October 27, 2009

fall, harvest, frost...

These are seed pods from the Sinningia tubiflora I have out on the balcony.  I only set a few this year, and harvested them a few weeks ago, before I left for a trip.  I thought if I waited until after the trip, they would all split... so what you can see in the photo are pods at different stages of ripeness.  I'm not sure if the green one will have viable seed, although they looked developed.  I guess I'll do a test sowing.

I only set a few pods because there is plenty in each pod!

We've had a few consecutive cool and wet days, so all of my cool-intolerants are inside now.  S. tubiflora is still green outside, but I'll be bringing them in soon.  The balcony boxes don't get much sun this time of year, and the potting mix is very water retentive.  Boxes get colder than the ground, so cold and wet during the days as well as nights won't be good for the tubers.....