Tuesday, February 8, 2011

ECHO seeds

ECHO supplied AWP with 9 varieties of seed for trial and propagation.
  1. Winged bean: A nutritious soya-like bean. Edible leaves, seeds, seedpods, etc.
  2. Millet: Drought resistant grain.
  3. Grain amaranth: A nutritious seed-grain with edible leaves. Grows like a weed! (Is that good or bad?)
  4. Pigeon pea: Legume with edible pea pods, good forage crop. Our use: cover crop for weed/erosion reduction and soil improvement.
  5. Tomato: You know what tomatoes are don't you?
  6. Cowpea: Uses much the same as pigeon pea.
  7. Lagenaria siceraria: Italian edible gourd, like zucchini squash.
  8. Carrot: Rabbit food. People food.
  9. Sunflower (Peredovik): High oil yield variety.
ECHO supplies only one packet of seeds for each variety so we must propagate the seeds ourselves.

Planting trial, winged bean recently planted on the right.

Tomato nursery on the left. Vegetable amaranth and moringa nursery on the right (seeds from last year).

Italian edible gourd.

Cowpeas. Most vigorous of all seeds planted. Nearly 100% germination rate.