seeds

both the surviving northern tepehuan teocintli plants out back...

have come out in plentiful numbers of green ears ( green being the key...immature...not yet viable ) with their requisite of, now fading, maroon silks...a third of october is gone...and while there is no frost in the near forecast that is bound to come and, as usual with this plant's long season the race is on to see which comes first...frost or viability...

the eight foot zea mays mexicana is becoming aggressive about its autumn lean as it tries to spread its seed as far as it can...

it has a multitude of green ears as well...however...

because it has a shorter season it has had an ear or two finishing up almost daily ( oddly, to me, it seems to be the ones farthest from the roots ) and so...

i have already collected several hundred seeds which i am sorting into light/dark categories...some to freeze...some to germinate for next year's crop...the dark/light is simply to see which germinates more readily...both types germinated this year...next year we will be seeing which ones have a hardier season...

i have also managed to harvest some of the "huskless" seed before it shattered...i am curious about this seed's germination rate and what the plants will bear in the way of ears next season...mapping a busy zea season in my mind...now to work on finding space.