Woody McInish

Too cold for purple tree collards here but Red Russian kale grows great. There's a pause in summer where I let the bugs take over and a pause between mid December and mid February where they just sit there. It was said to be a perennial 200 years back.

Spring, 2 years ago I had a volunteer grow outside the garden. I just left it alone. It's a biennial and last spring it set seeds and then grew back in the fall. This year it is setting it's second crop of seeds. I plan on saving the seeds and planting some this fall to find out if I have a perennial Red Russian kale.

Steve Thorn wrote:

Woody McInish wrote:Nikita's Gift persimmon (American x Oriental). No bug, disease, or animal problems. Fruit the 4th year. Delicious, nutritious, no care.

That's awesome!

How would you describe the flavor? I tried one from the grocery store, and it didn't have much taste, but I figured they probably picked it very unripe to ship it.

I'm sure the one you tried was an Oriental and not a NG cross. The NG is sweet and crispy early ripening to very sweet, juicy, and soft later.

Nikita's Gift persimmon (American x Oriental). No bug, disease, or animal problems. Fruit the 4th year. Delicious, nutritious, no care. I got mine at Burnt Ridge.
https://www.burntridgenursery.com/mobile/NIKITAS-GIFT-TM-AMERICAN-PERSIMMON-Diospyrus-kaki-x-virginiana/productinfo/NSPRNIK/

Nova and York grow carefree in my 6b/7a garden. Be prepared, they are big, about 8ft.tall and 8 ft.across. Very heat and drought resistant.

18 varieties of small tomatoes dry farmed on untilled clay soil in very hot summer, 2018.
14 varieties died or produced very few fruits.
4 varieties were very productive throughout the season. 2 wild tomatoes: Coyote and Matts Wild Cherry. 2 other tomatoes had very heavy yields: Indigo Pear and Yellow Bell.

One of your plants should be Misty, from the Univ. of Fla. blueberry breeding program. Early delicious berries but also the most fragrant blueberry. Perfumes my whole garden when it flowers.

Historical note: the Himalayan blackberry was introduced by Luther Burbank.

If you're hiking in the woods and you see a Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) there will be Pawpaws nearby as the caterpillar only eats leaves of the Pawpaw.

Burnt Ridge offers seeds, seedlings, and named varieties.
http://www.burntridgenursery.com/mobile/Paw-Paw-Trees/products/9/

I'm starting with 6 seedlings this year. Thanks for the advice.