Category Archives: Useful Garden Plant

Highlights of Fellow Seed Stewards

Posted on February 28, 2020 by John Sherck

February is always a long winter month even though it is the shortest in days. With spring seemingly taking forever to arrive, there is always a lot of extra time for reflection about the previous season and previous years. It … Continue reading →

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Rostov Sunflower

Posted on November 19, 2019 by John Sherck

Rostov is a traditional sunflower variety from Russia. It produces edible seeds and was quite productive here in Northern Indiana. The greatest difficulty I am finding with sunflowers is the increasing frequency of summer rainfall and high humidity. This can prove challenging … Continue reading →

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Black Sesame

Posted on November 10, 2016 by John Sherck

This black seeded variety is a favorite in Thai cooking. It has a very nutty flavor. It is also used in Japanese dishes and used to make the condiment “goma”. Sesame prefers warm and dry conditions. I managed to get … Continue reading →

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Multi-Purpose Crops

Posted on January 12, 2015 by John Sherck

  When I consider my favorite crops to grow, I always judge this question through various criteria. The obvious considerations being: flavor, yield, disease-resistance, etc. There are, however, many other qualifiers that sometimes get overlooked. The idea of dual or … Continue reading →

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Egyptian Green Cotton

Posted on November 25, 2014 by John Sherck

Gossypium hirsutum                115 – 120 days Definitely not a traditional crop for Northern Indiana, yet you can grow cotton in our region with a little extra care. Egyptian Green Cotton is a 115 – 120 day variety, whereas most commercial cotton grown in … Continue reading →

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Fiber Flax

Posted on November 25, 2014 by John Sherck

Linum usitatissimum               90 – 105 days This variety of flax has been bred for it’s fibers which are spun into linen. Of all the fiber crops I have trialled for here in Northern Indiana, Fiber Flax seems the most logical … Continue reading →

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Yellow Sesame

Posted on November 19, 2014 by John Sherck

Sesamum indicum               85 days Sesame prefers warm and dry conditions. I managed to get a fair yield of quality seed during a cooler than normal and extremely wet summer (2014), here in Northern Indiana. Sesame is one of the oldest … Continue reading →

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Camelina

Posted on November 17, 2014 by John Sherck

Camelina sativa               85 – 100 days This crop is raised for the oil (high in omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E) that is pressed from the seeds. I am planning to use my Piteba hand crank oil press this winter with camelina, ( it … Continue reading →

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Summer Update 2014

Posted on July 18, 2014 by John Sherck

I am astonished at how well the majority of my seed crops are doing given the consistent wet conditions this spring and early summer. I believe we are moving into  drier, more manageable, weather conditions as many of my crops … Continue reading →

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Red Foliated White Cotton

Posted on January 2, 2014 by John Sherck

Gossypium hirsutum          120 days Definitely not a traditional crop for Northern Indiana, yet you can grow cotton in our region with a little extra care. Red Foliated White Cotton is a 120 day variety, whereas most commercial cotton grown in the … Continue reading →

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