This year I am "growing out" for seed one heirloom pole bean (drying type, a chili bean) and one heirloom flour corn. Last year I trialed 5 types of heirloom winter squash. Next year planning on another flour corn variety, trialing paddy rices, soy and fava beans plus "growing out" a different drying type heirloom pole bean (the 3 bean varieties are from different species, allowing proximity without worry about cross pollination- soy = Glycine max, fava = Vicia faba, pole beans = Phaseolus vulgaris).
Tried to trial the rice & soy beans this year, then discovered I had a woodchuck problem... They thought all types were equally delicious! 😋.
I grew flour/popping corn for a few years, but just never used/ate it, so it's 8 years old now, still sitting there. I can't grow squash in Austin, due to borers, but they do ok in Yoakum.
I have been working with 3 types of black eyed peas in Austin, pulling out obvious hybrids, which I will plant separately next year. I'm playing with this as a project, making a new "landrace".
In Yoakum I just grow Whippoorwills, what Jefferson grew, the most grown in the US until the 1960s, when people just quit. They are a robust variety.
It certainly WAS wet this year, just not warm, my gardening is presently done in East central MN.
I could drive to the Canadian border in less than 5 hours from here, I'm in what used to be USDA plant hardiness zone 4B. However, the climate here has been trying to emulate zone 5 these last several years. Last winter, the ground never really froze?! I saw the lawn start to grow at least once per month all winter. I dug carrots and parsnips out of my garden on Christmas eve, hadn't done anything to insulate the ground either. So VERY wrong for MN at Xmas.
You might look into rice strains being grown in Hokaido (Japan) and Ukraine? Rice can be grown surprisingly far North and on relatively dry land too.
To make up for that 23 - 24 winter, previous winter of 22 - 23 the snow fell hard, frequent and never melted all winter, there was 5' plus of snow in our woods. Which oddly enough ALSO resulted in the ground never really freezing, it was too well insulated!
A few hundred square feet of rice can be harvested with a garden shear or sickle, 1 plant per square foot is optimal. Then you must dry the rice panicles- I've been in Hunan in October where on sunny days, everyone has a tarp outside on street/sidewalk/driveways and grandma is out there stirring & turning their rice harvest.
Threshing, put dry rice stalks/panicles in a bag and whack the bag against a solid object. HULLING the rice is a bit more of a challenge, I'm looking at a small electric powered unit off of Alli Express, I've seen home made units but why reinvent the wheel?
I just ordered 2 ounces of these cow peas supposedly adapted for northern growers, thanks for reminding me of yet another family of legumes to trial:
When I started into your last sentence I immediately thought of this product you ordered. I have long known of them from reading Carol Deppe's books. I placed some orders with her some years ago, too.
I have grown shallots from seed before with decent success, I've had very mixed success with onions and garlic. Shallot varieties I have grown keep CRAZY long, I've stored some shallots 2 years before cooking with them (or planting)!
Looking at trying NOT starting shallots from seed, here is the offering I'm looking at-
We grow garlic from late September or early October until June, and onions from starts December to late April or early May. I have grown onions from seed, but it costs an extra2-3 months in a bed.
Texas Hill Country Red, heirloom okra. The best every year for 3 years of trying 3 types per year, including previous winner. I quit trying after that.
This year I am "growing out" for seed one heirloom pole bean (drying type, a chili bean) and one heirloom flour corn. Last year I trialed 5 types of heirloom winter squash. Next year planning on another flour corn variety, trialing paddy rices, soy and fava beans plus "growing out" a different drying type heirloom pole bean (the 3 bean varieties are from different species, allowing proximity without worry about cross pollination- soy = Glycine max, fava = Vicia faba, pole beans = Phaseolus vulgaris).
Tried to trial the rice & soy beans this year, then discovered I had a woodchuck problem... They thought all types were equally delicious! 😋.
It sounds like you live where it is warm and wet.
I grew flour/popping corn for a few years, but just never used/ate it, so it's 8 years old now, still sitting there. I can't grow squash in Austin, due to borers, but they do ok in Yoakum.
I have been working with 3 types of black eyed peas in Austin, pulling out obvious hybrids, which I will plant separately next year. I'm playing with this as a project, making a new "landrace".
In Yoakum I just grow Whippoorwills, what Jefferson grew, the most grown in the US until the 1960s, when people just quit. They are a robust variety.
;-)
@John Day MD
It certainly WAS wet this year, just not warm, my gardening is presently done in East central MN.
I could drive to the Canadian border in less than 5 hours from here, I'm in what used to be USDA plant hardiness zone 4B. However, the climate here has been trying to emulate zone 5 these last several years. Last winter, the ground never really froze?! I saw the lawn start to grow at least once per month all winter. I dug carrots and parsnips out of my garden on Christmas eve, hadn't done anything to insulate the ground either. So VERY wrong for MN at Xmas.
You might look into rice strains being grown in Hokaido (Japan) and Ukraine? Rice can be grown surprisingly far North and on relatively dry land too.
That is very interesting. How do you harvest, thresh and clean your rice?
We have gotten your cold in Texas since Joe Biden has been in office. One hard climate-zone 6-7 freeze in climate-zone 9 every winter, one...
To make up for that 23 - 24 winter, previous winter of 22 - 23 the snow fell hard, frequent and never melted all winter, there was 5' plus of snow in our woods. Which oddly enough ALSO resulted in the ground never really freezing, it was too well insulated!
A few hundred square feet of rice can be harvested with a garden shear or sickle, 1 plant per square foot is optimal. Then you must dry the rice panicles- I've been in Hunan in October where on sunny days, everyone has a tarp outside on street/sidewalk/driveways and grandma is out there stirring & turning their rice harvest.
Threshing, put dry rice stalks/panicles in a bag and whack the bag against a solid object. HULLING the rice is a bit more of a challenge, I'm looking at a small electric powered unit off of Alli Express, I've seen home made units but why reinvent the wheel?
I just ordered 2 ounces of these cow peas supposedly adapted for northern growers, thanks for reminding me of yet another family of legumes to trial:
https://fedcoseeds.com/seeds/fast-lady-northern-southern-pea-eco-shell-dry-bean-321
When I started into your last sentence I immediately thought of this product you ordered. I have long known of them from reading Carol Deppe's books. I placed some orders with her some years ago, too.
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/the-resilient-gardener/?srsltid=AfmBOop8W6X6iARF6DH2kPyp0IfWgFS8d5c_IZSSl0h1bCaCumqFVlNK
I have grown shallots from seed before with decent success, I've had very mixed success with onions and garlic. Shallot varieties I have grown keep CRAZY long, I've stored some shallots 2 years before cooking with them (or planting)!
Looking at trying NOT starting shallots from seed, here is the offering I'm looking at-
https://adaptiveseeds.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dfabf0f059f8b62b8a5bbf0a&id=540f741875&e=9d506da640
We grow garlic from late September or early October until June, and onions from starts December to late April or early May. I have grown onions from seed, but it costs an extra2-3 months in a bed.
You have a beautiful garden, John. Is that okra you are growing in your background on the picture?
Texas Hill Country Red, heirloom okra. The best every year for 3 years of trying 3 types per year, including previous winner. I quit trying after that.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1522226391/okra-hill-country-red-seeds-heirloom?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_all&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQjw0Oq2BhCCARIsAA5hubVTO-Tx8GzCnOlueS2HEG0ULQT841dqQFB9k_Lo7WHajHm3X08cyZwaAsN6EALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_21500569332_164907277083_707558291651_pla-293946777986_c__1522226391_101678300&utm_custom2=21500569332&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Oq2BhCCARIsAA5hubVTO-Tx8GzCnOlueS2HEG0ULQT841dqQFB9k_Lo7WHajHm3X08cyZwaAsN6EALw_wcB
Don’t change anything John… You may appreciate the natural phenomena…
BTW” I’ve spent the last 25-30 years researching it… I think I can expand one that leads to a disorder in over a billion people…