Doug McEvers

I would look to find an area close by that is native. Native vegetation is what is suitable for your site, this is what evolved in your climate. This is not to say some introduced species are counter but think it through. I restored tallgrass prairie very authentically in 1993, still going strong today. Used local source grass seed and the forb seed was hand collected from our burned prairie remnants the year before. We are very dry this year with just over half of the normal yearly rainfall to date. Some of this grassland was grazed by my neighbors' cattle, the cows, the calves and the grass did very well. Think deep roots to get through the dry periods, this will also help bring up nutrients from down under.

John Weiland wrote:Nancy,  This link probably will give information overload, but poking through this slide presentation may offer some varieties for your area that would exhibit lower levels of hollow heart (internal heat necrosis probably not a great concern in your region).  You might try compiling a short list from this slide presentation and then consult with some local producers over which varieties they have seen to have reduced hollow heart incidence, while stlll providing good disease resistance and storability.  Good luck in the search!

https://archive.sebs.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011-Observations-Potato-Varieties-Presentation.pdf

John,

This is very good information, many varieties I had not heard of. Much to do with chipping potatoes. Some of the older white potato varieties were more susceptible to hollow heart if I remember correctly, Cobbler and Kennebec. I like Red Norland here, very rarely is there any hollow heart, maybe one or two per hundred (usually jumbos) in an odd weather year. The last three years here have shown quite a variation in precipitation, 2024 and 2025 adequate to above and 2026 very dry. No hollow heart of any consequence in Red Norland for those 3 growing seasons.

This is a nice overview of red potatoes; Red Pontiac was widely grown in the Red River Valley.  https://gardenerspath.com/plants/vegetables/best-red-potato-varieties/

https://worldagriculturesolutions.com/

Thank you for this gift, what a wealth of information for those of us pursuing the path of biological agriculture. I have read much in the last years on this subject but this encyclopedia of knowledge stands apart. The benefit of companion planting is born out when a single species seeding is not able to compete with weeds. A native prairie does not have a weed problem because of all of the biological diversity. I see this on our farm with both remnant and restored prairie. It is our disturbance and mismanagement that creates imbalance. Really like the emphasis on livestock integration as a key component to making this all work. We did some rotational grazing this summer on about 65 acres of our grassland, will monitor the impact this fall and next spring.

I would question the seed source and fertility. A couple of years ago I had good tomato plants, started from seed (Johnny's WI 55 organic) but one plant had no tomatoes. The rest of the plants produced well but one did not. It was green and healthy looking like the others but no tomatoes. I expect quite a bit of variability in plants grown from heirloom seed, some better producers than others, that is to be expected. This should also give a bit of nuance to the population, some liking that growing season and some not as well. We have been very warm here this summer, one of the hotter July's I can remember. I did not put out my transplants until June 18 this summer, had my first ripe tomato yesterday, August 25. The seed package says 80 days for this strain of WI 55. I count 69 days for this first tomato. Started late, maybe my best transplants this year, very warm, a lot of biological fertilizer and water and looking to be a very good crop. The WI 55 love to send out low runners in August, I trim them back. I also cut off any new blossoms once I have an adequate fruit set and put the energy into finishing the tomatoes.

Tomatoes here need a lot of fertility to really produce. I use pelletized chicken litter, gypsum, copper, zinc, boron, hard rock phosphate (TBR), potassium sulphate, liquid fish, Soil Biological and compost if I have it. Water deeply and not so often, watch the plants and check the soil for moisture. Mulch early on to hold moisture and keep tomatoes off the ground. Tomatoes want full sun throughout the growing season.

My garden with TLC and lots of water has done well, the row crops in the area are poor due to lack of rainfall. Fargo, ND has had 8.89" to date (June 25), normal is 16.70.



















some liking that growing season and maybe some not.

Thom,

That is quite a corn, very healthy looking plants. I need to be mindful of my seed for next year, we are so dry, might not be any on my larger planting. That in the garden has been getting water but is only seed from 2 cobs. My larger planting this spring was seed from 200 to 250 ears, want to keep a lot of diversity in the population. Had 1/2" of rain this morning, may have broken the ice.

Thom Bri wrote:Very interesting. I also grow OP corn. Some years I see bees on the pollen, but most years not. I have heard that corn pollen is not very attractive to bees. I suspect when I see them on the corn it is because there is a pollen dearth and they are taking whatever they can find even if it is second choice.

Do you have any pics of your corn?

Thom,

You may be right about the bees and corn pollen. We are very dry here, there is not much blooming, so this is what's available. Normally there would be quite a bit of white sweet clover on the margins right now, I need to take a prairie walk. Have been leaving thistles in the yard, monarch butterflies are all over them. The warm season native grasses are showing dormancy, about 6 weeks early. No pictures of the OP corn, need to update my system. What is the heritage of your OP corn and what do you select for if anything? The diversity between plants is really interesting, some high ears, some low, different heights, silk color. The one thing I do select for is standability, will not take an ear from a plant that is not standing strong. This is one of the weaknesses of the OP corns, not as much lignin as the hybrids. This is why it is much more palatable and digestible for livestock.

Mark,

You have jogged my memory, thank you. The MN 13 I have is a single variety from what I have been told. As far as I understand it, the seed was selected for early maturity by a man named William Mellum (1950's) in Ulen Township, Clay County, MN. This seed was passed on to a man who grew it in Falcon Heights, MN for a number of years. He passed it on to a good friend of mine. My friend shared some of the seed with me in 2012 I think and I have been working with it since. MN 13 is available as a 100 day corn locally, what I have been growing is thought to be 87 days. I plant it no earlier than June 1 to avoid crossing with other neighboring field corn, this seems to be working. My larger plot was planted on June 5 of this year, that in the garden on June 8. It just pollinating now, far behind the neighboring corn fields. It seems to be a favorite of deer, pheasant, ducks and fox squirrels.

Your post made me look in our 1957 Clay County plat book, there it was, William Mellum, Ulen Township. This corn was known as the Mellum Strain.

The bees are going strong again this morning on the heirloom field corn. Watched a ladybug feeding on the pollen grains on the corn leaf, some pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit. There was also a very tiny spider working the corn leaves as well, the minutiae are so interesting. The dew this morning provides water for the bugs, we still have dew even though our rainfall has been 1/10" over the last 33 days. Fargo, ND is approaching 1/2 of the normal precipitation for the year 2026. Resilience is being tested, would not have much of a garden without supplemental watering. In 2022, what I would call a perfect growing season, did not water the garden, so it can be done.

The reason I am growing field corn in the garden is two-fold. I am interested to see how selection of specific ears might show up in this year's crop, this is how old varieties might be improved. Secondly, the deer love this heirloom corn and I better put up my fence soon, they will eat the plant along with the green ears. It is thought the older heirloom varieties take up more nutrients than do the more modern ones, the deer know. This should also equate to more nutrient dense grain but that is yet to be considered here.

This is a field corn and I do not know about using it for food. Have been working with it for about 12 years and the MN 13 I have has been selected previously for early maturity (about 87 days) for this part of the country. My quest is to see if it can produce sufficiently to replace some of the modern corn varieties. Roundup Ready and the neonicotinoid infused corns are not bug friendly. Modern farming is devastating our pollinators. I will in time send a sample to organic yellow corn milling companies for an evaluation but not this year, need more research here.

Anne Miller wrote:How does corn taste from large and heavy kernels?

If we could replace some of the 95,000,000 acres of US corn with more Earth friendly varieties, I would be happy and so would the bugs.

Have to report what I am seeing on my MN 13 open pollinated heirloom corn growing in the garden. The hum of bees the last few days on the tassels is something else, audible from a distance. The bees carry the pollen on their body and you can see these pollen sacs. There are also mating lady bugs on the corn leaves, my beneficial insects are having a big party on the corn. This is how it used to be, the farm crops were bug friendly and with this biodiversity was sustained. I also have this same corn planted elsewhere on the farm but have planted some in the garden because I found 2 ears last year that had large and heavy kernels, nearly 50% heavier than the average. Want to see if the garden corn will replicate to any degree ears with large and heavy kernels.

There are cucumbers and pumpkins blooming, they are loaded with bees as well.