One of a few experiments on the homestead this year
I like to try at least one new crop in the garden each season. If I have a crop that doesn’t perform up to acceptable expectations, I will try something else in its stead. I have a limited area to garden in and a lot of the space is dedicated to tomatoes, peppers, beans and beets. Those are our staple crops. With the space that’s left I’ll put in something new and see how it goes.
This year, one of the crop experiments was cotton. I took the opportunity to purchase three varieties of cotton seeds from https://www.mrcseeds.com. I purchased one package each of Pima Extra Long (white), MSB green, and Brown King. All were non-GMO and untreated.
In delving into this cotton-pickin’ adventure, I learned several things. I learned that it is illegal to grow cotton on your property in states where cotton is grown commercially due to the boll weevel eradication program. If you decide to give cotton growing a try, make sure your state doesn’t prohibit “backyard” cultivation. Fortunately I live in a state that cotton isn’t a cash crop. I learned that cotton comes in colors other than white; brown and green for instance. I learned that it wasn’t as hard to grown cotton as I thought it would be.
Because cotton is a plant that needs a long, hot growing season, I had to start the fuzzy seeds far in advance of the last frost date for my agricultural zone. I also had to plant the seeds in peat pots as disturbing the roots when transplanting outside can damage the plant. The peat pots allowed me to plant the entire pot in the ground. I do not like using peat pots because they break down and get loose and sloppy while the seeds are germinating and growing under lights inside. Planting the cotton in peat pots was no different this time. Once the pots are in the flat, they can’t be moved or they will fall apart.
The flowers are amazing!
I was so surprised at the beauty of the flowers of the cotton plants. Hues of white, yellow and pink (of which I didn’t get a picture of for some reason). It took several months for the blooms to appear. Then many weeks later the bolls showed up.
Immature cotton bolls
I was a bit taken aback at the look of the bolls. I wavered between thinking it looked like a man-eating plant or an avocado.
The bolls need to dry up and ‘pop’ to expose the cotton. Sort of how milkweek pops open and all the seed pods are exposed. My cotton plants grew to about waist high (about three feet). A few days ago I checked on them and was shocked to see new blossoms growing on the plants. I had no idea they keep growing once there is a (first) bloom.
I had to cover the plants for the last few days because of frost warnings. When I planted the seedlings, I had calculated that the cotton should be ready to pick in September. Here it is the 11th of October and the bolls have not matured. The plants are far past their maturity date. It would seem the cotton growing experiment is in distress and may be going into failure. However, I really enjoyed watching them grow and am so blessed by the beautiful blooming flowers.
I have read that the immature bolls can dry and open if the stems are brought inside to dry. I’m thinking that will be the avenue I will have to take.
What was my ultimate plan for cotton that I might have harvested? There certainly isn’t enough to try spinning into yarn so I’ll probably just have them on display somewhere around the house. 💮
Exodus 35:25 NKJV
All the women [who were] gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, [and] scarlet, and fine linen.
~ Moses, Prophet and Leader
