more asparagus

i have four healthy asparagus plant sup and running under the grow light but that isn't enough to cover a bed at the iu northwest community garden so i soaked a handful of seeds for twenty-four hours and then took an old plant flat i found laying around and planted some more...i planted some almost four weeks ago and this amounts to another thirty-two...they can take ten weeks to germinate and so by hedging my bet this way i may end up with a stunning surplus of plants to find homes for...a hazard of the trade i suppose...surely there are multitudes of asparagus lovers in the area...more as it comes up/

indoors 1-6-2013

the industrial bean has failed and the corn plant is headed in that direction...no great surprise...it's just too cold and i left the bean in natural light and it is probably having day length issues as well...even full grow light exposure did not help the corn...that was expected as well...cold again...hopi blue maize, for instance, does not want to be planted in soil that has not reached a uniform temperature of seventy-five degrees fahrenhiet ...the expected failure still doesn't explain to me why the ungleaned industrial soybeans were germinating in the field in october when they plant in late may or early june...they don't overwinter like rye or winter wheat that germinate in the autumn so what was that all about...more research for more unanswered questions...meanwhile that four asparagus plants that have germinated are tooling along...growing well and "ferning" to feed the roots, they should transplant into the iuncg just fine in the spring...the seeds i started three weeks ago are certainly taking their sweet time in germinating ( or, perhaps, they have decided quickly not to ) but two of the first four took over three weeks so i will practice patience...nothing stunning indoors so far...here's hoping my expectations continue to be met.

outdoors 1-6-2013

it's january and the wheat grass domesticates are giving some signs of the onset of dormancy...but...it's supposed to warm up in the coming week and that may call a halt to that...the forage wheat grass is exhibiting a little less chlorophyll than my last visit and the eastern gamagrass is just about done going dormant...quite a variation in behaviors...however the wheat grass is not native to northwest indiana and the gamagrass is...evolutionary biology may be playing a role in the different behaviors of distant relatives...the winter wheat planted in the fields around here ( i did not plant any this fall for a number of reasons...but i do believe i will find some space for some spring wheat ) shows no signs of dormancy either ( haven't found a field of rye yet ) so, perhaps, there is a closer wheat grass/wheat relationship ( which probably goes without saying...but i said it anyway ) always curious about triggers, i will be paying attention to both the weather and plant behaviors...more as it comes up.

end of the year

it seems to be a peculiar end to a peculiar season...it go an early start in march hen the perennials switched on with the warmth and then stopped in a much cooler april...all the grasses, annuals like northern tepehuan teosinte, the winter wheat, and the hopi blue maize, as well as the perennials zea diploperennis, intermediate wheat grass, and the eastern gamagrass did well ( the drought was offset by my heavy use of supplemental water ) as did the chinese yams...the plant/replant perennial tubers ( potatoes and jerusalem artichokes ) both had disappointing harvests however...even the watering didn't seem to offset the drought's impact...right now things are quiet...but...the wheat grass domesticates form kansas are acting differently in different locations only a few miles apart...there is snow lingering in my back yard and the plants there are headed for dormancy while the campus garden is snow free and the plants there are still obviously green ( as is the forage variety along the south end of the garden )...another dichotomy in an odd season and i wonder what the upshot will be...it is supposed to be getting cold here for the rest of the week but then thee is a warm up forecast...much like last winter which alternated between temperatures above and below freezing all season...drought continues to be an issue as precipitation is spotty so there's no real way to know what the coming season will hold

eastern gamagrass

the gamagrass is almost completely dormant,

a sterling field

the cornfield along sterling creek road has the most suburban amenities of any field i've seen...new blacktop, concrete curbs, street lights...the whole development enchilada...it also seems to have a new real estate broker...seems cbre/bradley wasn't doing the job of turning it from cornfield to subdivision with sufficient alacrity...best of luck tot hem...i still found a lot of corn on cobs out there...mostly on the north side of the field, closer to the strip mall and the 24/7 traffic at the super walmart...have to think it will be the last side of the field to be gleaned...when the critters are hungry enough not to be frightened...if you look closely at the left of the photo ( top one ) of the hospital ( another amenity for a burgeoning population...build it and they will come...so will the profits, but that is a subject for a different blog ) you can just make out the edge of the sprawl...i wonder if there will be another crop on sterling creek in 2013.

winter on the wheat

another strip mall...another suburban agricultural field...this one is the winter wheat ( at first i wasn't sure if it was wheat or rye, but rye has narrower leaves )...and winter is trying to put in an appearance out there...some of the plants are covered but none seem to be hinting at dormancy...there is no warm-up in the five day forecast however and a couple of weeks of sub-freezing temperatures will do the trick...if we have another winter like last year though a couple of weeks of sub thirty-two degree weather is unlikely...a waiting game for sure...i'll be out to campus monday to check on the kansas wheat grass ( and my back yard too ) and i'll be keeping tabs on this field as well...curious to see what the season brings.