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Post by jocelyn on Apr 8, 2017 17:35:37 GMT -5
I dug the tubers from the tiny plants grown this winter in the house for something to remind me spring is coming, grin. Although they had gotten skinny from little light, they did set tubers and it was fun to see what the vines had made. They'll have to nap in the fridge till the first week of July, more than likely, but there is a nice assortment. Blocky pink ones, early, quite a few, extra large very dark blues, 150 days till went yellow, so maybe too late for here. A long banana shaped very dark purple/black, some oval bright green ones that grew above the soil line hidden in the vines, might be yellow or white when grown under ground, some round pinks, easter came early. They are in the fridge in a tub of soil to nap for a bit. Tubers from last year have been brought up to sprout, might be able to plant them in mid May. 4 feet of frost in the gound right now, but supposed to be arm all next week, so things will thaw. Can hardly wait.
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Post by jocelyn on Mar 24, 2017 5:29:49 GMT -5
Yes, that sounds like it. I Googled it, and the pictures of the fruit look right. My buddy who sent me the fruits tells me no thorns, so that makes pseudocydonia likely. The fruits are really yummy after a frost. They will probably not be evergreen here, as my buddy is just south of me and they are deciduous there. This will be fun. Thanks for the reply:)
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Post by jocelyn on Mar 12, 2017 6:49:12 GMT -5
Anybody know how long it takes for Chinese quince/chenomels sinensis to bear its first crop? I got seeds in the mail and they are coming up now on the kitchen table. Tiny little green sprouts, reminders that spring will be here soon.
The fruits they came out of are really yummy, those fragrant deep yellow ones with the brown freckles. Can hardly wait, grin.
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Post by jocelyn on Mar 9, 2017 5:57:07 GMT -5
Thanks guys, most informative. I'll let you know how they do.
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Post by jocelyn on Mar 7, 2017 7:04:33 GMT -5
Anybody tried a moro seed as a pot plant? Hubby and I both ate a blood orange, a moro, and each got a seed. I, grin, planted them............never met a seed I didn't like.
Any green being in the winter time is encouraging, so I don't mind if it doesn't get enough light to fruit, just want a pot plant.
Anybody tried one? Got tips?
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Post by jocelyn on Mar 2, 2017 6:23:46 GMT -5
Yah, the little mice can be something else! I had new grafts caged with 1/4 " mesh wire, cage down about 3 inches, and the little blighters dug under that, came up inside the cages and ate all of the live trees....root collar, main roots, above ground portions...sigh.
I was grafting low, so I could mound clay over the union, and only one graft didn't get eaten.
Still, 4 more on the kitchen table with buds swelling, and the little eared nibblers have had a population crash.
For what it's worth, a tin can with the bottom cut out can be pushed down into the soil and will protect the root collar area unless the the voles are really bad. When the place is overrun with them, nothing works.
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 27, 2017 13:57:13 GMT -5
yah, I retired last October, and this spring will be first one where I can play to my heart's content New toys indeed.
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 26, 2017 6:04:10 GMT -5
I went to a seedy saturday yesterday and had a lot of fun. Folks bring lebelled seed packets and lay them out for anybody to take some. You grow out your goodies and return seed in the fall. I brought Hopi squash, green fruited pollinated with orange fruited, gave them all away. I took home brown beans, purple tomatoes and some kind of round red beets. New toys. Gotta love seedy saturdays...a lot of old varieties gotten out into circulation, a lot of new play toys for gardeners
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 12, 2017 9:36:17 GMT -5
yes, i went out to feed and water the chickens too. We'll have a nice ommlet for lunch. it's cold, and we are under a blizzard warning, so anything has to be indoors today...since Friday actually, still digging out since Friday. Over the last few days I made nut butter, mostly Carpathian walnuts, some hazel nuts, a little hot melted butter so it wouldn't be crumbly, and a drizzle of oil so it would spread before the furnace kicked out some heat.
I like to sip my tea and eat my toast before splitting sticks for the fire.
I took a jar of seeds out of the fridge and dumped them on a flat of peat, lots with roots, so I buried them right end up....wait, what's that mystery seed, groan, another unlabeled seed. It's prunus, but what, apricot? Asian Plum? Pluot? Who knows, grin. Pears were labeled, and most are up, since Friday, I'm impressed.
I've got 5 new grafts on the kitchen table. All chestnuts. Got some elm scions in the fridge, they might have survived the DED, so I'll graft when I have a stock awake.
Cooked some beans, made Sloppy Joes and we ate them, have enough beans cooked to make I'm not sure what for supper.............
I should clean up the counters , peat and grit don't taste all that good, kneaded into bread. Gonna set a pan of bread shortly. I think I'll crack a jar of summertime for desert, humm, pears or peaches?
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 7, 2017 8:05:29 GMT -5
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 7, 2017 8:01:56 GMT -5
Maritime webs doesn't seem to be working, so here's one from postimage.org imgurThis is Dragan's graft, but he said I can share the picture
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 7, 2017 7:15:05 GMT -5
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 7, 2017 6:51:25 GMT -5
Thanks. Those etiolated shoots ones usually take. They are just small and hard on the fingers at the time, grin. Their main advantage is they are small enough to transport to a nut meeting and bring to the swap table. Anybody can take them, and someone else has usually brought something you, yourself, want. It's fun. There are some old trees around that breed well, make real good seedlings, so I'm keen to spread them around.
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 4, 2017 9:52:45 GMT -5
Just did 3 little grafts into new shoots of chestnuts. One tree has thick twigs, so was only able to do 2 to match up....oh, well, grin. Will have to do cleft grafts into year old potted trees from the porch. I just took some in to the kitchen to wake up. That will take care of the scions that are bigger diameter. The skinny ones, from the stump sprout, will be OK on the etiolated shoots....but what a finger cramper! I see another nut has sent up a shoot, but like all of these, it will be a tiny shoot, sigh. I lost the first blooms to frost last year, and pollinated to make these nuts the 2nd of August.....so very tiny nuts.....so very skinny shoots. Sure hope the blooms this spring don't freeze, I would love bigger nuts!
If the mice haven't eaten ALL of last years' grafts, I might get pollen this spring to set nuts on the single tree by the road, happy anticipation:) Kitchen table plants sure make it easier to wait for spring....it's minus 22 with the windchill today. Brrrrrr.
Suppose I'll have to venture out sooner or later, water the chickens, get the paper, already fed the wild birds....brrr.
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Post by jocelyn on Jan 31, 2017 5:47:36 GMT -5
Well, I'll have to wait and see what I get, I guess I can always plant the thorny ones next to the thornless parent and save berries from open pollination, if they turn out to be thorny. Some of the seedlings bred back should get thornless.
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