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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 2, 2011 10:26:05 GMT -5
It seems like however much I say that I am only going to grow landraces I invariably end up segregating the landrace...
For example, this summer I am growing landrace peas containing around 40 varieties. There were about a dozen plants that produced a mature crop 10 days before the rest of the patch. I have marked them with flags and they will end up being called "Joseph's earliest shelling peas", and then I will likely do something similar on the last of the crop, and call it something like "Joseph's longest lasting peas".
!!!! Taking peas to market 10 days earlier would be really clever !!!!
I'm thinking that everlasting peas are more likely to be born on pole-peas than on bush peas. The vines on "Joseph's earliest" are very dwarf, if I hadn't noticed them blossoming so much earlier they may have got lost when the rest of the patch overwhelmed them.
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Jul 2, 2011 12:03:12 GMT -5
!!!! Taking peas to market 10 days earlier would be really clever !!!!I'm thinking that everlasting peas are more likely to be born on pole-peas than on bush peas. The vines on "Joseph's earliest" are very dwarf, if I hadn't noticed them blossoming so much earlier they may have got lost when the rest of the patch overwhelmed them. I only planted 5 varieties this year. The earliest this year was Golden Sweet by far. But, it's flavor could use a bit of improvement. There are a few peas just starting to bloom now, far later than the rest (Perhaps Biskopen after all). Joseph, I still don't know much about pea genetics, but I've been emailing a guy over at that John Innes Center. You may be correct on the point about dwarf vs. tall for later varieties, but there may be other traits to take into consideration. One trait I'd like to study is called the (det) determinate gene. It also may make peas take longer to flower, but it also makes it so only the flowers emerge at two places near the top of the plant and don't have flowers along the stem, and it makes it easier to loose a crop. I have one purple podded pea in my garden showing this trait. Another trait I'd like to study are the "crown peas" or "umbel" types. In the pictures I've seen, they show much thicker stems and growth, and I'm wondering if they might be better at supporting themselves or might be useful in some other way. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 2, 2011 13:45:02 GMT -5
One trait I'd like to study is called the (det) determinate gene. It also may make peas take longer to flower, but it also makes it so only the flowers emerge at two places near the top of the plant and don't have flowers along the stem, and it makes it easier to loose a crop. I have one purple podded pea in my garden showing this trait. My family for decades have planted what we call "freezer peas", in which every pea in the patch matures at the same time, so to harvest them we pull the entire vine, and go sit under a shade tree to pluck the pods from them. I wonder if they carry the det gene? I planted a few patches of those this spring, figuring I'll take them to market as bundles of whole plants. It would seem counter productive to me though to try to grow a landrace of freezer peas... |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 2, 2011 14:47:53 GMT -5
Hey Joseph, are those shelling peas or mange-tout peas?
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Post by raymondo on Jul 2, 2011 22:48:00 GMT -5
So you end up with a few landraces that are better adapted to what you want. I think it's a good thing. Been giving a lot of thought to this idea of mixing cultivars to, in effect, create your own 'landrace'. It has definite positives. I'm slowly building up my garden to grow food for market and I think mixes like yours are the way to go.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 3, 2011 0:44:16 GMT -5
My landrace is shelling peas. I'm growing mange-tout (eat-it-all) peas for the first time this year. They are only one variety. I've been attempting crosses of green snap peas with a purple podded shelling pea. I've also been attempting crosses of some yellow podded edible pod peas with the purple pea. Hoping to get a purple mange-tout pea out of the first cross, and a red podded pea (either shelling or edible) out of the second cross. A friend is donating the yellow podded pollen. I too was surprized about how immature pea blossoms are when they start producing pollen. No wonder they are mostly selfers. I am much more brute force about it than Rebsie, I rip the blossom apart by pinching the center of the blossom away which usually takes the pollen nodules at the same time. (No botany classes ever for me.  and it shows in my vocabulary!) Here's hoping that's not too brutal. 3-4 landraces of each species seems about right for me... 1- The earliest to produce a harvest. 2- The most productive main season. 3- Some other trait that I just gotta have. 4- Anything that produces seeds just for the diversity. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 4, 2011 14:10:03 GMT -5
I'm grumpy at my seed company....
I thought I was growing a named cultivar of "sugar snap" peas... Based on them having two different types of pods: A thick walled snap pod, and a thin walled edible pod, I'm guessing that they mixed the seed together and marketed it as a snap pea. Boo Hoo. Guess I'm growing a landrace of eat-it-all peas after all.
Last year when I was harvesting peas I noticed that some of them sprouted in the pods if the pods were damp from touching the ground. So I took about 50 seeds from the earliest yielders, shelled them, and planted them today. They are still at the fresh eating stage, but if I want a second crop before fall I had to get them in now... I'll keep you posted.
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Post by synergy on Jul 9, 2011 14:48:30 GMT -5
I sure enjoy reading about this and determined that the heirloom varieties I have been planting with little success would be far better performing just being open pollinated landraces developed for thriving in my own climate . So I am trying to learn from your posts, thank you !
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Post by toad on Jul 10, 2011 15:27:16 GMT -5
Joseph, you might be interested in some of the heirloom peas from northern Sweden, a little more to the north, than Fairbanks in Alaska. That is early peas. The names I know of are; Svartbjörsbyn (NGB17837), Arvidsjaur and Hildas (NGB17848). The two you can order from nordgen.se in Sweden. I guess SESAM (Swedish Seed Savers) have all three, and probably more, that might interest you. www.foreningensesam.se |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 10, 2011 15:41:01 GMT -5
Toad, This is wonderful. Their links page is going to keep me busy for weeks. I may never sleep again. Now I wish I had taken more foreign languages in school! At least I would have used those.
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and it shows in my vocabulary!) Here's hoping that's not too brutal.
