Oca: Piling up the pods

I have a confession to make.  I no longer rush out every morning to scan the oca (Oxalis tuberosa) patch for pods.  In fact, I often let a week go by without looking at them.  What a difference a couple of months makes!  Back in July, I was checking them twice a day, pollinating by […]

Achocha: Saving seed

It is easy to save seed from your achocha (Cyclanthera pedata, also commonly known as caigua) plants, although you might wonder at what stage they are ready to harvest.  These instructions will also work for the closely related Cyclanthera brachystachya and probably for other Cyclantheras as well. I had been trying to time things so […]

Potato: Extracting true potato seed (TPS)

Potato seeds (TPS) in a fine strainer for cleaning

Introduction This is the procedure that I use to extract potato seeds.  It is not necessarily the procedure that you would want to use.  This procedure is suitable for extracting large amounts of seed while maximizing germination and minimizing potential for disease transmission.  I extract seed from as much as 400 quarts of berries in […]