Cosmic Cosmos
Back in January, I placed an order with the newly independent Second Generation Seeds, eager to support the fledgling venture and dabble in some unfamiliar varieties. I bought Gyopo peppers, Jeolla Do large leaf mustard, and sagwa chamoe (apple melons). Kristyn tossed a packet of black chestnut soybeans in with the delivery, writing that she hoped they might “redeem” themselves, as I had mentioned to her that I had been unable to coax a real harvest out of these little beauties the previous year. As if this failure had anything to do with the seeds themselves, and not the grower!
She also added a packet of Korean cosmos. These turned out to be the big winner for me. I let the soybeans down yet again, was unable to bring the peppers beyond seedlings, and could only manage one weak melon vine with no fruit. The mustard did pretty well (and recently reseeded itself), but the flavor was too strong for me and I didn’t make an effort to experiment more with it in the kitchen.
I only planted two or three cosmos seeds and was generally inattentive to them, but eventually one defiantly erupted into a splashy orange pollinator playground.
Coincidentally, when I started my garden 12 years ago, cosmos were among the first seeds I planted. I’m not sure the source of those seeds, but they thrived nicely. I don’t remember saving any seeds from those flowers, and moved away from them in subsequent seasons. I’m keen on getting back into them now, though.
With an eye on the future, I took some seeds off the cosmos a couple weeks ago (and it’s a good thing I did, as I wonder if recent rains will spoil the remaining seed heads). I tossed four of the dark slivers into an Orta seed pot, along with some Manoa lettuce seed I’d saved. I don’t have a ton of hope for the lettuce, but was pleased that at least one cosmos has decided to carry the torch for its predecessor. I’m thinking next year, I might put some of these in the ground and summon back a little of that first-year magic from the original cosmos-spangled garden.
