Saturday, March 17, 2012

Plans for the dye garden Värikasvisuunnitelmia

Taas on se aika, kun pitää miettiä, mitä kylvän ja istutan tänä vuonna. Tai itse asiassa suunnitelmat on jo pitänyt tehdä aiemmin, jos tilaa siemeniä muualta, mutta kohta on jo ensimmäisten kylvöjen aika. Tässäkin olen hiukan etuajassa, kun tammikuun lopussa piti kokeilla itävätkö omat väritattaren siemenet, ja kun ne itivät, niin en voinut heittää itäviä taimia pois. Ne ovat saaneet olla kasvivalon alla ikkunan ääressä ja kuvassa tuossa etualalla. Toivottavasti näistä sitten saan syksyllä uusia siemeniä. Taaempana näkyy tomaatteja ja kaikenlaista muutakin on jo itänyt etuajassa: jouluruusuja, valkoista sinivaleunikkoa ja vähän esikoita, nämä eivät ole värikasveja vaan tulevat metsäpuutarhaani. Taidan olla kasvi-ja siemenholisti:).

Pääosan väritattarista kylvän loppukuusta, olen kirjoittanut niiden viljelystä nyt tuonne omalle sivulleen (oikean reunan yläkulmassa väritatar-otsikon alla) ja sinne tulee myöhemmin koostetta myös värjäyksestä. Tilasin myös lisää väritattaren siemeniä USAsta IndiGrowing Blue- projektilta, ja nämä ovat oikeaa japanilaista nimettyä lajiketta, 'Senbon', jolla on paksuhkot punertavat varret ja pinkit kukat. Saa nähdä eroaako tämä mitenkään näistä minulla vanhastaan olevista muodoista. Siemenet olivat aika arvokkaita ja varsinkin lähetyskulut, 16,95$, vaikka siemenet kyllä tulivatkin sitten neljässä päivässä. Suomi ei ole ainoa maa, missä on kalliit postikulut! Olen kuitenkin tosi tyytyväinen, ja toivon, että jatkossa saisin myös näistä itseltä siemeniä, saa nähdä. Kylvin heti viime viikolla muutaman siemenen, vaikka suurin osa menee kylvöön sitten myöhemmin. Jännää taas kasvatella näitä:)

Sinistä tarvitaan kaikkein eniten ja morsinkoa kylvän tietysti myös. Krappimaata olisi tarkoitus laajentaa ja lisäksi istuttaa sinne enemmän myös mataroita. Laitoin jo syksyllä kylmäkäsittelyyn keltamataran (Galium verum) ja ahomataran (Galium boreale) siemeniä, joita saa eri firmoilta jotka myyvät niittysiemeniä, mm Ahon Alku. Voi olla, että ne olisivat itäneet ilman kylmäkäsittelyäkin, mutta laitoin varmuuden vuoksi, koska olin ostanut siemenet jo loppukesällä. Paimenmataraahan meillä kasvaa villinä niin että sitä on helppo siirtää penkkiin kasvamaan, mutta noita kahta muuta ei ole luonnostaan pihapiirissä.

Olen myös tilannut Ruissalon kasvitieteellisestä puutarhasta värimaratin siemeniä (Asperula tinctoria) ja liuskaläätettä (Serratula tinctoria). Siellä on muuten myös krapin siemeniä luettelossa, jos joku on kiinnostunut. Nämä siemenet eivät ole vielä tulleet, mutta toivottavasti saan niitä (ja pikkuisen pionin siemeniä, mitä tilasin sieltä samalla:)).

Muita keltaisia värikasveja en kylväkään, kun sitä saa niin helposti jo olemassaolevista kasveista, pietaryrtistä, ahdekaunokista ja piiskuista, vain väriresedaa ja hiukan tiikerikaunosilmää, kun sorruin taas ostamaan sen nättejä lajikkeita 'Amulet' ja 'Picta Be Bob'. Voi olla, että ne jäävät enemmän puutarhan kaunistukseksi kuin värjäykseen, mutta ehkä osa kukista tulee kerättyäkin. Sama ongelma minulla on kyllä hiukan kaikkien kauniisti kukkivien värikasvien kanssa, ahdekaunokkiakaan en meinaa raaskia kerätä, tai piiskuja, mutta pitää vain karaista itsensä ja korjata sato silloin kun se on parhaimmillaan.

IN ENGLISH
While there is still too much snow outside, it is again time for planning and sowing dye plants for the coming season. Or actually I have had to do the planning already so that I could order new seeds in time. I am also a little ahead in sowing, because in the end of January I sowed some of my own japanese indigo seeds to see if they were viable, and they were and germinated in one week, so then I couldn't throw the seedlings away and they have now been growing under the lamp near the window. I hope I get new seeds from these also next autumn. They are in the front in the picture, in the back there are my tomatoes, and also some other seeds have germinated too early and I have had to keep them inside under the lamp: some hellebores, white meconopsis and some primulas, which are not dyeplants, I grow them to plant in my woodland bed. I guess I am a plant and seed addict:).

The most of my japanese indigo I sow near the end of the month, about 8-10 weeks before I can plant them outside when the frosts are over. These first ones are just for the seeds in the autumn so that they will have long enough growing time.
I have also ordered some new japanese indigo seeds from the USA, from IndiGrowing Blue -project. These seeds are a japanese variety called 'Senbon', which has reddish thicker stems and pink flowers. It will be interesting to see if these differ from the varieties I already have. The shipping from the US was not cheap, 16,95$, but the seeds arrived really fast, in four days. It seems Finland is not the only country with high shipping prices. Anyway, I am really happy about these seeds, and I have already sowed a couple, although I sow most of them by the end of the month. I'm already excited about these plants:)

I need plants for blue the most, and I'm also going to sow woad later in the spring. Then the reds: I'm going to divide some of my madder plants and make a new bed for them. I have also already last autumn sowed Galium verum and Galium boreale seeds in pots which have been in our root cellar in cold all winter. I am not sure if they needed the cold stratification, but it can't hurt them, because in the wild they get cold during winter, too. I'm going to plant also more Galium mollugo in a bed, but as it grows wild near my garden, so it will be easy just to transplant in the spring.
I have also ordered some dye plant seeds from Turku University's Botanical Garden: Asperula tinctoria and Serratula tinctoria. These seeds have not yet arrived, but I hope I get them even though I was a little late ordering them (together with some peony seeds which I couldn't resist:))

I'm not going to sow many plant for yellows, because I already get yellow from my favourite perennial dye plants; tansy, goldenrod and knapweed. Only some weld and then I couldn't resist some  annual Coreopsis cultivars, 'Amulet' and 'Picta Be Bop'. They are so pretty, that I want them anyway, even if I don't harvest them much. I have the same mental problem with all beautiful flowers, even with knapweed and goldenrod, but I just have to harden myself and cut them when they are at their best.

Wild knapweed and goldenrod in my garden last summer, below





Coreopsis tinctoria 'Amulet'

9 comments:

  1. What a good idea to try starting some Japanese indigo early for hopeful seed production. Will you keep them indoors or put them out eventually?

    We can't cultivate knapweed here in western Canada because it is a noxious pest. Unfortunately it's not common in the city or I would be free to harvest as much as I'd like! I love annual coreopsis for the rusts and oranges even more than yellow and they are such pretty flowers. I do wish that I had more than my 5 madder crowns though. I've been trying to increase the plot vegetatively since I rarely ever get seeds and they don't germinate well for me.

    I need to get planting! Unfortunately I've been sick with a virus which I hope goes away soon. I'm running quite behind.

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  2. you are way ahead of me! if you can prevent the plants from getting leggy, you're going to have a headstart with the tomatoes and the indigo!
    I know there's only so much space one can plant dye stuff in - but have you tried cosmos sulphureus for yellows? I grow them every year, they're pretty, easy to grow - and give a lovely strong yellow, often nearly orange (a bit like dahlias, only they're annuals).
    seratula didn't like it here. several times nothing germinated, and the two plants I managed to grow the one time - never thrived and eventually died on me:(( luckily there are plenty of other sources for yellow!
    good luck with all your growings!
    Bettina

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  3. Thanks Louisa and Bettina:)
    I don't think your are late, I am early, too eager for the spring to come.
    Three weeks from now we are starting to heat our greenhouse and I can move the plants there from the inside, and I will sow most of the plants so that they germinate then and I don't have to grow them inside the house. We have two big daylight lamps close to the plants now, but of course there is not so much light than in the greenhouse or outside where they grow best.
    I will plant these first japanese indigo plants in big bucket size pots and keep them in the greenhouse for the summer and if the seeds are not ready when the frosts come in the beginning of October, I can take them inside the house in their pots. This is how I managed to get seeds last year. I know japanese indigo is better suited for a bit warmer climates like in middle Europe, but I still like it so much:)

    About madder, I haven't gotten seeds from it either, even though they do flower. I wonder what they need to make seeds? More warmth, or do they need two different clones (if they can't pollinate themselves?).

    Couple of years ago I grew Cosmos sulphureus, but that year we got the first frosts in early September, and they died, and so I got only a little flowers from it (they had flowered only like two weeks before the frost). I should have sowed them earlier. I think I still have those flowers dried someplace and haven't dyed with them. I should try them again:)
    I have had dahlias and I like them, too. The problem with dahlias is that I don't have a good place for them to keep over winter, our root cellar is too damp, and the tubers tend to rot (and I have to buy new ones each year). I have now some dahlias from last year in the cellar, I haven't looked if they have survived this winter.

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  4. i love hearing the growing excitement in your words! i am thinking that you blog is a wonderful experiential journey through dyeing, and encourage you to eventually publish (in book form) your experiences... this could be very helpful, especially for the northern dyers.

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  5. Oh, I should have sent you some of my indigo seeds, I also have the ones with the reddish stems and pink flowers - organically grown. I think you paid an over price for the shipping there. Still, if you want some, just give me some sort of sign ;) - oh, and I've read that you don't have to take the whole pot inside, just the stems in a bucket of water. I'll certainly try that this year.
    Considering madder, I think the way with them is to divide the roots, easyer and much faster than the sowing seeds.

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  6. Thanks Velma and Mona.
    Velma, your words: experiential journey through dyeing, made something click in my head (in a positive way). You are right, that's what this is, and who knows where it will lead me. Moments like this may be some kind of turning poits. Thank you!

    Mona, thank you for the offer, if my own plants won't give me seeds in the autumn, I'll remember you:)

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  7. I've started some of my seeds off too but on a much smaller scale. It's so inspiring to see your dye garden.

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  8. Voi tuota kaunosilmää viimeisessä kuvassa aah! Ehkä jonakin vuonna minullakin on värikasveja, toistaiseksi olen lähinnä keskittynyt perunaan ja kehäkukkaan, kun kasvimaa oli niin rikkaruohojen vallassa, niistä juurenpätkistä riittää vielä ohdaketta, vaikka se onkin joka vuosi vähenemään päin (tai sitten kuvittelen vaan).

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  9. Kyllähän mullakin suurin osa kukista on koristeeksi, ja värikasveja on vain murto-osa kaikista kasveista. En pysty laajentamaan hyötykasvimaata (mukaalukien värikasvit), kun en raaski poistaa perennoja, ääh. Rikkaruohoja on täälläkin ihan riittävästi. Peruna ja kesäkurpitsa on olleet mulla hyviä rikkaruohjen torjujia, kun niiden lehdet ovat niin peittävät, sieltä ei mikään kovin pieni pääse alta valoon, varsinkin kun olen sitten kattanut reilusti oljella. Tosin ohdakkeet nousee vielä useankin vuoden päästä, niitä riittää täälläkin!

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