The Secret Origin of Carrot Bomb Peppers
March 22, 2019
This is a story about bees and how unexpected things can be exciting and about orange hot peppers.
Category: Selection
How I Bred Rainbow Tatsoi
February 7, 2019
If there is one part of seed saving I love the most, it is crossing 2 distinct varieties and unleashing a storm of diversity. I love working with the subsequent populations and seeing what happens after each generation of selection. I must admit that this love has resulted in boxes and boxes of seed envelopes … More How I Bred Rainbow Tatsoi
Seed Webinar today
December 2, 2015
I’m excited to be part of a seed webinar this afternoon at 4PM Eastern. I’ll be talking about how we approach selecting seed plants on our farm. I’ve got some pictures lined up! If you’re interested in listening in all the details are below. (Or you can just register here: http://rsvp.momentumconferencing.com/RSVP/event/1243) There is no … More Seed Webinar today
Planting Overwintered Dandelion
May 10, 2015
Last year, I selected my favorite Italian Dandelion plants from our market planting. I chose them based on the level of leaf serration, the red stem and green leaf contrast, and vigour. In fact, I’d actually been eliminating whatever I didn’t like all season long. Whatever was too green, too round leafed, or too marked … More Planting Overwintered Dandelion
Seedy Reading and Listening For The Holiday Season
December 22, 2013
I’ve been a bit slow on posts over the last 15 months. (Coincidentally about the same amount of time that Stella has been in our lives!) Nonetheless I’ve been busy with seeds and have thought of many fantastic blog posts I could write. And maybe in 2014, I will write some of those posts. In … More Seedy Reading and Listening For The Holiday Season
Unforeseen Seed Selection Complications
October 19, 2012
I recently posted about selecting hot peppers and how I pay careful attention to each plant and place the fruits from individual plants into quarts. I usually let these continue ripening in the quarts for a couple of weeks, and then choose those for seed. Well, a few days after placing my peppers into quarts, … More Unforeseen Seed Selection Complications
Selecting/Breeding Hot Peppers
October 9, 2012
Seven or eight years ago I planted some Bulgarian Carrot Hot Pepper seeds from Fedco. Most of the plants had elongated orange fruit similar to Cayenne peppers but with more flesh. One plant was covered with fruit that were round and squat though equally orange and spicy. This rogue pepper plant was likely due to … More Selecting/Breeding Hot Peppers
Book Review: Breeding Organic Vegetables
June 6, 2012
Almost 10 years ago, NOFA released a series of handbooks on organic principles and practices. These were compact affordable books written by experienced farmers that gave solid introductions to poultry production, seed saving, crop rotation and more. I devoured these books. NOFA-NY recently published a book that follows in the previous handbook series’s steps: Breeding … More Book Review: Breeding Organic Vegetables
Biennials: Readying Radishes and Turnips To Replant
April 21, 2012
A week and a half I ago, my overwintered brassica roots came out of the cold room for inspection. Let’s look at Storage conditions Roots that stored best Roots that stored less than perfect Curing roots before planting. Storage conditions These roots were harvested last September. I selected the best individuals to bear seed. The … More Biennials: Readying Radishes and Turnips To Replant
Improving Varieties – The Power of Saving Seeds
November 13, 2011
In January 2005, as part of Tourne-Sol farm’s very first seed order, I ordered some Purple Top White Globe turnip seeds. The seed was dirt cheap – about $5/lb. Since we only grow a handful of rows of this turnip every year, we still have some of that original pound of seed left, and it … More Improving Varieties – The Power of Saving Seeds