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Hooray! I harvested my corn! It was delicious. I have two weirdo malformed ears that I didn't eat and want to use to plant next year's crop. What's the best way to go about preserving the kernels so they last the winter and don't rot? I have access to a lot of dessicant material so I can force-dry them if that's how it's done, otherwise I'm all ears.
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Aug 29, 2013 23:57
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Martytoof posted:Hooray! I harvested my corn! It was delicious. I have two weirdo malformed ears that I didn't eat and want to use to plant next year's crop. What's the best way to go about preserving the kernels so they last the winter and don't rot? I want to know this as well since my corn should be ready in 60 days.
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Aug 30, 2013 00:49
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Martytoof posted:Hooray! I harvested my corn! It was delicious. I have two weirdo malformed ears that I didn't eat and want to use to plant next year's crop. Won't that mean you're selecting for the mutant, malformed characteristics?
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Aug 30, 2013 05:02
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Peristalsis posted:Won't that mean you're selecting for the mutant, malformed characteristics? This sounds like a good thing. The ears probably just weren't pollinated fully.
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Aug 30, 2013 06:00
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Peristalsis posted:Won't that mean you're selecting for the mutant, malformed characteristics? Isn't the form of the fruit/seed determined by the genetics of the parent plant, not of the pollinated seed?
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Aug 30, 2013 09:58
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Fatkraken posted:Isn't the form of the fruit/seed determined by the genetics of the parent plant, not of the pollinated seed? Planting seeds from any plant passes on the characteristics of that plant. If the seeds are on a poor-performing plant, and those performance traits are genetic, you're more likely to pass them on to next year's crop. If the problems were just environmental, I'd think it could still mean you're choosing weaker seeds - less likely to germinate, maybe less resistance to disease, probably less energy stored in the kernel to get a good start next spring. And if the weird growth was due to some disease, you're picking the infected seeds to use next year. Or, at the very least, you're picking seeds from the plants that you know were vulnerable to the disease. I'm not a botanist, so feel free to correct me if I'm just talking out my rear end.
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Aug 30, 2013 15:07
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I never really considered that. The kernels I want to save were from an ear that was partially obscured by a big leaf that I managed to miss pruning so I just assumed it was woefully underpollinated. I don't really have a problem buying another $2 packet of kernels at the store next season, but I figured if I already had the corn maybe I should just use it  I might try an experiment -- one row of seeds from this poor-performing ear, and the rest from a packet. Should be a pretty okay indicator, considering next year I'm going to likely plant them in proper rows rather than just "oh here looks good" without thinking about pollination or crowding. At any rate, I found this*: quote:HARVEST: Corn seed is usually ready to be harvested 4-6 weeks after eating stage. If growing season is not long enough, pick ears after husks turn brown. Pull back husks and complete drying in cool, dry location. So it sounds like I can just hang the ears in my basement or something until they dry out, then harvest the seeds without too much trouble. * http://www.seedsave.org/issi/904/experienced.html some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 15:27 on Aug 30, 2013 |
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Aug 30, 2013 15:24
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Martytoof posted:I might try an experiment -- one row of seeds from this poor-performing ear, and the rest from a packet. Should be a pretty okay indicator, considering next year I'm going to likely plant them in proper rows rather than just "oh here looks good" without thinking about pollination or crowding. That sounds like an awesome idea. I'm saving some seeds this year, too, for only the second time, and from more species than last time around. It'll be interesting to see how they work next spring.
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Aug 30, 2013 15:43
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^^^ I'd doubt that corn would have issues with malformed ears if you use an underpollinated ears, as long as there're viable healthy kernels too.BlackHattingMachine posted:My whole point though, was not to trash your tomato plants due to the BER, since you simply need to correct the calcium deficiency and you'll have a new set of fruits that won't have any issues. Delicious, delicious brandywine tomatoes.
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Aug 30, 2013 17:54
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Clipped off the grape bunches from my 2' tall year-old pino gris two weeks ago. Grew an additional foot since then. Ordered (for spring delivery) a couple riesling and gewurztraminer cuttings. Thought they might be cold hearty enough for what I thought was zone 6a. Double A Vineyards emailed advising I pick zone 5 vines instead. Does anyone have experience with these here vines, like which would be closest to those two varieties flavor-wise? Should have a nice size (1/8 acre or so) cleared this fall for spring plantings. I may keep 1 each of the riesling and gewurztraminer on the order, and see what varieties do well in the soil and climate. Was at Lowes in Orem yesterday with the wife. They actually had some potted wine grapes, including a merlot that was about 6' tall already. None of the grapes there were anywhere near cold resistant enough for Utah. It's like they made a concerted effort to sell plants that they know would die over winter. Fog Tripper fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Sep 4, 2013 |
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Sep 4, 2013 14:41
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I don't have experience with growing those specific varieties, but the three closest flavor wise to a German sweet white grape would be the vignoles, traminette, or brianna I think. I have had wines with vignoles and traminette grapes in them before I'm pretty sure, and they were similar enough. Are you going to be crushing these for wine, or do you just want to grow wine grapes to eat/make jelly? Source: I live in the napa valley, kind of dislike wine but am a least slightly conversant in varieties.
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Sep 4, 2013 15:26
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ixo posted:I don't have experience with growing those specific varieties, but the three closest flavor wise to a German sweet white grape would be the vignoles, traminette, or brianna I think. I have had wines with vignoles and traminette grapes in them before I'm pretty sure, and they were similar enough. Are you going to be crushing these for wine, or do you just want to grow wine grapes to eat/make jelly? Probably the latter to start off with.
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Sep 4, 2013 17:02
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My patty pan squash was pretty much overcome with powdery mildew while I was out camping for a few days, it even got to the fruit so I'm just gonna pull it.. It had a good run and is at the end of its production use, and it's a PITA to mow around. My tomatillos are huge, next time I'll spend a lot more time and effort trimming them back. My cherry tomato is doing meh, but it's in a partial sun area and it's very gangly, to the point it could have a small trellis pretty easily. My brandywine seems to have gotten over the end rot for the most part and the rest of the fruit are coming in healthy and tasty - my coworker told me this morning that his wife called them the best tomatoes they'd had in a year. THe indigo rose is just doing poorly this year, I suspect it's a different graft since I got it from a different source than Territorial Seed Co this year (I slept on pre-ordering and got it from the growers/farmers' market instead), but it's pretty much just a stunted cherry tomato. They're very sweet, but I'm not happy with the size of the fruit after it was my mainstay last year.  I'm getting itchy hands to pull stuff out so I can put in some more cold weather crops.. I think some peas may be in order. My kale is still doing well and will go throughout the winter, and the brussels sprouts are coming along slowly but nicely.
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Sep 4, 2013 17:39
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Fog Tripper posted:Probably the latter to start off with. Then it matters a bit less, in my opinion. If you were making wine you'd probably want to research further, but since you'll be adding sugar and cooking it, they'll all mostly taste like sweet German white grapes. They're also all likely to have seeds, if that makes a difference to you. I'm sure there'll be nuances between the varieties, but you're unlikely to find anyone with reviews of them outside of winemaking. And since you're growing in Utah, the climate is different enough that it may change the flavors from someone growing in France or Sonoma. I'd just throw a dart at your computer and pick whichever it lands on. If you just want "a white grape," I'd see if you could find a variety called Muscat of Alexandria. It's tasty.
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Sep 4, 2013 18:29
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I finally got my garden area tilled up and got a bit of rain to get the silt dust down and actually see the color of the soil. It actually looks surprisingly good. I am going to send off samples for soil analysis but I wonder if I can put anything in now. I am in Austin TX and it is still hot as heck. I am not a fan of peas at all.
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Sep 4, 2013 18:48
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Shifty Pony posted:I finally got my garden area tilled up and got a bit of rain to get the silt dust down and actually see the color of the soil. It actually looks surprisingly good.
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Sep 4, 2013 18:56
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I want them to sprout and start to grow. I have glyphosate waiting for them.
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Sep 4, 2013 19:03
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Oh yeah so speaking of soil. I read that corn basically destroys or drains the soil it's been planted in. Should I make plans to plant my corn in a different bed next year or is there a good way to revitalize that particular area? I'm pulling the corn plants today and I'm going to till and cardboard the bed for the autumn/winter.
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Sep 4, 2013 19:19
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Shifty Pony posted:I want them to sprout and start to grow. I have glyphosate waiting for them. Martytoof posted:Oh yeah so speaking of soil. I read that corn basically destroys or drains the soil it's been planted in. Should I make plans to plant my corn in a different bed next year or is there a good way to revitalize that particular area? I'm pulling the corn plants today and I'm going to till and cardboard the bed for the autumn/winter.
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Sep 4, 2013 20:02
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Martytoof posted:Oh yeah so speaking of soil. I read that corn basically destroys or drains the soil it's been planted in. Should I make plans to plant my corn in a different bed next year or is there a good way to revitalize that particular area? I'm pulling the corn plants today and I'm going to till and cardboard the bed for the autumn/winter. Corn uses a lot of nitrogen. If you companion plant with beans and squash (the three sisters) you can keep on planting year after year (the companions fix nitrogen). Otherwise you can ammend the soil. It's still a good idea to rotate crops, but in a small garden it's not always practical or even necessary unless you're having problems with pests or not able to ameliorate your soil properly for some reason. cowofwar posted:Good luck planting a garden in soil full of glyphosphate. 10 days is usually plenty to break it down if you have reasonable sun.
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Sep 4, 2013 20:30
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Shifty Pony posted:I finally got my garden area tilled up and got a bit of rain to get the silt dust down and actually see the color of the soil. It actually looks surprisingly good. You can put a bunch in right now. Just get ready to water. Texas A&M has a bunch of guides on what to plant. We just put in New Zealand Spinach, regular spinach, 2 kinds of carrots and broccoli. Here try this resource http://www.co.travis.tx.us/agext/garden/planting/julsep.asp There is a whole bunch we can plant. Baby plants can last through the heat better since they are tiny and dont use as much water. cowofwar posted:Good luck planting a garden in soil full of glyphosphate. Uhhh... I'm pretty sure it breaks down really fast and becomes inert in soil.
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Sep 4, 2013 20:35
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cowofwar posted:Good luck planting a garden in soil full of glyphosphate.  Glyphosate has no pre-emergent effect and is totally inactivated on contact with soil. You can seed hours after application.
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Sep 4, 2013 20:44
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Apparently I have been misled.
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Sep 4, 2013 21:23
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You might be thinking of Preen.
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Sep 4, 2013 23:03
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Shifty Pony posted:
Yeah....no. I've already commented on 10 days. Even Monsanto says 10 days, and it's in their interest to make that number as low as possible. Seriously....wait 10 days. Gramoxone, Preen, etc are pretty much salting the earth, but most people don't use those on gardens as they are pre-emergents.
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Sep 5, 2013 00:59
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Martytoof posted:I read that corn basically destroys or drains the soil it's been planted in. Before I got involved with the family plot, sweet corn had been grown on the same 4 acres for over 40 years. Let's just say my dad was adding buttloads of nitrogen every year to make up for it. The last few years, we've taken to rotating corn and pumpkins (still mostly corn) on the 7 acres that we currently run (We rent a few from the neighbors). The difference is that when the corn is done, we mow it off and disc it up, then throw down a roughly 95/5% mix of Dutch Clover/some large radish that I can't remember the name of right now. The clover recovers a lot of nitrogen and the radish is just for organic matter. My dad has also been known to eat the radishes into October, but I'm not a radish person. Once the clover gets green again in early spring, we till it under and plant corn/pumpkins again. I don't believe he's needed to add nitrogen the last couple of years, since shortly after we started doing it.
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Sep 5, 2013 01:04
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Motronic posted:Yeah....no. Waiting 7-10 days is good practice if only so that you can spot and re-treat any strips you may have missed but there is no requirement to do so. There is a 3 day wait on certain crops (mostly melons) and when using plastic mulch, but beyond that anything pre-emergence is fair game according to Monsanto. You also should wait 10-14 days before tilling, mowing, or plowing under to allow translocation of the herbicide to the weed roots or else you may end up with still active tubers and rhizomes, but that's different. http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld8CC045.pdf GENERAL USE INSTRUCTIONS: Apply this product during fallow intervals preceding planting, prior to planting or transplanting, at-planting, or preemergence to annual and perennial crops listed in this label, except where specifically limited. That's the agricultural formulation though, maybe the residential stuff you can get a garden centers and home depot/lowe's is labeled differently? It wouldn't shock me if so as the residential formulation browns weeds much faster than the agricultural mix. I get the ag version at a rural farm supply because it is about 1/10th the price and the town has a good BBQ restaurant (mostly the latter really).
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Sep 5, 2013 04:57
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Shifty Pony posted:Waiting 7-10 days is good practice if only so that you can spot and re-treat any strips you may have missed but there is no requirement to do so. There is a 3 day wait on certain crops (mostly melons) and when using plastic mulch, but beyond that anything pre-emergence is fair game according to Monsanto. You also should wait 10-14 days before tilling, mowing, or plowing under to allow translocation of the herbicide to the weed roots or else you may end up with still active tubers and rhizomes, but that's different. Uhhh....your own link includes things like: quote:9.4 Fallow Systems So you're agreeing with me or disagreeing with me? At this point I'm not sure, as you appear to be disagreeing while providing evidence that agrees with (or even exceeds the timelines) my statement. Also, I have no idea how joe-homeowner roundup is labeled, and would have to assume it's similar being it's the same thing that's been pre-diluted.
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Sep 5, 2013 11:22
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Motronic posted:Uhhh....your own link includes things like: The list of labeled vegetables it includes nearly anything I would ever care to put into a home garden and for those on-label species you can spray at-planting. non-herbicide talk: how concerned should I be about squirrels and cats using my tilled loose soil for storing other things?
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Sep 6, 2013 02:39
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Shifty Pony posted:
I've never had squirrels bury obvious things in my tilled field/garden. If you have any especially sandy areas, I have experienced cats "storing" other "things". Yes. I'm talking about turds.
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Sep 6, 2013 02:46
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theacox posted:I've never had squirrels bury obvious things in my tilled field/garden. If you have any especially sandy areas, I have experienced cats "storing" other "things". Yes. I'm talking about turds. The soil around here is prone to getting very hard this time of year, and the pecan trees are dropping a few early pecans. So the squirrels have been going to town burying pecans in my tilled area. I really hope they don't start pulling up or digging up plants when I plant them. And yes, turds are my trouble with cats too. We didn't have these issues at my parents' farm! I guess both are better than crows eating tons of seed and deer munching on what makes it.
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Sep 6, 2013 16:15
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Thanks for the corn advice folks. I'll rotate them this upcoming year since I'm planing proper rows this time, but I'll also try to do the three sisters thing and see how that works out. I literally can't get enough squash soup so that idea really gets me excited  Beans I'm kind of ehh on since I don't eat a lot of them, but they seem to be near zero effort so I may throw them in anyway.
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Sep 6, 2013 18:15
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Shifty Pony posted:
I always have problems with cats, this spring they actually managed to rip up some onions. I've dealt with the problem by sticking a tangle of branches into the soil. It makes it such a hassle for the cats to get into a comfortable pooping position that they usually go elsewhere. Just one disclaimer, use old branches. I've had several poplar branches start rooting.
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Sep 6, 2013 18:31
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Viscous Soda posted:I always have problems with cats, this spring they actually managed to rip up some onions. I've dealt with the problem by sticking a tangle of branches into the soil. It makes it such a hassle for the cats to get into a comfortable pooping position that they usually go elsewhere.
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Sep 7, 2013 00:44
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coyo7e posted:I had a bunch of ornamental bamboo in a clump along my fence and cut it down, then stripped off the intact branches and used them to cover the dirt in my beds. It's a nice airy layer full of poky sticks and dry rustly leaves, the cats and possums hate it. I envision you dressed in camo digging a pit and lining it with pungi sticks made of bamboo with poo smeared on the tips. Note: Not judging you.
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Sep 7, 2013 16:28
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I used chicken wire for a small raised bed. I just got a piece the size of the bed and laid it on the soil. When I planted I cut a hole in the wire for the plant to fit through. It worked really well to keep cats from playing treasure hunt in my garden.
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Sep 8, 2013 03:02
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Amykinz posted:I used chicken wire for a small raised bed. I just got a piece the size of the bed and laid it on the soil. When I planted I cut a hole in the wire for the plant to fit through. It worked really well to keep cats from playing treasure hunt in my garden. Does this type of thing work for rabbits too? Somehow I don't think so, but if anyone can give me ideas, I would appreciate it. The rabbits around here are assholes, and pretty much destroy all carrots, broccoli, and eggplant.
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Sep 8, 2013 03:07
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Fatkraken posted:Isn't the form of the fruit/seed determined by the genetics of the parent plant, not of the pollinated seed? In most plants, yes, but not with corn. Each corn kernel is pollinated individually, and the quality of the kernel is determined by its own genetics, not that of the parent plant. This is also why (at least so I've read) you have to have corn plants of the same variety planted together -- a stand of corn of a different variety within 100ft can be cross-pollinated and result in weird (sub-optimal) kernels.
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Sep 8, 2013 04:01
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theacox posted:Does this type of thing work for rabbits too? Somehow I don't think so, but if anyone can give me ideas, I would appreciate it. The rabbits around here are assholes, and pretty much destroy all carrots, broccoli, and eggplant. The problem with bunnies is they can dig under chicken wire(or completely under the raised bed) and/or eat whatever part of the plant is above ground too. I imagine for rabbits you'd need to make a little fence all the way around to keep them out, and if they're really persistent you'll have to continue the fence several inches underground to keep them from digging under. I've heard of many people in my area lining the bottom inside of a planter box/raised bed with chicken wire or hardware cloth to keep gophers out as well.
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Sep 8, 2013 05:30
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Amykinz posted:The problem with bunnies is they can dig under chicken wire(or completely under the raised bed) and/or eat whatever part of the plant is above ground too. I imagine for rabbits you'd need to make a little fence all the way around to keep them out, and if they're really persistent you'll have to continue the fence several inches underground to keep them from digging under. I've heard of many people in my area lining the bottom inside of a planter box/raised bed with chicken wire or hardware cloth to keep gophers out as well. This is what I did, and it worked well enough for me. We have rabbits all over the place, but they've stayed out of the garden. I got a roll of metal fence a bit thicker than chicken wire that was about 4ft tall from Lowes. I buried it a few inches and also cut the bottom of it and bent the fence out underground so anything digging near it would hopefully hit something sharp and stop. It's not especially tall, and I was wondering if things would just jump over it, but it's worked ok for me so far.
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Sep 9, 2013 14:00
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