How to Preserve and Rejuvenate Heirloom Vegetable Seeds Some believe heirloom vegetables and fruits are plants with traits frozen in time, so that what’s grown from seed is the same as what was grown in your grandmother’s garden. Impossible, says Frank Morton, co-founder of Wild Garden Seed at Gathering Together Farm in Philomath, Oregon. Morton works to maintain and strengthen the genetic stock of heirloom varieties. To him, the idea of the frozen-in-time heirloom is a myth, unless you’ve been storing lettuce seeds from your great-grandmother in the basement. Even then, once the seeds have germinated, the plant population will adapt to its current situation. Insects, plants and pathogens are locked in an endless struggle of adaptation, Morton says. For the last two decades, Morton has been on a quest to strengthen seed stock of organic vegetables, including many heirloom varieties. As a farmer in the 1990s, Morton sold heirloom produce as part of salad mixes to restaurants. “I instantly saw that as a demand in the marketplace,” Morton says.
baume Seed Savers Network | Saving seeds - Biodiversity - Edible gardening Seed Starting Made Simple You’ll love the benefits of growing your own transplants. You can grow unique heirloom selections as well as the best varieties for your garden’s conditions — which will boost your yields and reduce losses to pests, disease and severe weather. The potential money savings aren’t small potatoes, either. Consider the cost of filling a single 4-by-12-foot bed with purchased transplants — typically selling for $4 to $5 each — versus paying $2 to $3 for a packet of at least 50 seeds. If you grow a big garden, the savings can quickly grow to hundreds of dollars. Indoor seed starting is easy, and the small initial investment in equipment will pay off quickly. 1. Not every crop is a good candidate for indoor seed starting. 2. Try getting seeds well-adapted to your region from local seed swaps, or you can buy from regional suppliers. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Seed-Starting Problems and Solutions Seedlings look tall, pale and spindly: Increase the light.
Seed Stewardship “Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance of conformity on all its many fronts.”― Michael Pollan Save your seeds! There is so much to say about this topic. Here's the incomparable Winona LaDuke, discussing the importance of renewing our relationship with the seeds: When you become an organic seed saver, you find yourself in the company of some of the most delightfully eccentric and passionately committed farmers in the world. Easy steps for beginner seed savers This video will get your hands dirty!
Adventures in Field Botany / Illustrated-Glossary Leaf Morphology: Phyllode/ Cladode: modifyed stems that act as leaves. Ensiform: leaves sharp edges, taper into a slender point (fern) Stellate: hairs come up like fingers. Peltate: "petiole joins to the center" in leaves. Glossary of Terms: WHORLED - more than two (2) opposite leaves. OPPOSITE - leaf nodes are on opposite sides of twig. ALTERNATE - leaf nodes alternate in pattern along branch. DECUSSATE - Arranged on a stem in opposite pairs at right angles to those above or below, resulting in vertical rows of leaves. PALMATE - consisting of leaflets or lobes radiating from the base of the leaf. CAPSULE - a hollow dry fruit with 3+ locules (chambers) Dehiscent = splits open to release the seed. Indehiscent: remaining closed, do not split open at maturity. Capsule Types- Dehiscent: Capsule breaks to release fruit Indehiscent: This is a drupe, no hard capsule that is made to split open A walnut is a drupe fruit. OVATE (ovoid) OBOVATE (obovoid) ELLIPTICAL Root Index Tuberous Roots: ex- Sweet Potato
Living Seed Library | A collection of info for the new world Sex grönsaker som är ljusgroende Det är dags att så. Jag står med en näve pyttesmå sellerifrön i handen och av ren vana sår jag så som jag funnit att sellerin blir bäst - utan att täcka den med jord. En del fröer gror bäst när de nås av direkt ljus och ska inte alls täckas av jord. Men hur vet jag vilka fröer som funkar så? Ett bra riktmärke vid sådd är att pyttesmå fröer sällan ska sås djupt ner i jorden. Riktigt små fröer trycks bara fast lätt på jorden och gror där. Rotselleri Det här är en rotgrönsak som behöver lång utvecklingstid för att utveckla fullstora rotknölar. Stjälkselleri Fröerna behandlas precis som rotsellerin ovan. Trädgårdsportulak Min favoritbladgrönsak sommartid. Vinterportulak En av vinterns allra härdigaste bladgrönsaker. Paprika De platta och ändå ganska stora fröerna till paprika gror mycket lätt på fuktad jord. Basilika Den är bladgrönsaken/kryddan har inte så små frön och det är inte alltid såanvisningarna berättar att de gror fint i ljus. Gör så här: Jag brukar inte vattna jorden innan jag sår.
Runåbergs fröer - Odla ditt frö själv - lite om fröodling Det är inget mysterium att odla sitt eget frö. Växterna sköter det mesta själva. De vill inget hellre än att gå i blom, bilda frö och sprida sin avkomma i så stort antal som möjligt. Varför ska vi odla frö själva? 1. Varför ska vi inte odla vårt frö själva? 1. Lite biologi Det är de blommande växterna som ger frö. Ettåriga - Anueller: blommar och ger frö samma år.Tvååriga - Bienner: blommar och ger frö andra året efter övervintring utomhus eller i lager.Fleråriga - Perenner: blommar och ger frö år efter år. Korsningsrisk - Isolering Om du vill spara frö som nästa år ger växter som är lika föräldrarna, får befruktningen bara ske inom samma sort. Selektion - Urval För att få så bra frö som möjligt, är det viktigt att bara låta de bästa plantorna få blomma och bilda frö. Vitalitet - Livskraft Den genetiska variationen bland korsbefruktande växter är nödvändig för att förhindra inavel. Hybrider Fröskörd och rensning Torkning och förvaring Testa fröet Jord, gödsel och klimat
Oikos Tree Crops Seeds Of Change 10 Seed-Starting Tips | Greens Bay 1. Keep records to allow for better planning An often overlooked aspect of plant propagation is the art of record keeping. At the end of the year we evaluate the timing of our production schedule, noting what went right and what went wrong. 2. Seeds are a fragile commodity, and if not treated properly, their viability will sharply decline. Once you are ready to sow, you can test the viability of many, but not all, seeds by soaking them in water for a few hours. 3. Plastic pots or containers are preferable to clay pots when starting seeds, as they retain moisture more consistently. No matter what type of container you use, it must be clean and free of pathogens. 4. Use a kitchen sieve to spread soilless seed-starting mix evenly over the top of the seeds to the depth of two times the seed diameter. 5. The fungal infection often referred to as damping-off is usually caused by excessive moisture and poor air circulation. 6. 7. A heat mat speeds germination. 8. 9. 10.
Runåbergs fröer - Sommar- och höstsådd Do not stop sowing just because spring is past and summer has come. Lots of plants can and should be sown later. The shorter, cooler days of autumn with fewer pests often make the crops better and many sorts can be sown in autumn to germinate extra early next spring. Our light early summer causes too early blooming in many sorts of cabbage and lettuce. The greatest threat to the seeds is usually not the cold but dampness. Summer sowing JULY: It is still possible to re-sow large parts of the spring sowing, radishes of course but also peas, lettuce, rocket, spinach, orach, beet-root, dill, egg turnips, kohlrabi, early carrots etc. AUGUST: The Asian leaf vegetables have time to yield another crop in September-October. Autumn sowing SEPTEMBER: It is not yet too late too sow spinach and Lamb's lettuce in plots in the south and in green houses further north. NOVEMBER: The same sorts as in October but even farther south. Summer- and autumn sowings have not been especially researched yet.
Just Fruits and Exotics Just Fruits and ExoticsFruit Home Welcome to our Fruit Home page. Our fruit selections are grouped in the links to the left. The link to the Ornamental Home page (CLICK HERE) will take you to our collections of ornamental plants that we've been working on for the last decade or so. PHONE: 1-850-926-5644 FAX: 1-850-926-9885 EMAIL: Justfruits@hotmail.com Just Fruits and Exotics 30 Saint Frances St. © Copyright 2014 - Just Fruits and Exotics