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Post by kazedwards on Jul 27, 2014 2:07:46 GMT -5
From Kelly's site it looks like his true seed made huge onions.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jul 27, 2014 5:53:44 GMT -5
I have had much worse luck with growing out the Green Mountain seed, both seed Kelly gave me and my own saved GM seed. Nothing I grew from that seed was worth a darn IMO. I will keep trying, but I'm hoping to cross GM with some other potato onion strains if I can get my hands on some. 12540dumont, I know I sent you some spring of 2013 in a seed pack, did it croak? |
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Post by philagardener on Jul 27, 2014 8:51:19 GMT -5
I got some GM bulbs from KW last year and was a bit surprised how small they were (but appreciate that he is trying to increase and distribute them.)
Fall replanted bulbs survived our harsh winter and about half bloomed at the same time as my shallots (mixed pollination was attempted). Those are still maturing seed (despite a branch falling on them in a summer storm); the others died back about the same time as my garlic. I got clusters of 3-5 bulbs but none much larger than the ones I planted.
Spring replanted bulbs didn't bloom but made clusters of 3-6 bulbs. Those tops are still green but have fallen over and soon will be ready to dig. I expect the increase will be mostly in number and not size.
I started some TPOS seed from KW in January under lights. The seedlings ranged from weak to strong growers. As KW described, they have grown as single leads without splitting into clusters and are still green and upright. Between not splitting into multiple bulbs and having the benefit of a longer growing season they may get to larger sizes by the end of the season.
I have wondered about PO day length requirements and how my conditions differ from Kelley's. I know I could feed them more. I also thought it would be interesting to start seedlings late summer and see if I could get small starts that might grow out in their next season as larger single bulbs, but then I wouldn't be taking advantage of the perennialization.
It is interesting to hear about others' experiences with these! Thanks for sharing your info.
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Post by richardw on Jul 27, 2014 14:48:18 GMT -5
I also thought it would be interesting to start seedlings late summer and see if I could get small starts that might grow out in their next season as larger single bulbs, but then I wouldn't be taking advantage of the perennialization. It is interesting to hear about others' experiences with these! Thanks for sharing your info. My KG seed was sown late summer,planted into there permanent beds, they are still looking really good as they are going through winter at the moment,so will be interesting to see how they do here this summer. |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 29, 2014 16:06:03 GMT -5
Oxbow....hmmm they're not in my inventory. I didn't plant them, as they are also not in any of my beds last year or this year. When I clean seeds, I'll check my onion jars, maybe I didn't inventory them and put them straight into cold storage?
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jul 29, 2014 17:25:38 GMT -5
Oxbow....hmmm they're not in my inventory. I didn't plant them, as they are also not in any of my beds last year or this year. When I clean seeds, I'll check my onion jars, maybe I didn't inventory them and put them straight into cold storage? It would have been bulbs, I didn't have any seed yet. |
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Post by templeton on Jul 30, 2014 4:45:50 GMT -5
I've got in a row of autumn planted GM F2 seed (my home collected stuff), a tray of the same in the greenhouse, and a bed of original GM bulbs growing out 'plant to row' at my second garden. Two bulbs from the original GM seed were kept back - these were the huge, single bulbed white plants. Unfortunately, they have both developed some black powdery mildew, and one has started to shoot, so they both went into large pots in the greenhouse where I can keep an eye on them.    |
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Post by philagardener on Jul 30, 2014 7:09:53 GMT -5
Those look fabulous, t, especially the size on those two seed grown ones! The right one already seems to be splitting to at least two leads upon regrowth. Hope both parent bulbs make it!
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Post by 12540dumont on Jul 31, 2014 10:41:32 GMT -5
Looks awesome Templeton. What's under the hay? What's under the white in the back of the photo? I have to report that your parsnips are a success. I got 4. The gopher took the entire rest of the bed. So, I had none for seed. So, the 4 I ate were great. Your yellow snaps looked awfully pretty as well.
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Post by philagardener on Jul 31, 2014 19:55:14 GMT -5
In my experience, gophers have good taste. Unfortunately, they don't taste as good.
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Post by templeton on Aug 1, 2014 3:50:17 GMT -5
Looks awesome Templeton. What's under the hay? What's under the white in the back of the photo? I have to report that your parsnips are a success. I got 4. The gopher took the entire rest of the bed. So, I had none for seed. So, the 4 I ate were great. Your yellow snaps looked awfully pretty as well. The hay is the border of the bed - I laid water-spoiled hay bales in a 2 metre by 15 metre box, then filled the inside with compost. The hay is slowoy sinking into the ground. The white bits are my attempt to save some of my Winter 2014 edible podded pea growout trial. A huge infestation of red legged mites just hammered everything, and I had to find some way to protect the few remaining plants, so chopped up 2 litre milk bottles to provide guards. Didn't work! I'll send you more 'nip seed if you like. got buckets of it. My autumn sown ones are going well - hopefully will get some thick short ones to select for another generation growout. Yellow snows - did I send you some, or have you been peeking at my other posts? T |
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Post by 12540dumont on Aug 17, 2014 19:54:44 GMT -5
I confess to peaking at your other posts. Well, to be entirely truthful, I read them end to end. Casa Templetonia...wish I was there now. How green and damp it looks. This day after day of 89-95 F is wearing me out. I'm tried of hot and dry. I want to rest my eyes in fog and green and pretty peas.
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Post by billw on Aug 18, 2014 12:15:00 GMT -5
Well, all potato onion varieties ultimately set seed this year. Everything is harvested and drying.
My earliest group of yellow potato onions all flowered, but set almost no seed, which is interesting. The later batch that flowered with more overlap with the other varieties set a much better seed crop. There was plenty of pollinator activity. Are potato onions poorly self-fertile?
Got only a few seeds from the rare Dakota Red variety, but some is always better than none. The KW varieties had much better seed set than the yellow multipliers.
I also got a few bulbils on yellow multipliers, which I have never seen before, although I have never observed the flower heads as closely as I did this year.
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Post by kevin8715 on Aug 18, 2014 12:47:28 GMT -5
Well, all potato onion varieties ultimately set seed this year. Everything is harvested and drying. My earliest group of yellow potato onions all flowered, but set almost no seed, which is interesting. The later batch that flowered with more overlap with the other varieties set a much better seed crop. There was plenty of pollinator activity. Are potato onions poorly self-fertile? Got only a few seeds from the rare Dakota Red variety, but some is always better than none. The KW varieties had much better seed set than the yellow multipliers. I also got a few bulbils on yellow multipliers, which I have never seen before, although I have never observed the flower heads as closely as I did this year. If I remember correctly, onions are outbreeders. They avoid self pollination by sheding pollen and being receptive at different times, so your description sounds about right of what was expected. |
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Post by templeton on Aug 19, 2014 20:37:55 GMT -5
I've just sown some new potato onion seed, generously sent to me by Raymondo.
This is not Kelly W-sourced material. Will be interesting to see if I get flowering again on the Green Mountain F1s, and if I can get a bit of cross pollination. My 50 plants of Green Mountain F2 seed grown were potted into forestry tubes in the greenhouse a few weeks ago, and with the change in seasons and a bit of warmth, have already put on new growth. The two big white green mountains that produced very large single bulbs are both sprouting in pots in the greenhouse, and showing multiple divisions. Unfortunately one is diseased, and doesn't look like its going to make it. Not sure whether to treat it as a cull, or try some drastic surgery of some sort, and maybe a mouldicide bath.
With all of these to grow, and the 50 or so Green Mountains from last year's bulbs, and the growouts of some commercially available POs, and a number of bulbing topsets to compare, it's going to be a big spud onion year, this year.
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