Saturday 15 April 2017

Days to Maturity Attila Strawberry

People often go on about how long it takes for alpine strawberries (Fragaria vesca) to germinate, and how long it takes to get strawberries from seed, so I decided to record how long it took for me this year. 

Obviously these times could be shorter or longer if conditions were changed, but it is what happened for me this year.

Being in Australia the dates are written in the format of Day/Month/Year.

Days to maturity Attila Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Seeds planted             08/10/2016                  Day 0
Germinated                 21/10/2016                  Day 13
First Runners              21/12/2016                  Day 73 (more runners every few days, like a spider web)
Flowered                   03/03/2017                   Day 145 (5 months)
First fruit ripe              09/04/2017                  Day 182

Attila is one of the very few alpine strawberries that grows runners.  They have been named after Attila the Hun due to their propensity to take new ground.  In my opinion they are an excellent edible ground cover that should be part of every permaculture garden.

The seeds were very easy to germinate, the plants were simple to grow, and the strawberries are delicious.
Attila Strawberry Days to Maturity
Attila Strawberry, notice the first tiny runners
Days to maturity Atilla strawberry
Attila Strawberry runner grown plant top right of the picture

For a full list of vegetable days to maturity please click here.

Friday 7 April 2017

Yellow Wonder Strawberry Days to Maturity

I grew several different alpine strawberries (Fragaria vesca) from seed this season.  I looked on ebay for seeds, but the vast majority of strawberry seeds on ebay do not exist, so I had to get seeds from other places.

Being in Australia the dates are written in the format of Day/Month/Year.

Days to maturity Yellow Wonder strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Planted                       08/10/2016                  Day 0
Germinated                 22/10/2016                  Day 14
Flowered                   17/02/2017                   Day 129
First fruit ripe              28/03/2017                  Day168

For a full list of vegetable days to maturity please click here.
Yellow Wonder starting to flower

Tuesday 4 April 2017

Micro Tom Tomato Days to Maturity


Micro Tom are the smallest tomato variety ever bred.  I like Micro Tom tomatoes, while they are not hugely delicious or massively productive, they are tiny little plants that are very cute.  I have read on seed company websites many different days to maturity ranging from 50 days to 120 days and everything in between.
Micro Tom starting to ripen
I keep records of when I grow things, especially rare or difficult to find things.  To make it easier to find in the future I am recording some of them in this blog this year.

The following are the Micro Tom tomato days to maturity in my garden this year.  Being in Australia the  dates is written in the format of Day/Month/Year.

Seeds planted       02/10/2016       Day 0
Germinated           11/10/2016       Day 9
Flowered              22/12/2016       Day 81
Harvest start         07/01/2017       Day 97

The previous time I recorded Micro Tom tomato days to maturity it took 113 days from planting the seed until picking the first ripe fruit.  They were very old seeds so it is to be expected that the plants would be weaker and slower than normal.

My best guess is that 50 days is quoted by some seed companies is the amount of days to maturity from transplant, which is arbitrary and pointless unless you transplant at a standard set date.  I find it far more useful to know how long it takes to pick ripe fruit from planting the seed.

For a full list of vegetable days to maturity please click here.
Micro Tom Tomatoes
Micro Tom starting to flower

Wednesday 29 March 2017

Purple haze carrot days to maturity

I bought and planted some Purple Haze carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) seeds.  I didn't have great germination rates, probably only about 10% which was rather unimpressive but not really surprising as I bought the seeds from Bunnings.

Purple Haze carrots had dark purple skin and an orange interior.  They didn't really taste like a purple carrot, instead they tasted much like an orange carrot which was rather disappointing.

I am not terribly fond of carrots and don't think they are worth growing at home as the yield is small for the space and time that they take.

The following were the days to maturity for Purple Haze carrots.  Being in Australia, all dates are written in the format of Day/Month/Year.

Seeds planted       23/10/2016       Day 0
Germinated           03/11/2016       Day 11
Harvest start         04/03/2017       Day 132

For a full list of vegetable days to maturity please click here.

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Regina Strawberry Days to Maturity

I grew several different alpine strawberries (Fragaria vesca) from seed this past summer.  I looked on ebay for seeds, but the vast majority of strawberry seeds on ebay do not exist.   Due to this I had to get seeds from more expensive, but more reliable places.

Being in Australia the dates are written in the format of Day/Month/Year.

Days to maturity Regina Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Planted                        08/10/2016                  Day 0
Germinated                 19/10/2016                   Day 11
Flowered                    13/02/2017                   Day 125
First fruit ripe              13/03.2017                   Day 153 (about 5 months)

For a full list of vegetable days to maturity please click here.
Strawberry seedlings

Thursday 16 March 2017

Jade Bean Days to Maturity

Jade Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were grown this year, they are a nice variety of heirloom bean that is both rather tasty and pretty.  I planted 3 Jade bean seeds that were 5 years old and was surprised that they all grew and cropped well. Even though I find it difficult to find green beans among green foliage it is still a good variety of bean.

The following were the days to maturity for Jade beans.  Being in Australia, all dates are written in the format of Day/Month/Year.

Seeds planted       03/12/2016       Day 0
Germinated           11/12/2016       Day 8
Flowered              14/01/2017       Day 42
Harvest start         05/02/2017       Day 64

For a full list of vegetable days to maturity please click here.

Monday 13 March 2017

Snake Bean days to maturity

Snake beans (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) are also called yard long beans or asparagus beans. 

I was always told that snake beans took too long to mature and may not crop in cooler regions.  I am glad to say that this is not quite the truth.  They are quite an impressive looking plant, which grows an impressively long bean, that tends to crop well even in short seasons.  So this year I recorded the dates. 

The following were the days to maturity for Snake beans.  This year I grew a mix of red and green snake beans (as well as crosses).  Being in Australia, all dates are written in the format of Day/Month/Year.

Seeds planted       03/12/2016       Day 0
Germinated           07/12/2016       Day 4
Flowered              ??/??/2016        Day??
Harvest start         03/02/2017       Day 62

For a full list of vegetable days to maturity please click here.

Snake Bean flowers
Snake Beans starting to ripen