johno Homegrown Guru Hip-Gnosis Seed Development Staff member is offline
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cornography « Thread Started on Oct 1, 2007, 11:27pm »
Two things: I wonder how many of us plan to develop local strains of Alan's Astronomy Domine? And what are your strategies? Breeding this vegetable can be cornfusing, so I wonder what others' thoughts are.
Garden Stats: 750' elevation, 36* lattitude, rocky gravelly clay soil, cultivated space 1800 square feet, first frost date Oct 20, last frost date April 13, rural setting
bluelacedredhead Guest
Re: cornography « Reply #1 on Oct 1, 2007, 11:37pm »
I'm growing it next year but I have the climate that Alan has developed this for...cool, sometimes wet, short season...WAit, Johno, you do too!!!
Do you know where the name for Astronomy Domine came from??
Garden Stats: 750' elevation, 36* lattitude, rocky gravelly clay soil, cultivated space 1800 square feet, first frost date Oct 20, last frost date April 13, rural setting
Alan Administrator Homegrown Administrator member is online
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Re: cornography « Reply #3 on Oct 3, 2007, 12:06pm »
Well, the genetics are definetly in this sweet corn for cool, short season weather with some of the short season primitve sweet corns like black mexican, black puckers ext. But there are also some genetics from some sweet corns from the south-west which we obtained through native seeds search so hopefully you will get the best of both worlds! I planted the parent stock in late april when the ground was still cool here and the only kind of corn I was willing to put into the ground (other than this) was Seneca Arrowhead. I figured whatever didn't emerge wasn't going to be cold tolerant so no big loss, then we went on to have one of the hottest and driest summers in 50 years or more and the corn produce well and made nice ears.
Just a farmer/gardener with a message board! http://homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com Average last frost May 10, First Frost October 15'th. Hot and Humid Summers. Full sun plots, rolling hills, plots planted on southern and south western facing slopes. Greenhouses kept at 70 Degrees F.
johno Homegrown Guru Hip-Gnosis Seed Development Staff member is offline
Joined: Mar 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,287 Location: zone 6b/7 AR Ozarks
Re: cornography « Reply #4 on Oct 3, 2007, 3:34pm »
So, Alan, we talked a little about adding even more genes to the mix (jeepers!) I've been looking into white sweet corns, and Argent and Silver King keep coming up at the top of the list. If I remember right, they are both sugary enhanced homozygous. Are there already some se genes in Astronomy Domine? Or is it all su? Also, I believe I have a pack of Inca Rainbow - would that be good to throw in the mix? As far as strategy goes, would it be best to combine anything like that now, or keep A.D. "pure," so to speak, until it stabilizes, then add the white or rainbow colors in?
Garden Stats: 750' elevation, 36* lattitude, rocky gravelly clay soil, cultivated space 1800 square feet, first frost date Oct 20, last frost date April 13, rural setting
johno Homegrown Guru Hip-Gnosis Seed Development Staff member is offline
Joined: Mar 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,287 Location: zone 6b/7 AR Ozarks
Re: cornography « Reply #5 on Oct 3, 2007, 3:37pm »
Oh yeah, I was also wondering... what was the method of combining these varieties in the first place? Did you mix all the seed up, then plant in a random fashion? Or was there a deliberate pattern? I'm curious what the odds are...
Garden Stats: 750' elevation, 36* lattitude, rocky gravelly clay soil, cultivated space 1800 square feet, first frost date Oct 20, last frost date April 13, rural setting
Alan Administrator Homegrown Administrator member is online
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Re: cornography « Reply #6 on Oct 3, 2007, 5:18pm »
Randomosity was the method, mix it up, put it out, let it do it's thing, that's where I was coming from with the idea anyhow. Personally I would go ahead and add in the Rainbow Inca sweet corn now, just another set of genes to "play with" and select from.
The corn has both the SE and the SU genes in it's lineage. All of the primitive corns were SU types. One of the parents, Ruby Queen, is a SE type.
Next year you should still end up with some SE genes, after that they will more than likely taper off (provided you aren't adding to the gene pool), however you will probably be adding to the gene pool every year.
Personally I think I'll plant every other row, that is, one row AD, One Row Silver King which I will detassle, that way I get the nice ear that Silver King has and Silver Kings disease tolerance with the color of Astronomy Domine.
I think I might have to trade and or buy some Painted Hills and some Rainbow Inca to add to my mix next year.
Just a farmer/gardener with a message board! http://homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com Average last frost May 10, First Frost October 15'th. Hot and Humid Summers. Full sun plots, rolling hills, plots planted on southern and south western facing slopes. Greenhouses kept at 70 Degrees F.
bluelacedredhead Guest
Re: cornography « Reply #7 on Oct 4, 2007, 7:35am »
You know Alan, instead of naming all your corn varieties after tunes by great bands like Rush and Floyd, you should go into breeding Beans...
I'm sure you've heard the saying Beans Beans the Musical Fruit? The more you eat the more you Toot
Garden Stats: 750' elevation, 36* lattitude, rocky gravelly clay soil, cultivated space 1800 square feet, first frost date Oct 20, last frost date April 13, rural setting
Alan Administrator Homegrown Administrator member is online
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Re: cornography « Reply #9 on Oct 4, 2007, 11:28pm »
nice one blue
Is that a polite way of saying I am full of something? Just kidding.
Anyhow, I do actually have some local heirloom beans i'll be growing out next year to share with my friends here, so in essence I will be passing the gas in good time. -Alan
Just a farmer/gardener with a message board! http://homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com Average last frost May 10, First Frost October 15'th. Hot and Humid Summers. Full sun plots, rolling hills, plots planted on southern and south western facing slopes. Greenhouses kept at 70 Degrees F.
bluelacedredhead Guest
Re: cornography « Reply #10 on Oct 5, 2007, 8:44am »
In these days of high fuel prices, the search for renewable energy sources is welcome, LOL
Just a farmer/gardener with a message board! http://homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com Average last frost May 10, First Frost October 15'th. Hot and Humid Summers. Full sun plots, rolling hills, plots planted on southern and south western facing slopes. Greenhouses kept at 70 Degrees F.
Alan Administrator Homegrown Administrator member is online
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Re: cornography « Reply #12 on Oct 8, 2007, 7:05pm »
Hey Johno, I just thought I would add that you hit my obsesive compulsive nerve and got me interested in adding in even more diversity, so guess what I just did?
Bought 200 seeds of painted Hills (painted mountain x luther hill) and Rainbow Inca (200 seeds), both are breeding projects of Alan Kapular so should be interesting when thrown into AD, which I will be doing in the spring time. -Alan Bishop
Just a farmer/gardener with a message board! http://homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com Average last frost May 10, First Frost October 15'th. Hot and Humid Summers. Full sun plots, rolling hills, plots planted on southern and south western facing slopes. Greenhouses kept at 70 Degrees F.
johno Homegrown Guru Hip-Gnosis Seed Development Staff member is offline
Joined: Mar 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,287 Location: zone 6b/7 AR Ozarks
Re: cornography « Reply #13 on Oct 8, 2007, 11:26pm »
I didn't realize Rainbow Inca was one of his? I got some reading to do on this guy...
Rainbow Inca has some lighter colors that I think will complement Astronomy Domine in its present state.
Another thing I was wondering - how near are the maturity dates of A.D.'s parents?
Garden Stats: 750' elevation, 36* lattitude, rocky gravelly clay soil, cultivated space 1800 square feet, first frost date Oct 20, last frost date April 13, rural setting
Alan Administrator Homegrown Administrator member is online
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Re: cornography « Reply #14 on Oct 9, 2007, 12:04am »
some are a bit early and short season, I weeded a lot of this material out because it didn't pollinate on time or fully, but what I did do was replant it at a latter date and got some good cross pollination from the earlier types with the later types, however one thing that would be smart to do is when you re-plant (which is inebitable unless you plant to heavy or have terrific luck and don't loose any plants/miss any spots) re-plant mostly blue keranels as most of the blue kernels are the early corns and you will get better integration of their genes and the later corns this way.
As a side not, the story behind Alan Kapulars cross of rainbow inca is quite interesting, it seems he was living in a commune in southern oregon where he had previously grown a number of different types of corn (sweet, flint, flower), he picked out his favorite 12 ears to plant the next year, planting one row of each type in one block or field, due to moles he got a poor stand and had to replant some of the corn, he hadn't marked his rows so just mixed up all the corns which meant he got crosses accross all different spectrums of corns and maturity dates. One of the corns he had planted was a large kerneled south american parching type which showed a few nice color variations that he chose to grow the next year, after a few years of selection he came up with rainbow inca and offered it through the SSE yearbook.
-Alan Who is now determined to breed the most genetically diverse sweet corn ever! maybe i'll call it Frankenstein instead?
Just a farmer/gardener with a message board! http://homegrowngoodness.blogspot.com Average last frost May 10, First Frost October 15'th. Hot and Humid Summers. Full sun plots, rolling hills, plots planted on southern and south western facing slopes. Greenhouses kept at 70 Degrees F.