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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 15, 2010 16:08:44 GMT -5
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 15, 2010 17:25:30 GMT -5
I thought the one sign said Batchelor's Big Marrow Fart... But I'm pretty sure that's not really what you printed on the label, now is it?
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 15, 2010 19:04:53 GMT -5
NO! ;D I can see why you say that though Looks like "fut" to me... SUPPOSED to be "fat". Personally, I prefer "fart"
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Post by galina on Apr 16, 2010 6:15:30 GMT -5
They look lovely. The unnamed pea is flowering already, plenty to pick soon. Wish you good luck with saving seed from all the rare ones.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 16, 2010 6:47:48 GMT -5
Yep! I hope that I have a few diggable potatoes by they time the peas are ready to harvest. We adore peas with potatoes! Last year we had one pot and that was all the peas we had. This year we want MORE! The blossoms pretty much double each day so I think we will achieve that primary goal. The rare peas will probably begin to blossom within a week as well Say now... HOW do you save seed from peas? Beginning of season or end? Dry ON the vine or OFF?
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Post by robertb on Apr 16, 2010 7:16:13 GMT -5
Wait till the end of the season, and leave the last of the crop on the vine. I find the pods start opening very quickly, so it's best to cut the whole lot down and dry it in a sack.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 16, 2010 8:23:05 GMT -5
Thanks Robert! That sounds very doable! I just hope I remember when the time comes! Question: Sounds like it's a bad thing for the pods to split? If I'm saving for seed, why is that bad? When I cut them down for saving, can I expect the plants to be sort of drying off already?
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Post by bunkie on Apr 16, 2010 9:26:01 GMT -5
jo, when the pods get dry they shatter and drop the seeds on the ground. they're very hard to find then! ;D
imo, i would let the plants start to dry a bit before cutting.
wonderful pics jo! i have to get ours out of the greenhouse and into the garden ASAP!
pea varieties do cross, right?
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 16, 2010 9:46:20 GMT -5
ahHA! ok, well, that makes perfect sense to me Bunkie! I was kinda under the impression that peas and beans don't cross without human intervention? That was why I was planting them next to each other in rows. Was I being stupid beyond all comprehension?
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Post by mortality on Apr 16, 2010 11:00:28 GMT -5
Purple Podded - Desiree and Golden Sweet, now planted outside. (Sown indoors to avoid making the mice menu) I can't believe the size difference, they were planted on the same day (you can tell i'm a novice gardener, the little things that excite me) Attachments:
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Post by galina on Apr 16, 2010 14:03:22 GMT -5
jpea varieties do cross, right? Not easily. They shed pollen inside the flower, before it opens. Any crosses have to be made by hand using very immature flowers. With peas you don't have to worry about crossing.
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Post by galina on Apr 16, 2010 14:06:53 GMT -5
Purple Podded - Desiree and Golden Sweet, now planted outside. (Sown indoors to avoid making the mice menu) I can't believe the size difference, they were planted on the same day (you can tell i'm a novice gardener, the little things that excite me) The difference is amazing. Is that Purple Podded from the Heritage seed Library? If so, they will not get anywhere near as tall as Golden Sweet, although still a tall pea (5ft here).
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Post by Rebsie on Apr 16, 2010 15:59:50 GMT -5
Desiree is a semi-dwarf pea ... grows to about 3ft at most. Golden Sweet usually makes at least 5ft.
The sole difference between tall and dwarf peas is internode length. Tall peas grow a lot of stem between each set of leaves. Dwarf ones stay much more compact, with each set of leaves very close together. Consequently you can tell even when they are seedlings which are which, because the tall ones start to stretch away almost immediately. This is what you're seeing here, Mortality.
I usually grow peas very close together (multiple varieties on one trellis) and so far I've had no issues at all with crossing. However it probably depends on where you live - what kind of pollinating insects are around and how determined they are to get in! Bees will bite through the flower if they're really desperate. I also found in my trials last year a heritage pea called May Queen which has open flowers, fully accessible to bees. It's not common, but clearly where it does happen the risk of crossing is much greater.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 16, 2010 16:55:56 GMT -5
I usually grow peas very close together (multiple varieties on one trellis) and so far I've had no issues at all with crossing. However it probably depends on where you live - what kind of pollinating insects are around and how determined they are to get in! Bees will bite through the flower if they're really desperate. I also found in my trials last year a heritage pea called May Queen which has open flowers, fully accessible to bees. It's not common, but clearly where it does happen the risk of crossing is much greater. Alright! So I can grow heirloom Japanese peas as well as Ken Allan's Spanish Skyscraper and Dwarf Gray Sugar at the same time. Thanks for clarifying this folks
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Post by Rebsie on Apr 16, 2010 16:58:50 GMT -5
Yup. Give it a try. You almost certainly won't have a problem - and if you do then let us know and we will all learn something from it!
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