It is easy to save seed from your achocha (Cyclanthera pedata, also commonly known as caigua) plants, although you might wonder at what stage they are ready to harvest. These instructions will also work for the closely related Cyclanthera brachystachya and probably for other Cyclantheras as well. I had been trying to time things so […]
I have been swapping potato seed with other growers for a while now and there is always a hunger for pictures and information about the seeds that I offer. I’m trying to get a little better at documenting the new varieties as they come out of the ground. Maybe this blog will help me to […]
This little blog is getting a lot more attention since I announced ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) seeds and the stats show that ulluco is very popular among ulurkers. Unfortunately, demand seems likely to exceed supply. This is probably the last I’ll have to say on the subject for a while. I have pulled the confounding potatoes […]
I’m sure that this will get boring soon, but here are some more close ups of ulluco (Ullucus tuberosa) nuts. This time, we’re looking at immature seeds. The first two are probably about two weeks from full maturity and the second two a week or a little bit less. Ulluco nuts are bright yellow when […]
Introduction This is the procedure that I use to extract potato seeds. It is not necessarily the procedure that you would want to use. This procedure is suitable for extracting large amounts of seed while maximizing germination and minimizing potential for disease transmission. I extract seed from as much as 400 quarts of berries in […]
It was only seven weeks ago that I posted about what then seemed a significant achievement: the collection of 1,000 oca (Oxalis tuberosa) seeds. This week, I passed 10,000. My better (and funnier) half frequently teases me because I said at the beginning of the year that I would be satisfied if I got just […]
Yesterday I harvested two ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) seeds – possibly the first collected anywhere since the 1980s. I harvested a third ulluco seed today and have counted an additional 21 on the plants. I also discovered a third plant with seeds today, of the variety BK10425.2, so I now have seeds on two different varieties. […]
I bring you ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) seed! True seeds of ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) I’ve been watching these tiny ulluco nuts maturing for the past couple of weeks with nervous anticipation. I wasn’t even sure that they were actually seeds until two days ago as they dried down. Ulluco flowers sometimes leave behind a dried husk […]
These are the instructions that I am sending out with packets of oca (Oxalis tuberosa) seed. These instructions reflect the techniques that have worked for me so far, but I am sure that there is room for improvement. If you find a procedure that works better, please let me know. Oca seed does not appear […]
We spent a few hours collecting oca (Oxalis tuberosa) cuttings with maturing pods today – about 250 in total. That should translate into a lot of seed. With more than 4000 seeds as of today, it is tempting to get lazy and let these open pollinated pods go, but there is no guarantee that we’ll […]