Brassicas - mainly kale

[Jang]

I've just planted out the six varieties of kale I got from Adaptive Seeds. I haven't grown kale at this time of year before but was tempted to try them out straight away as they looked so irresistible. I'm not sure whether I'll leave them all for seed and see what results from the mix, or whether I'll select the best variety and save seed from just the one. But either way, I'm looking forward to watching how they develop.
There are four plants of each variety and the brassicas further back are calabrese (now all covered with fleece)

(The first time I've posted photos. Should I have selected thumbnails?)


Summer brassica bed - from west

Row 1 - 4 mystery seedlings

Row 2 - 4 Di Cicco calabrese

Row 3-5. 10 Kabuki

Row5-6. 3 Sakura

Row 6. 3 Kale Bear Necessities

Row 7. 4 Kale Gulag Star

Row 8. 4 Kale Baltic Red

Row 9. 4 Kale Western Front

Row 10. 4 Kale Russian Frill

Row 11. 4 Kale Russian Hunger Gap

[Galina]

Unfortunately I can't see the photos Jang, but would like to. There are several ways to 'do' pictures on this forum. Here is mine. I always start with photos that have been condensed/reduced to what Windows picture software calls 'document size'. In this case 240 and 173 KB respectively. I don't know what the maximum is that this forum allows, but document size fits the bill. Then I click the camera button on top of the message and the 'upload button' appears. I click it. This opens up 'my computer' and I can select and drag or type in the url of the photo I want. Then I click on 'open' and the photo downloads into the post. I type a description in the text box under the photo, then click 'upload more' for a second photo or 'continue' when I am finished. There is a maximum of 5 photos per post. The photos appear as thumbnails and only when I click the final 'post reply' or 'save' button will the photos and message be published for us all to see. Hope it works for you next time. The reader can click on the photo to see them larger or double click for a page filling enlargement.

[Galina]

PS did not want to sidetrack your thread, but these were the photos I had to hand and I needed to upload photos at the same time as writing about it to get all the steps in. Hope it makes sense.

[Jang]

Thanks Galina for your clear guidelines. Trying again with the same photos after downloading a photo reducing app.

[Jang]

PS. I can see they're rather small and fuzzy do perhaps I overdid the downsizing. Hope to get it right before too long!

[Galina]

Nice seedlings in the second picture. The first is difficult because the plastic sleeves reflect the light. I clicked twice to enlarge, then clicked Ctrl and the plus sign several times to enlarge further and that made it easy to read. Glad you managed to show us the photos.

[Silverleaf]

Nice looking little plants.

If you're saving seeds from any brassicas you need to use as many plants as you can. They are strong outbreeders so the more "parent" plants you have the better, at least 20 or so is recommended if I remember correctly.

You can get away with fewer plants if you mix in some new parent seed every generation. I don't mean it has to be a different variety or anything, you could use seeds from your original packets. You're just trying to make sure that there's as much genetic variety as possible in your population.

[Jang]

Thanks. Does that apply both to trying to keep a single variety going and to allowing uncontrolled crossing within the varieties I have?
I'm aware that there are so many brassicas around, wild and cultivated, in my patch and in the surroundings, that any seed-saving is hugely problematic.
I imagine there's only any point saving seed if I cover and isolate my 20 plants.