So, there are signs of life from the mandrake pots. Two shoots in one, and one in the other. I sincerely hope that these shoots are in fact the return of the mandrakes and not the return of the self-seeding plantain, which decided to grow in the mandrake pot, and not in the dirt beside it. Nothing has appeared in the pot which contained the tree daturas, who apparently have shuffled off this mortal coil. Not even plantains, which brings me back to my hope for the mandrakes.
The reason for my current mandrake obsession is that I can no longer buy new seed from Richters (their own supplier bailed on them), and that I was pretty sure I’d killed these ones. Dead but dreaming? Simply sleeping? Or just unfortunately dormant after I left them out on a frosty night? Because these ones went dormant, they won’t flower or fruit this year, which means I have to keep them alive (and awake) for another full year and a half before I can get seeds.
I did find seeds at Alchemy Works, at 5 for $5 American. I also found seeds at Bouncing Bear Botanicals, but chose to buy them from Alchemy Works instead. I figure if I can’t buy local (or even provincial), I’ll buy Canadian (national), and if I can’t buy Canadian, I’ll buy pagan/heathen. But who knows, maybe BBB is pagan-owned as well. I dunno…
Currently Sprouting
- European Mandrakes (Mandragora officinarum) (var. unknown, possibly vernalis.)
- Brandywine Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) (tastes great, heirloom O/P variety, and saying the name reminds you of Hobbits; how awesome is that?)
- Earlianna Tomatoes (supposedly very early, hence the name. Hopefully not a hybrid. Found a heritage Earliana tomato, maybe it’s the same one?)
- Okra (Gumbo) (Abelmoschus esculentus) (Clemson variety. Never tasted Okra before, might be interesting.)
- Sweet (Bell) Peppers (Capsicum annuum) (Various heirloom varieties; I won’t know for sure until they grow.)
- Borage (Borago officinalis) (Blue star-shaped flowers taste great; apparently you can eat the leaves too.)
- Eggplant (Solanum melongena) (Black Beauty variety; I’ve never had Eggplant before either.)
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) (Pacific Beauty Mix)
- Dill (Anethum graveolens)
- Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) (Yes, I actually planted this. I just can’t find it in the wild around here.)
- Leek (Allium ampeloprasum porrum?) (Large Musselburg variety)
- Lumina Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) (A white ornamental variety; hasn’t shown up yet)
- Uzbek melon (Cucumis melo) (No other info on this one. Apparently, Uzbekistan is famous for melons, of various varieties, so I don’t know if this is a specific variety or just a melon that originated in Uzbekistan. It might be this.)
- And a seed mix that contained Basil (Ocimum basilicum), Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris).
Phew, that went on forever… And that’s just the beginning…
Along the Hedgerow 