So I just gave a EFN update on my 2 year experience with Chris homanics’s grex perennial kale 'Homesteader's Kaleidoscopic Perennial' Kale Grex – Experimental Farm Network Seed Store
but realize that there is a much larger and active community here. I think it would be interesting to share progress, success, failure, and potentially seed from any EFN projects we are participating in here.
I’d also encourage all to give feedback on any projects they are involved in on the EFN website and encourage those who are unaware to tap into this resource and participate as well. They are really trying to do great things but suffer from a inactive community who just want cheap unusual seeds in my opinion.
I’ve been trying the perennial kale grex, none got big or did much even after two to three years. Not very interesting or tasty. One was multi-headed, one was very spicy, most just meh. Siberian kale, Russian red, cavolo Nero etc all perform far far better for me here.
I also had the golden beet grex, earthy and dull flavour, made for pretty gross borscht, not many greens to use.
The overwintered carrot mix was good, tasty with beautiful colours, but weaker growth than other carrots I grow.
Love this! They are doing such amazing and important work. I need to check on my grex “survivors” and do an update. I have multiple years, multiple plantings of this going and rooted some cuttings from the best plants earlier this spring. Everything needs weeding but last time I checked I have about 10 plants still going strong after surviving multiple winters and this year’s crazy weather.
I’m a bit bummed.
Got about 50% germination on my batch of rhubarb grex seed… and they’ve gradually all succumbed. Last two died this week.
Better than 75% germination rate on a pound of white marrowfat beans, but still poorer than I usually expect; hopefully they’ll do better once this oppressive summer heat is over.
Still have the kaleidoscope kale, supercross collard and rutabangin’ rutabaga grex seeds awaiting planting this fall.
After reading this thread, I clicked the links and started looking at the experimental farm network website. Turns out I went to school with one of the EFN founders, and that at some point after we graduated he used to live in the town that I live on now! What a small world, and what a weird and roundabout way to learn something new about someone I haven’t seen in many many years!