Author Topic: Fun Finds!  (Read 2848 times)

Jayb

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Fun Finds!
« on: November 21, 2014, 09:45:04 »
This year I had a few unexpected 'finds'. First was a squash, self seeded in the poly-tunnel I left it to grow and it produced Potimarrion type fruits - yum!
Another self sown seedling again in the poly-tunnel grew into a large pumpkin! Luckily it sprouted near the door way so I just left it trail outside, back along the length of the poly. I'm glad it grew as I hadn't sown any.

Then last week I spotted something which I wasn't too sure of at first, but when I dug it up the stone gave it away - an avacado! Growing very close to this year's bean trench, I didn't think it would have been warm enough for it to sprout! The leaves look a bit yellow and battered and I don't suppose it would have survived outside much longer so I've potted it up and brought it inside.

Anyone else found something growing they didn't expect?
 
Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

Digeroo

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2014, 10:11:47 »
Some of my Russian kale has crossed with a red leaved mustard so I now have red frilly mustard.    it is rather attractive and tastes good too:  actually better than either the kale or the mustard.   

Dug up a parsnip weed from amongst the strawberries and it is huge.  It will take us several days to eat it.     


goodlife

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2014, 10:27:58 »
Last summer I made some 'summer mash' for my then old girls..chickens. In winter we emptied their pen...all the muck ended up in one bed...AND, yep, there was forest of tomato seedlings! I didn't get any fruit from them, some had lot of small cherry size fruit on them but before they ripened...blight got them.
Oh..another one, but no so much a 'find'. Angelica plant flowered, set seeds and it should have died down...but now I 'found out' it has started to grow again from the old root... :drunken_smilie: For me it seem to be more of ' they should have gone, but here we come again' year... :icon_cheers:

galina

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2014, 10:45:18 »
Mine is rather 'pedestrian' by comparison. 

I had problems this year with the cloched endives, what with slugs, deer and unknown beasties, that seem to get inside cloches, but in the end we got some with perseverance - phew! 

Then I found a solitary giant lush plant where I had grown endives two years ago, untouched by anything, huge and lovely.  Had several salads off this plant and still more to come.  I know that beetroot can germinate from last year's sown seeds, but from two years ago?  Delighted!   :wave:

Jayb

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2014, 08:38:52 »
Some of my Russian kale has crossed with a red leaved mustard so I now have red frilly mustard.    it is rather attractive and tastes good too:  actually better than either the kale or the mustard.   

Dug up a parsnip weed from amongst the strawberries and it is huge.  It will take us several days to eat it.     

I like the sound of your red frilly mustard  :toothy10:

Parsnip sounds good too. I've a couple of self seeded parsnips in the poly-tunnel, growing amongst the tomatoes! I've not dug them up yet.
Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

Jayb

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2014, 08:44:49 »
Oh..another one, but no so much a 'find'. Angelica plant flowered, set seeds and it should have died down...but now I 'found out' it has started to grow again from the old root... :drunken_smilie: For me it seem to be more of ' they should have gone, but here we come again' year... :icon_cheers:

Oooh bonus  :icon_cheers:
Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

Jayb

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2014, 08:48:23 »
Then I found a solitary giant lush plant where I had grown endives two years ago, untouched by anything, huge and lovely.  Had several salads off this plant and still more to come.  I know that beetroot can germinate from last year's sown seeds, but from two years ago?  Delighted!   :wave:

It's amazing how often volunteer plants do so well, often better than are lovingly sown and tended crops!

Seed Circle site http://seedsaverscircle.org/
My Blog, Mostly Tomato Mania http://mostlytomatomania.blogspot.co.uk/

small

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2014, 09:22:02 »
I had a huge crop of tomatoes from the volunteers in my not-hot-enough compost heap....and the best parsley was from the ones that had appeared in the asparagus bed.  Last year a red-leaved lettuce grew from nowhere, I've never sown them, but I collected seeds from it and they've come well this year. There are some rewards for not being too efficient and tidy...

Digeroo

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2014, 09:31:37 »
There is a theory that plants can adjust their genetics to match the conditions.  They have more genes than they need and can switch them off and on.  Try adaptive plasticity and Phenotypic plasticity.  The lady from the HSL told me about it.  Basically is it a good reason to save your own seeds instead of buying in seeds adapted for somewhere else.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenotypic_plasticity

I have some leeks which self seed every year and they are never touched by anything, but I cannot managed to save any viable seeds.

Tomatoes and cucumbers, goosegrass even come through the commercial composting processes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

goodlife

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #9 on: November 23, 2014, 11:37:04 »
Quote
I have some leeks which self seed every year and they are never touched by anything, but I cannot managed to save any viable seeds.

That could be because there is no viable seeds in the seed head. I cannot remember at the moment what those sort of DNA 'issues' were called'..'pollen sterility' or something similar...those varieties are commonly used in commercial varieties.. (I'll look upon that later on..)
The leeks look and flower just as normal..but they can readily produce little bulblets under ground and when the ground is disturbed..these bulblets get spread about...thus one would think they've  self-seeded.
Could this be case? Do you see leek 'grass' growing on ground or young baby plants?

Edit to add..just found it...the term is 'male sterile character' and it is used to produce hybrid varieties. It is not 100% sterility as I did manage to save viable seeds from few plants of such a variety. I did grow resulting seeds few times..just to see what happens and they were perfectly nice leeks and as far as I can tell just like the parents. :icon_cheers:
« Last Edit: November 23, 2014, 11:56:55 by goodlife »

Digeroo

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2014, 11:54:46 »
You might be right about the bulbils, I will have to check next year.  Certainly did produce thme on the flower head.  Some of the flowers are mostly bulbils.    Perhaps I will have to sow the bulbils instead.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2014, 12:02:01 by Digeroo »

markfield rover

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #11 on: November 23, 2014, 13:28:17 »
Just popped out to the greenhouse ,outside the door is a large wall flower and noticed on the ground and pods still on plant hundreds of seedlings   , so in a devil may care attitude I have spread these all over the place inside and out ... You never know... A lovely surprise must have been reading Jayb's thread that made me notice.

artichoke

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Re: Fun Finds!
« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2014, 21:43:05 »
I have found leek bulbils from some starved baby plants that unexpectedly survived the winter and the summer and are now sprouting again - will see what I can do with them.

My spinach is amazingly green and growing. Most salvaged from a neighbouring plot where they were remorselessly rotovating the whole plot, so I liberated them just in time. The rest self sown on my own plot and moved into a row. Deer starting to eat them, so I have netted them and they continue to thrive.....late November!

 

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