orchard and small vineyard.  Hens and duck get the run of the fenced area behind the house, which is planted with roses, rhododendrons and other shrubs and small trees.

First Shallots and Rudbeckias Germinated. 1.13.22

 This seems pretty fast for the first seeds to germinate.  I always wonder, will they grow?

It's interesting, the first onion-family seeds to germinate were the shallot seeds that I saved last fall.  Last year, the fastest squash to germinate were saved seeds, with bought seeds taking one or two weeks more.  Must be the freshness although maybe I let them ripen more thoroughly.  Or maybe it's coincidence.

"Grocery shallot" home saved seeds.

He Shi Ko scallion seeds. These were bought this year.

Rudbeckias, Marmalade and Prairie Sun. It's interesting how reading the internet can make things complicated. I read that Rudbeckias need refrigerator stratification for 4 weeks before germinating. I was thinking about doing that with another batch. but here these are, already growing. Not bad, the first are up seven days after planting.

More of these seeds remain to emerge. I'll keep them on the warming mat at keast amfew more days, then move them close to LED lights for better, stockier growth.

Goal: Create a Tomato Variety with Short Stature, Heirloom Flavor Red Cherry Tomatoes. 1.12.22

 This is an ambitious goal.  There are all sorts of red cherry tomatoes out there.  Most are hybrids, and most are sweet/tart but not the more complex, tomatoey flavor of heirlooms.  Most grow tall and rangy.  What I want is a dwarf, short interstem plant (brachytic dwarf) with true red tomatoes, cherry size, prolific production like clusters of grapes.  I would like if they have jointed stems that break easily for easy harvest.

Last year I grew Dwarf Johnson Cherry Tomato.  Not too far off except:  The tomatoes are pink with pink flesh, too mild flavor, not jointed so they don't pick easily.  It is a brachytic dwarf, so there's that,  and I will grow them next year.

There are thousands of varieties out there. I certainly don't know them all or even most.  In the end, I also want one that grows true from seeds, so hybrids also don't count.  

I decided to try to be scientific about this.  I will choose parents with suites of traits that, together, might help result in my goal.

(1)  Livingston's Dwarf Stone - a red heirloom tomato, brachytic dwarf, introduced by the Livingston Seed Company in 1902.  Not a huge size tomato.  This line is ancestral to other brachytic dwarf tomatoes.

(2)  Reisentraub.  A German-developed, red heirloom cherry tomato, around since the mid-1800s.  They bear huge clusters, like clusters of grapes (complex inflorescence), that are claimed to have heirloom beefsteak tomato flavors, bite size tomatoes.

I have not found a highly detailed yet clearly labeled (for the amateur) map of tomato chromosomes with associated traits, but I did see this example, which helps significantly.  Based on that information, my main interests involve three chromosomes.  Mainly two. Some link useful traits together, which will help.  

Chromosome #1:  locules, few=L and many=l (Capital letter is dominant).  Compound inflorescence=s, simple inflorescence=S.  I think Dwarf Stone is lS and Reisentraube is Ls.

Chromosome #3:  Brachytic trait =b, normal internode length = B.

Chromosome #5:  Jointed stems (for easy picking ) jointed is dominant (J).  there is also a nipple tip trait, Reisentraub has it (nf) and jointed stem,  Dwarf Stone does not (Nf) but I don't know about join   ted stems.   These traits will help later.

So as far as I can tell, Dwarf Stone is Chr #1:  1S  Chr #3:  B and Chr #5:  jNf.

Reisentraub is Chr #1:  LS  Chr #3:  b and Chr #5: Jnf.

I know there are lots of other genes involved, on these and the other of  the tomato's  12 chromosomes, but this is what I have.  Other traits & chromosomes might help in later generations to select for uniformity or flavor or tomato size, for example,

Now, Dwarf Stone has to be the female parent.  All of Dwarf Stone 's seedlings should be normally be dwarf, a recessive trait.  If the cross takes, the seedlings (F1 generation) will all carry a dwarf gene but they will grow normal height.  That's how we know the cross took.  A successful cross will have F1 generation with few locules (more likely cherry), simple inflorescence, red, jointed stem, yellow skin (so red fruit), no nipple trait.

Taking seeds from F1 generation and growing them out, 25% of seedlings will be brachytic dwarf (b).  So plant lots of seeds, but discard any plants that grow normal height.  Easy to identify at a couple of inches tall.  When they bloom, if they have multiple inflorescence, from Reisentraub, they should also be two locule.  Compound inflorescence is a recessive trait, so that should be 25% of F2 generation.  Also, those will be purebred for both the inflorescence type, and as a marker for the dominant few-locule trait.  Save only seeds with those traits.

Similarly, save only seeds for plants that have jointed stems and nipple trait.  Nipple trait is recessive, and linked to jointed stem (which us dominant) so selecting for nipple trait, 25% of seedlings, will mean both that and the jointed stems are pure.

That isn't all but those are the traits I wanted.  After growing out F3, choose the ones with cherry trait and best flavor, select those for saving seeds and further purifying until they are true to type, takes about 10 generations.  There is no promise I will be gardening that long, but I think by watching how traits are linked on chromosomes and which are dominant vs. recessive, I can have a strain I feel good about in four generations.  Another way to increase my chances would be back cross the F2 dwarfs with Reisentraube, and only grow out the dwarfs in F3.  Then the offspring will be 75% Reisentraube, still brachytic dwarf, and maybe I would get there faster.

So those are my thoughts.  There is probably a lot wrong with them, but we have to start somewhere.  I think I'm at least good with the parent selection, what F2 might look like, and selecting brachytic trait and cherry tomato trait (few locules, although some salad tomatoes are bigger and also have few locules) (plus compound inflorescence) and nipple (plus jointed stem) trait.  Those are a long way away and who knows what any of the uncertainties of life will bring.  Then again, I might have fun and a nice variety in the end.  Plus hopefully even the dead ends and mistakes will be tasty.

Starting More Seeds. Peppers, A Few Flowers, and More. 1.11.22

It's not necessary to start them this early, but at least the onions benefit from the head start. I think the Rudbeckias will too, and most of these can be planted outside before last frost date (onions, kale, maybe rudbeckias). I like to start peppers early because they grow so slowly in my garden, and to get an earlier and larger crop. They can be grown inside under LEDs for quite a while, until ready.   Plus some if these seeds are several years old. They might not grow. Starting now gives me a chance to try again if needed.

It's been quite a few years since I grew Tabascos or Thai peppers. They will be fun to try in their new raised bed. Serranos and Jalapeños always do well for me. Serranno plants are larger, so need more space. They are also more productive in my growth conditions.  The only new pepper seeds for this year are those from the Chili Pepper Institute in New Mexico, and Serranos from Victory seeds, which are all open pollinated so I can save seeds from now on. Depending on the plant and how things go, I would like to overwinter a couple next fall, which would mean an earlier start and more peppers per bush. The chili pepper raised bed has room for about a dozen plants, so I intend to start a few more in a month.  The seed starting mats will have spaces again by then.

Maybe a card file, well used, would be a better way to keep track of stored seeds and how the varieties do. I think I depend too much on tech. I'll work on it. These are 5 x 8 cards. Printing them out, they are more legible and compact than if I hand write on them.

Reviving Another Geranium. 1.9.2021

Here is the other geranium I decided to revive. Looking through my notes, I was growing it in 2006, so I've had it a while. Mostly I overwinter it with dry dirt on the roots in the garage.

I shook off loose dirt, removed dead leaves, pruned of dead branches and pruned back the longest branches.

Then repotted in fresh potting soil and watered it in.

I think it should grow. No more water unless it looks dry, and no fertilizer. Keep out of direct sun.