I failed at my goal of taking fewer things from the box than I put in, but only because there are so many interesting things in there! I added a bunch of seed for a few things I have that seemed underrepresented in the box, as well as some things that are always popular.
Unfortunately, the box hit me just before a lot of this year’s seed crop is ready to process, so there’s some interesting things that won’t make it in until next time (this year’s flour corn, lettuce, maxima squash grex, basil grex, cucumber grex, leafy brassica grex, runner bean grex, etc).
@UnicornEmily I may not get the box in the mail until next week, but I’ll send you details when it ships.
Here’s a sneak peek of some of what I added. If anyone has questions about any of it, I’m happy to add details:
The folks who lived at my place before us grew cut flowers and the yard was full of poppies the year we moved in.
I haven’t really planted them intentionally so much as continued to scatter seed in disturbed edges and allowed them to grow as a beneficial weedy species in my garden. They seem to do better here when the seed has had a chance to cold/wet stratify by overwintering outside, so maybe try scattering some seed this fall just before your first big snowfall? Alternatively, just be sure to sow them much earlier than you would think in the spring (Feb/Mar).
For seed production, it’s important for the plants not to be too crowded, so it’s worth doing some thinning if you get big clumps of seedlings.
These are some of the poppies growing in front of a pea trellis (I should have thinned this carpet of poppy seedlings). Peas in foreground are ‘Golden Sweet’ and the ones climbing up to the shed roof are ‘Swedish Red’.
Even with overwintering or sowing really early (Jan/Feb), I haven’t gotten any seedlings. I’ll try again this fall because I’d really love poppies in the yard. Thank you for the advice!
They like a wet spring, then they flower when it starts to get hot and dry. They prefer neglect to coddling and a soil that’s not too rich. They don’t need fertilizer or watering, and they don’t like being transplanted.
They definitely weren’t getting coddled. I spread the seed around the yard in different areas, but didn’t get even one to show growth. I might put some seed in our tree boxes (air pruning boxes) so they’ll be protected and localized to one area so I can track them better. The soil in there is mostly just forest soil from our yard.
@avery.bowron Wow! That is some wonderful things you added to the box!
@UnicornEmily I’m ready to get back on the list, knowing it will be a bit before I get it. I’m working to gather seeds from all my things to send back to GTS and for this box.
Looks like I need to get to sorting out my seed collection for contributions!
Would there be any interest in the colorful popcorn/glass gem corn mix I grew out this year, even if I haven’t had a chance to test it for popping yet? I got an amazing yield despite the earworms, and some delightful diversity. I’m just not sure of the popping quality since there was glass gem and some more decorative looking varieties in the mix.
I guess I’ll include some, then! Currently everything is still separate until I pop-test it, so I could also divide by “includes seed from tassel-topped ears” and “seed from normal ears” if that would be appreciated.
I’m assuming this is related to the teosinte genetics mixed in, but some of my popcorn grew multiple tillers and ears with pollen-producing tassel structures at the top of the cob, instead of just silks. For the most part, they produced otherwise completely normal popcorn, BUT I did notice that the tassel topped ears were more susceptible to earworms and they were also slightly shorter than the normally developed ears on surrounding plants.
)
I’m working to gather seeds from all my things to send back to GTS and for this box.
