Signs from China

I enjoyed reading signs in China.  These photos are from late Oct, 2013

In the US, of course, we don't have any signs in Chinese.

Pink Banana Squash and other seeds. A nostalgia vegetable.

Pink Banana Squash image from wikipedia

Searching the web, I found seeds for pink banana squash.  Cucuberbita maxima. 

My dad's aunt Emma grew these and saved the seeds, which meant I grew them when I was a kid. I remember my mom being overwhelmed with what to do with the yield, cut it up and froze to make pumpkin pies.

I found a few sources, and added one to my seed "burden" for Spring

From www.rareseeds.com
Order Number: 100353504

 

Item Name
Jumbo Pink Banana Item No: SQ138	For nostalgia.   If we can't eat it all, the chickens will like it.
Anise Hyssop Item No: HB122	For the bees.
Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum Item No: HB129	Something different.
Red Round Turnip Item No: TN112	Ning likes turnips.
He Shi Ko Bunching Onion Item No: ON111	I like scallions.  These will be a change.
Chioggia (Bassano) Beet Item No: BT104	Ning likes beets
Tall Mixed - Marvel of Peru Item No: FL444	I'll compare to the other seeds.

Ancient Seeds

Judean date palm - wikipedia image.

Going through my old seeds always makes me think about various efforts at germinating ancient seeds.  I like to search on those efforts.

I don't recall reading this one before  -

4,000 year old lentil germinated in Turkey.  Turkish newspaper article.   "Bingöl said the lentil is pretty weak – unlike its modern day versions – yet they hope it will be able to flower and produce seeds."  then....  obscurity.  Did it grow?  Did the seed turn out not to be 4,000 years old?  Heirloom-organics article on the same seedling.  According to wikipedia, as of 2010 this was not confirmed and not reported in science literature.

There's the Judean Date Palm, which has now bloomed for the 3rd time.   The tree came from an archeological dig, carbon dated at 2,000 years old, and the cultivar is thought to have gone extinct in 500 AD.  The tree turned out to be male.  Genetic tests revealed the cultivar is similar to Iraqi and Eqyptian dates, so a hybrid could generate a new lineage, 50:50 first generation, 75:25 2nd generation, etc?  Not knowing palm genetics, I don't know.  It would be a slow process.  It will also be interesting to see if other seeds from the same or other caches could be revived and germinated.  The seed was germinated by Elaine Solowey, director of the experimental orchard - "First she soaked the seeds in hot water to make them once again able to absorb liquids. Then she soaked them in a solution of nutrients followed by an enzymatic fertilizer made from seaweed."

 I don't find much else about germinating ancient seeds, that I haven't already read. 

Seed Organizing. Old Seeds.

Organized garden seed collection.

I organized the garden seed collection.  The packets were in boxes and scattered in drawers.  Some are old and may be dead.  There are multiple examples of multiple packets of the same or similar variety.  Wasteful on my part.

Now they are organized.  Each envelope is labeled with a category, such as Okra, Tomatoes, Peppers, Carrots & Radishes & Root vegetables, Squashes & Pumpkins, etc.  That way I can look in the envelope and see what I have.  For some I can do direct comparisons of different varieties this year, and see if there is a difference.

I should plant some of the oldest ones first this year.  Then if I have newer examples of the same variety, it should be good for next year.

Over the years I have germinated some pretty old seeds.  As I recall, some tomato seeds more than 5 years old, and some peppers more than 10 years old.  They are not in ideal seed storage conditions, just the house and some downstairs where it is cooler.

Bottom line is I have some old seeds to try.  I can plant old seeds and new seeds together, and compare the results.

This website "The Garden Bench" gives some expectations:

2 years: Sweet corn, lettuce, parsley, peppers, chard.
3 years: Bush and pole beans, carrots, cucumbers, melons, peas, squashes, tomatoes.
4: Radishes, turnips.
Seeds of annual flowers: 1 – 3 years
Seeds of perennials: 2 – 4 years.

From Gardening Know How - 
Corn and peppers - 2 years
Beans, peas, tomatos, carrots - 4 years
Cucumber, lettuce - 6 years

Tomatodirt.com-
Tomato seeds, depending on how stored and how germinated, can last 4 to 7 years, up to 10 years, and an expert has germinated 22 year old seeds.

Seedsavers forum discussion on germinating old seeds - they report using an organice nitrogen fertilizer soak, to improve germination.  Beans at 6 years old and cotton at 12 years old.  Tomatoes at 20 years old.

This writer reports seeds that were frozen for a couple of years, then stored in a cool room for about 10 years.  There was germination of at least a few, for most varieties.  That included tomatoes, brassicas, squash, cucumbers, peas, beans, and others.  Probably better than my storage conditions, but also longer.

From the Argonne National Laboratory website -
 "The Garden Dictionary lists corn, dandelion, onion, and parsnip seeds as having an average viability of two years. Beet, carrot, lettuce, squash, turnip, and watermelon seeds remain viable for an average of 5 or 6 years but under ideal conditions may exceed 10 years. Cucumber and endive seeds are good for 10 years at least."

From Iowa State University-

How long will vegetable seeds last if stored properly? -

Seed Type	Years	Seed Type	Years
Asparagus	3	Muskmelons	5
Beans	3	Onions	1
Beets	4	Peas	3
Broccoli	5	Peppers	2
Cabbage	5	Pumpkins	4
Carrots	3	Radishes	5
Cauliflower	5	Spinach	5
Corn	2	Squash	4
Cucumbers	5	Tomatoes	4
Lettuce	5	Watermelons	4

From 'Dirt Happy" website -

Estimated longevity of vegetable seeds, under good storage conditions.
5 years	4 years	3 years	2 years	1 year
Collards	Beets	Asparagus	Corn, sweet	Onion
Corn salad (mache)	Brussels Sprouts	Beans	Leek	Parsley
Cress	Cabbage	Broccoli	Okra	Parsnip
Cucumber	Cauliflower	Cabbage, Chinese	Pepper	Salsify
Endive	Chard, Swiss	Carrot		Scorzonera
Lettuce	Chicory	Celeriac
Muskmelon (Cantaloupe)	Eggplant	Celery
Spinach *	Kale	Kohlrabi
	Pumpkin	New Zealand Spinach
	Radish	Pea
	Rutabaga
	Sorrel
	Squash
	Tomato
	Turnip
	Watermelon

Indoor Garden. Orchids Blooming.

Cymbidium hybrid

Plant window in home office.  Cymbidium, Dendrobiums, and Oncidium.

Sanseveria and twinkle Oncidium orchids

Cold day.   Appreciate indoor garden.

The cymbidium hybrid was outside west of the house, out of full sun, all summer.  It did not get much water.  Brought inside in October.  Now blooming.  Watering with a diluted balanced mineral supplement.

Similar for the Oncidium hybrids.

The Sanseveria was left to languish in dry area on north porch, no water all summer.  I brought it inside and left it in garage, in October.  It's been there until today.  I cut off the dead  leaves.  It should regenerate by Spring.  Gives me something to appreciate growing.

Repotted the Yamamoto dendrobiums.  They had similar treatment.  I don't know what they'll do.  The look good considering how much they dried out.

I wondered how orchids and other plants survived the months-long journeys by ship in the Victorian era, and before that.  Many can handle extended period of dry, minimal light, and general neglect, for months.  Then regenerate when conditions are better.

There are other Cymbidiums.  One looks like it might also bloom.  The main issue with them - aphids.  The buds are covered with aphids when they are about to bloom.  A couple of sprayings with neem oil, and they look great.

It's nice to have plants that were dormant, or at least required minimal effort, in the summer, regenerate in the winter.

Another cold day 9°F

When I awakened today the weather channel listed 9°F.
After today it should warm up a little.
Will need to check on pipes at Battleground place tomorrow and see if still frozen.

4:00 's (Four O'clocks) Mirabilis jalapa

Mirabilis jalapa image from wikimedia commonsw

Miribilis jalapa image from wikimedia commons

Looking at catalogs for next year.

When I was about 10 years old, my neighbor, a widow I knew only as "Mrs. Winklejohn" had a big patch of "4 O'clocks" near her porch.    I remember she also grew a species oriental lily - something I grow now, and she had a parakeet.

I don't know what led me to think about these flowers again.  I grew them more than a decade ago.  I don't recall much about them then.

Mirabilis jalapa originates in Peru.  It's a tender perennial that is often grown as an annual.  They have a large root that can overwinter in mild climates, or be dug in colder climates and stored for next year.  Not that I have the energy to do that.

I found some 4 O'Clocks seeds on seedsavers.org and ordered them.  Part of my effort to grow heritage flowers. 

4 O'Clocks are reported to be deer resistant.  I could not find info about rabbit resistant. 

Mirabilis jalapa historic illustration

They are considered an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.  They produce seeds that can be collected for next year, as well as the perennial roots.

I remember the flowers as being quite small - an inch or two.  In some illustrations, the flower in the illustration can be larger than the real item.

If they grow, these could be a nice addition to the bee garden.

Most articles mention the fragrance of these flowers, which open in the afternoon and evening, but not in the morning.

In China Mirabilis jalapa is called "the shower flower" or "the rice boiling flower".   

We'll see how they do.

Winter is a good time to study and reflect.

Mirabilis jalapa historic illustration 1765

More seeds for Kitchen garden and bee garden.

Another order, seedsavers.org. 

Bean, Dragon's Tongue PKT
Bean, Pencil Pod Golden Wax PKT
Pepper, Hot Portugal PKT
Pepper, Maule's Red Hot PKT
Squash, Golden Zucchini OG
Tomato, Cherokee Purple OG
Tomato, Italian Heirloom PKT
Tomato, Mexico Midget OG PKT
Flower, Four O'Clocks PKT
Flower, Bee's Friend PKT
Flower, Starfire Signet PKT
Sunflower, Titan OG

Image from vintageprintable.com

All of these are in the "Master Plan".  The garden beds are planned and all but one are built and filled; that last one is built but needs a chicken-wire bottom for moles and to be filled.

The 4 O'clocks are reported as deer and rabbit resistant, and may be a bee forage flower.  Phaseala ("Bee's Friend") is considered a great forage source.  The signet marigolds will be used in companion planting for vegetables.

I have a lot of seeds from last year.  I may try some of those too. 

This helps keep me going until late winter when I can start planting.  Especially cold days like today.

Kitchen Garden Plan for 2014. Revised.

Kitchen Garden Plan for 2014

Here is the revised kitchen garden plan for 2014.  Same raised beds.  The main differences, bush beans were moved into one bed.  I'm accounting for some beds getting 2nd crops.  Again subject to change on whim.

Okra and eggplant are planted last.  Those beds could be used for a late winter / early spring crop as well.

Even colder. 8° F predicted.

I wonder if any of the fig trees will survive?  And what else will be effected?  I read this is colder than the record in 1972.