Abnshrek

Since we're in the good graces of February, and people that aren't prepping already many are fixing to get cracking.. I figure this is the perfect time to start some papaya seeds to get them of size before the dead of summer..
Now Papaya seeds might not sound like a challenge, but I'll be doing some Butia's, and Olive's as well to see how that goes.. I haven't lost any trees this year, but sometimes you do certain seeds for a challenge or just try to grow something different..
I'm also thinking about trying Artichokes.. Anyone have any input in growing Artichokes and what were your keys to success? :^)

Why would I grow Artichokes you might ask.. I grow some off the wall stuff just to remind me of my mother who passed several years back..

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Kat2

I've grown them up north; what a wonderful excuse to slobber up butter! Did a whole experiment with Gardenweb folks in the area. We had to vernalize them to get a crop because freezes would kill them. Not so here from what I've read.

Planted some seeds this last summer that came up but I didn't have a place to plant them so let them die. No reason they can't grow in the south and I plan to do it when I have my space so I'll be following this thread.

ETA: I have 400 seeds in the freezer right now for this year Chilled and ready to go.

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Jose263

Kat - please tell more about freezing seeds. is that the best way to save/store.
Thanks

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Growing: Orinoco, Rajapuri, Dwarf Cav, SDC, TT, Dwarf Red, Dwarf Namwah, Tall Namwah (aka Ice Cream), Dwarf Brazilian, Veinte Cohol, California Gold, Double Mohai, NOT-Goldfinger, Gran Nain, Velutina

Kat2

Seed vernalization is not necessarily recommended but it's not supposed to hurt them either. (That was the easiest place for me to put them; fridge would dry them out.)

I know that vernalizing plants speeds the process of blooming which matters more up north than in this zone. (I'm just as glad I didn't find a place to put my plants; they would never have survived the weather we had this past January.) I had expected to have plants in the ground by September so that they'd experience their 1st winter and bloom in spring. I don't have a spare fridge to vernalize plants so any I start now will not receive enough chill time hence my "freeze seeds" experiment. Worst case I'll have chokes next year as long as this winter isn't repeated.

I like this link in that the author, also experimenting, tells the story of her adventure with artichokes very clearly. Urban Agrarian: Search results for artichoke

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Kat2

Oh, and if I get that spare fridge, I plan to try growing rhubarb. It needs more chill to grow well but I'd experiment with digging roots in fall and storing them cold until spring. (Quite the opposite of lifting glad bulbs and dahlia tubers.)

From what I've read it will grow here as an annual but why not see if you can "perennialize" it? I'm not very fond of it but I suspect other Yankee transplants would pay top dollar for local fresh stalks rather than shelling out big bucks for frozen stuff or money to have fresh shipped in.

Boy, do I need some garden space--badly.

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Abnshrek

Well if you grow rhubarb put in shade if youe sun is as hot as it is up here.. Dead of Summer it shrivels up to nothing..

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Kat2

Thanks for the reminder. I know people think it's so much hotter here than up north but my full sun surrounded by asphalt garden (house was 1/2 stucco) on the cusp of DC was much worse than Jville. (Maybe not--I've only spent 1 summer here and 2 winters with the last being much like my MD home.) Seriously, there's a reason Congress began recessing in August many years ago--moving much less breathing during that month makes you think you've landed in Hades. (BTW, July isn't much better.)

I have learned to find shade whenever possible.

I was thinking rhubarb and an couple of my "zone 8 at the most plant" attempts would be very happy under the canopy of banana plants. Maybe not but it's worth a try....stretching zones is an old habit...

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Snookie

Crimson Clover, Arrowleaf Clover, Moringa,Sunflower,and Poppy

Will look like this with any luck:}

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kubali

your bees will bee in heaven. And your first pound of honey will bee the fruits of your labor.....good luck to you on them bees, please keep us posted with how they are doing..

lmswayne

I have found that once you get it in the ground the only thing that will make it die back is no water it dries out, when it gets water again it starts putting out stocks. One thing you have to do is to cut the flower off of your plants that way you get more plants. I have had mine all over my yard in different soil it seems to grow any place I put it. My plants are over 15 and still growing strong. If you want some root stock let me know and when it comes up I will send you some to try.

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Kat2

I would love to take you up on your offer. I haven't mentioned it but I may be moving 150 miles south which means rhubarb will be even iffier; technically you can't grow it as a perennial in FL. (Jville has a very unique climate but locating property I can live in here without being subjected to lots of crime has been impossible.) If I do relocate, I'll lose 300+ chill hours which eliminates any hope for nursing along zone 7 plants. Darn. If I go, I plan to have a spare fridge where I'll store homebrew during the warmest 10 months and use it to vernalize roots and such during the other 2.

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lmswayne

Let me know you have nothing to loose.

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Funkthulhu

I hit up Kitasawa this year, I have a pickling melon, cucumber, eggplant, mustard, turnip, daikon, and napa cabbage ready to go in the garden this year. Going to try my hand at doing some pickling/fermenting.

I also have a variety of peppers and tomatoes, as well as carrots, more cukes, and watermelon in the mail from seed savers exchange. Hopefully the garden is productive this year, I'll be augmenting the soil with our city-wide yard-waste compost product.

I also have a variety of oddball palms and whatnot under the lights downstairs. I have several unknown seeds that people bring me back from vacations and I see what they turn into.

counting the days...... (average last frost date is April 30th)

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"Ph'nglui musaglw'nanna Funkthulhu R'Omahaea wgah'basjoo fhtagn"
"In his house at Omaha, dread Funkthulhu plants bananas."

pnwpdf

A little late to the party, but here goes... (not an inclusive list)

Senna alata
Crescentia cujete
Trichocereus terscheckii
Laburnum anagyroides
Aristolochia elegans
Cordyline kaspar
Tecoma stans
Ylang Ylang dwarf
Canna musifolia
Melianthus major
Myrtillocactus geometrizans
Trichocereus pachanoi
Gingko biloba
Meryta sinclairii
Hibiscus cannabinus
Colocasia gigantea 'Thai Giant'
Passiflora alata

and some have germinated, some have skyrocketed, some are still sitting under the surface... I'm looking for a challenge this year.

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Going Bananas...
-M Basjoo
-M xishuangbannaensis 'Mekong Giant'
-M sikkimensis 'Red Tiger'
-M 'Texas Star'
-M 'Dwarf Orinoco'
-M 'Thai Black'
-Musella lasiocarpa

pnwpdf

Oh and how can I forget the Zingibier spectabile? That one should be really neat.

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Going Bananas...
-M Basjoo
-M xishuangbannaensis 'Mekong Giant'
-M sikkimensis 'Red Tiger'
-M 'Texas Star'
-M 'Dwarf Orinoco'
-M 'Thai Black'
-Musella lasiocarpa

Abnshrek

I ordered some Seed from Dan's link in Container Ranch Papayas (and more).. I got myself 2 types of Papaya..

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Hammocked Banana

Pachypodium lamerei
Pachypodium geayi
Musella lasiocarpa
Rhapidophyllum hystrix (needle palm)
Sabal minor (Cape Hatteras Giant )
Sabal tamaulipas
Couple different papaya varieties if I can get my hands on some seed

Abnshrek

Man that's a big list.. My Papaya seed showed up today.. :^)

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Hammocked Banana

U have no idea how jelous I am. I placed a big order with them but they shut me down bc im Canadian :-(

Abnshrek

You, I mean we can't send anything to Canada..

On another note I have Artichoke seeds so that's what's going in some dirt very soon.. :^)

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