A new year, with perhaps not as many oddities as in years past. This year I will be trying Achocha (Cylanthera pedata), a climbing cucurbit very similar to the Cylanthera explodens (exploding gourd) that I grew previously. Hopefully more tasty, and less explosive. Also an heirloom pole bean, "Succotash", with pointed red seeds that resemble kernels of corn. Supposedly requires a long season, so it could be a stretch for me here. I have been collecting varieties of "walking onions", which are perennial & form clusters of bulbs on their stalks, as opposed to flowers. Their best use is as green onions, with the topset bulbils used for propagation. There doesn't seem to be much variation in flavor, but then, that could just be my semi-dead taste buds. ;-) There are considerable differences, however, in size of the bulbils, hardiness, and the degree to which they multiply from the base. Several varieties actually form high-quality bulbs, if the topsets are planted... but they are not as winter-hardy as the others. Since potato onions are so difficult here, I'm still working on those.

Chrisms, Pepino plants overwinter in my location, so I haven't paid close attention to bloom-to-fruit timing in this species. I am guessing that it *might* be possible for you to grow them as annuals, especially if you extended your growing season by nurturing small plants on a windowsill, etc., while there was still danger of killing frost. (Just as people do with tomatoes.) Having said that, the species is Andean in origin, so I am not sure whether the plants would thrive in the hot, humid summer nights that I imagine would be typical in your region. In my opinion, pepinos taste like honeydew melon, only not quite as good. So, if you can grow regular melons -- and I bet you can -- you would probably be better off with them. If you are a collector of oddities, and you're doing it more for the fun of it, it might be worth a try! Pepinos are quite useful for folks in frost-free (or nearly so) but cool-summer climates like those in immediate coastal California (e.g. San Francisco), as a substitute for true melons (which will not ripen if there is not adequate summer heat).

thank you Carol, yes please send me anything you have! i did have the chance recently to show this to some old folk of the village, i brought a ripe sample, and one old man ate the fruit right away, they have a local name for it, which will not mean much to anyone. i tasted it too, with them, very seedy, but yummy.

Stan, I don't think I've ever gotten this many plants at one time unless you count six packs of flowers or veggies. As for the Garcinias some may actually be grown in containers and brought into the GH overwinter, I'm not talking mangosteen here. Besides, I read somewhere you cant grow mangoes in the bay area, let alone santol. ;) thank you Pug, many of them are going to get seriously pruned, your trees responded very well. -Ethan