[Ellendra]

I only started one tray of seedlings this year. I’m determined to find varieties that do well direct-sown in my climate, but for things like luffa gourds and TPS I’m giving them a head start. Only this time I didn’t inoculate the starting soil with known beneficial fungi like I usually do, and it became a tray of fur.

So, today I added colloidal silver to the watering can. It’s supposed to be a pretty strong anti-fungal, and at least some of the studies I found regarding its use on plants say that it won’t hurt the majority of other life in the soil. We’ll see. If it works I may try it on my strawberry plants, they get a fungus every year that kills the berries before they ripen.

In spite of the fur, the little TPS seedlings were starting to show! Some of them were recent purchases, but others range in ages up to 12 years old. Every single cell showed signs of life, no matter how old the seeds were. I might have to designate a larger section in the garden for them, because I was expecting a much lower germination rate.

(TPS = True Potato Seed, in case anyone was wondering.)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“(TPS = True Potato Seed, in case anyone was wondering.)”

We were ALL wondering! :)

My Dad used to drink that silver water for ‘health reasons.’ He was a sucker for anything purported to make you live longer.

I never noticed any fungus growing on him, so maybe it worked? LOL!

Can’t wait to say, ‘I knew her when’ when you win your Nobel for seed breeding. :)

[campaignPete R-CT]

Knotweed sprouting up 6 inches all over neighborhood. But I see none in the forest where I’ve been doing glyphosate extermination

Success

[Pollard]

My dream home so I can grow anything year round. Full length greenhouse attached to the South facing elevation. Heats the house in winter. Open high vents in greenhouse and low geothermal vents at back of house and air gets drawn in those to cool the house and greenhouse in summer.

Season extension is pretty important for market gardeners and small farms so they can compete better with the global system shipping produce 1,000 miles or more from places where the growing season is year round. The rest of us can make sauces, dressings, relishes, pickled foods and dry hot peppers. Some greens can be grown year round in many places with a hoop house + row covers. Root crops store. Veggies can be canned or blanched and frozen.

I maxed out my seed starting space and then some so next year, I either need more grow lights or need to not start so many seeds. Maybe start maters and peppers indoors and direct seed the rest which in my case this year have all been cool weather crops anyway. I could have started those in a simple hoop house like Pete has as early as I started them indoors.