Posted on 01/02/2015 1:27:52 PM PST by greeneyes
I used bulbs from our local organic market. We liked the garlic when we bought it, so bought more to plant.
The Fall planted was an ‘extra hardy’ white German hardneck; forget it’s exact varietal name, though I have it recorded. At $20/pound plus shipping, I wasn’t too thrilled. I will replant what I did get this Spring, and see what happens.
When anyone asks about garlic, I refer them to our resident expert, Tubebender.
40s and even low 50s (but teens at night) most of December, but Winter hit Christmas week.
That let me get a lot of non-gardening work done outside; the ground was frozen solid & still had a bit of patchy November snow cover on it.
Back to 40 today, but snow & below freezing again for the next week or so.
As for getting out, I do get to town 5 days a week: I got a part time job to fill idle hours that would otherwise inevitably lead to debauchery, dissipation, mopery, and dopery.
That is what I was afraid of. They ought to be good for keeping fresh flowers around the house though.
Temperatures have been fluctuating wildly lately. As usual, daffodil leaves are the first to pop out of the ground. Chinese cabbages doing well, as is Swiss chard. Going to sow lettuce seeds today. There has been lots of rain lately. The weather reports predict even more rain again this weekend. IMHO, we need to dry out a bit before more rain.
Not much to report, still going through catalogs and drying seeds.
I did see that the owners of St Lawrence Nurseries are retiring, and they aren’t sure how long it will be before someone else in the family takes over. So, if you’ve been thinking of ordering from them, this might be the year to do it!
Most seeds will keep fine if kept dry and at an even temperature. Last summer I grew tobacco seeds that had been tucked in a corner of one of my craft boxes for 10 years, and they grew fine.
Some species do keep better than others, though. Somewhere, there was a website with a detailed chart on how long each species could be expected to stay viable. Can’t find it now, but I’ll post it later if I see it.
“debauchery, dissipation, mopery, and dopery.”
I’ve got all but the debauchery down pat.
:)
Thanks. I was afraid I had kept mine haphazardly, but they’ve been dry and at constant temp.
It costs nothing to try them out :-)
-JT
No further progress on the old smokehouse soon-to-be potting shed. Maybe now that the holidays are over the construction crew will decide to show up for work and get it finished.
In the time it’s been sitting there the dang chickens have discovered that there’s a hole in the garden fence. They’ve wiped out what was left of my brussels sprouts, but the garlic remains unscathed so far. It will be safe for now, at least until the ground thaws.
Might it have been at FEDCO, a chart of remaining viability of vegetable seed ?
www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/seed_saving.htm
That might have been it, although there was a letter missing in your URL: http://www.fedcoseeds.com/seeds/seed_saving.html
Looking at that now, though, those numbers seem way too small. I know there are seeds in my collection that are almost 20 years old, but they grew when I planted some recently. And the chart says bean seeds lose viability after 2-3 years, but archeologists often grow some they find in digs that are centuries old!
There has to be another chart somewhere, I remember seeing some vegetables that kept their viability for 40 years easily.
I think that the chart is designed for maximum viablility of conventional and hybrid seed .
Heirlooms are a totally different breed.
The enemies of seed are: time, temperature ,temperature fluctuation, and humidity .
The more constant and consistant temperature and humidity, the more successful germination of seed, in my opinion .
I almost always do a germination trial on all my saved seeds, as well as 'newly bought' seed.
Usually 10 seeds per test on damp double-layer paper towells.
This last year I did a germination trial for summer squash seed packed for 2014 from a brand name seed company (not to be mentioned).
I had gotten 0.o% germination in the trial test .
Using the rest of the package, I got 0.o% - I will never buy that brand again,
even if given to me for free , nor will I again buy seed through that vender.
Germination trials save you from wasting space in the garden waiting for germination of seeds that won't produce.
My general philosophy is : the smaller the seed, the less the protection of the seed 'germ' for seed germination and sprouting, regardless of seed shell hardness.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and Lady Bender. Put on your walking shoes and do a few laps around your garden, don’t stop, just keep walking. The spring will return to you in no time. Have your blood checked. Come spring, you’ll be ready for anything, even visiting bears.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. 2015 will be a wonderful year.
I’ve received about 5/7 seed mags. It’s so hard to keep the pen from using their order sheets. I need to check the seeds from last year and the year before. Spruce up the raised gardens, including the community gardens, clear out the weeds in the pathways, clean up the gazebo and put out the hotdogs etc for our first gathering of the year. Oh, I’m also gathering beer and wine bottle to put together a keyhole garden. One of my community garden friends is not impressed with my idea, but I thought recycling was a good idea.
I like Territorial Seed. They give a lot of information to us, who are not gardeners, but learners about their seeds.
AND they fill and ship the orders quickly. So I need to get busy. Keep walking.
I’ve got some seeds in my fridge, so I’ll be starting some in a bit. My mini fig tree is in the garage, but it’s so cold out there, I’m thinking of putting it in the living room. It lost it’s leaves, but the stem still fees strong.
I don’t know anything about fig trees; but I think that *Anything* that you do with your plants is a ‘learning proposition’. Even if they don’t survive, you’ll learn something from your efforts, something that you can take forward.
-JT
Fig trees lose their leaves out here. There is a small one up the street that is mostly bare of leaves but it is loaded with fruit that will not ripen because it is growing in the shade of the redwood trees. I sprayed our roof with Moss Out yesterday but I read the directions after I got done and it said NOT FOR ROOFS!!! DoH...
I’ll check on that but if it’s good then California has banned it...
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