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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 12, 2011 21:33:31 GMT -5
I am offering a box of genetically diverse sunroot tubers for $20: shipping included. I will harvest them in about 1-2 weeks. Send me a personal message to make arrangements. I grew sunroots (sunflower roots, Jerusalem Artichokes) from seed this summer. The box will consist of one tuber from each plant. There are approximately 25 plants. Tuber size is about the same size as my pinky finger. I would expect them to grow to normal size when planted as tubers instead of seeds. But what do I know? It's my first year growing them from seed. I have opened some of the seeds from the new plants. They look viable, like any small sunflower seed. I'll include some seed-heads if you ask for them. To my frequent swapping partners, if you want some they are a gift.  |
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Post by castanea on Oct 12, 2011 23:05:53 GMT -5
I am offering a box of genetically diverse sunroot tubers for $20: shipping included. I will harvest them in about 1-2 weeks. Send me a personal message to make arrangements. I grew sunroots (sunflower roots, Jerusalem Artichokes) from seed this summer. The box will consist of one tuber from each plant. There are approximately 25 plants. Tuber size is about the same size as my pinky finger. I would expect them to grow to normal size when planted as tubers instead of seeds. But what do I know? It's my first year growing them from seed. I have opened some of the seeds, and they look like any small sunflower seed. I'll include some seed-heads if you ask for them. To my frequent swapping partners, if you want some they are a gift. Would the tubers be planted this fall or in the spring? |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 12, 2011 23:32:32 GMT -5
Would the tubers be planted this fall or in the spring? I don't know how to store sunroot tubers except in the ground, so I'd say plant them this fall. I expect them to be winter hardy in USDA zone 5. I might figure out how to store them separately underground, and make this same offer in the spring. |
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Post by steev on Oct 13, 2011 0:26:46 GMT -5
As long as they are wrapped so as not to dry out, I've kept them for a year in the fridge veggie drawer. So I think the keys are maintenance of water content and cold, to delay sprouting.
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Post by steev on Oct 13, 2011 0:32:02 GMT -5
I would certainly like to give these a shot, but I've got rodents so bad, they've utterly cleaned out the suntoots in the patch I had. Some other year, or decade, when faunal order is restored to some more reasonable balance.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Oct 13, 2011 12:02:36 GMT -5
hmmm.... Do you think you'll be able to make this offer next year? I want it, but time issues won't allow. It's sincerely crazy around here. We haven't even picked the grapes from our 3 vines!
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 13, 2011 12:53:51 GMT -5
hmmm.... Do you think you'll be able to make this offer next year? I want it, but time issues won't allow. It's sincerely crazy around here. We haven't even picked the grapes from our 3 vines! I always think that there won't be a next year. But every fall I save seeds, and every spring I plant them. My intention is to grow these as separate individuals so that next fall I can make the offer again with mature 2nd year tubers; Presuming that we still have a functional mail system by then. |
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Post by steev on Oct 13, 2011 13:55:11 GMT -5
There will always be a next year; there may not be an us, but it isn't all about us.
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Post by Alan on Oct 13, 2011 15:37:22 GMT -5
Joseph, I'd gladly take some seed if you have some my friend.
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 13, 2011 15:58:36 GMT -5
I have had some luck with girasols as a trap crop for gophers. So, I have girasols around the outside of what I'm trying to protect, and the gophers stop and snack and sometimes never get on to the next crop. Here they are on one side of the bean house, and the beans are safe from gophers on the other. If you have diabetes, this is a good crop for you. If you eat these, eat them on the day that you dig them. This little row is about 3 years old. We should dig it and move them around, but we're busy planting onions. Joseph, that's a great price. I think I spent $20 on 5 tubers. Holly Attachments:
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 24, 2011 20:14:12 GMT -5
I dug the sunroots today. Here's what one rhizome from each plant looked like:  I am very pleased with them. They are bigger than I was expecting. There is a lot of diversity: one plant didn't produce any rhizomes, some plants only produced a few, many plants produced an abundance. I also collected around 10,000 seeds minus whatever the goldfinches ate. I'm looking forward to trying Walk's threshing method on them after they get dry. I waited until today to harvest them because a deep freeze is expected in a day or two and I wanted to give them every opportunity to mature without freezing. It ended up being a competition with the goldfinches. Here's hoping that I didn't skew the population too far in the direction of later maturing seed. I took one to three rhizomes from the most productive plants and transplanted them into a row for next year. I had meant to dig the roots first, and save seed from the most productive plants for seeding plant-to-row next year. I blew that... Frost emergencies: Sheesh! It's OK though. As a general rule the plants that produced the most tubers also produced the most seeds, and the plant that didn't produce any tubers also didn't produce seeds. I can collect seeds next year from the most productive 2nd year plants. |
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Post by turtleheart on Oct 24, 2011 23:11:14 GMT -5
dood! thats a sight for sore eyes. my ancestors developed sunroot, and now living in a place where they once were more than common, the closest fixed evolution variety is about a 45 minute drive away. i would pay for seeds and tubers for the spring if need be, but i would rather trade. i grow corn, bean, squash, tomato, pepper, tomatillo, tobacco, ground cherry, potato, sunroot, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum, oats, millet, buckwheat, fava, mustard, arugula, persian garden cress, nasturtium, collards, kale, sunflower, cilantro/coriander, thai basil, and many wild edibles, medicinals, and flowers. i could send you a trade list if you are interested.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 24, 2011 23:36:20 GMT -5
I always love swaps.  |
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Post by turtleheart on Oct 25, 2011 7:49:25 GMT -5
i have some certified NON-GMO sweet corn kernels segregated from my corn, and i am the only one in the world with my landrace flour corn, which is a fixed evolution hybrid landrace of pre-kinzua allegheny reservation calico flour corns. there are 2 or three people with some of the mother strains, but they are equally endangered. it would be cool to see some new sweets bred from a crossing. you need earliness? well this corn is just that. im no-till, no-chem, no-input (compost or anything), and dry.
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 25, 2011 12:47:21 GMT -5
Turtle, where do you go to get your corn certified No GMO?
I'm thinking that as soon as the proposition passes that GMO needs to be labeled, all of us who don't grow GMO will have to prove that we are not growing GMO, so I guess I better find out now. Just like the whole organic fiasco.
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