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Ramp cultivation?

very good eating, wanting to try and grow some in the woods around my farm....

anyone grow their own?
if so, any advice?

I've ready most of what I can find online

e.g.,
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/v5-449.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-133.html

Basically seems to prefer wooded areas, damp but not wet... lots of hardwood leaf litter, east side of hill, early spring sun but shaded after that.

any advice is appreciated, and thanks to Crissy for turning me on to them, nom nom nom nom yummm :)
 
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I haff some seeds, but I have not yet sown them. They came from my grandparents in PA who grow them in the back garden.

These are very endangered in our area due to wild over collection, and growing your own is about the only way to get them.
 
Wow! Wild Appalachian leeks!

Insert your own joke at anytime.

Are they that different from conventional leeks, in terms of cultivation. I had a bumper crop and more leek-potato soup last year than I care to admit . . .
 
Hey, half Appalachian here. Anybody want some moonshine?
 
probably adapted to lower light levels seeing how they grow under trees. might need some shade ...
 
Love me some Wild Appalachian leeks!! Garlicky with a nice bite. I never even heard of Ramps until I moved to western NC. I've been missing out all these years.

Yes Kula, they require low light, damp/moist soil but not wet. They like leaf litter, so planting under trees is a safe bet. I'm trying my hand at growing some this year. I'm in the same boat as Av though, only know what I've read online.

Crystal
 
Kewl, I will sow my seeds this weekend.
 
Wow! Wild Appalachian leeks!

Insert your own joke at anytime.

Are they that different from conventional leeks, in terms of cultivation. I had a bumper crop and more leek-potato soup last year than I care to admit . . .

Definitely different in taste... like Crissy said, they have a hint of garlic and maybe hint of horseradish to me.

David, after too much 'shine, i take a wild appalachian leek :p


:D
 
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Here in Canada we call them Wild Garlic.
 
  • #10
John Swenson has been the Allium curator at the Seed Savers Exchange for many years. I don't know if he still is, but he is a real garlic expert. He wrote an article on the origin of the name Chicago, and it is connected with Ramps if I am not mistaken. He also may be a person to point you to sources for Ramps. They may be offered to members of the SSE in the Yearbook. http://www.seedsavers.org/Content.aspx?src=membership.htm

Here is a link to an article by John about naming Chicago. http://dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1991winter/ishs-1991winter235.pdf
 
  • #11
Well, I got a surprise in the mail yesterday from an anonymous source
A whole big bag full of freshly gathered Ramp bulbs ready for the planting!!
And we are not talking one or two bulbs, nor 10 or 20 but what must be a hundred or so. Many of them the largest I’ve seen (Not that I’ve seen that many mind ya, but still)
The generosity of our lil group never ceases to amaze me

ramp_bulbs.JPG

nomnomnom, omg they are so spicy/slightly hot yummy with steak :)

I got them cleaned up (as they appear in the pic) and will scout out a suitable spot to plant them this weekend.
Wrapped them up and storing in the fridge till then....

To the unnamed benefactor, thank you so much :hail:

any cultivation advice is appreciated....
From what I gather, I figure I would look for wild ferns and plant them nearby.... hardwood shaded, rich and moist but with good drainage
 
  • #12
Got out early this morning and found my spot I believe.

The far end of my property ends at the convergence of several small hills (valley)... Hardwood shaded, rich soil and I spotted plenty of wild ferns.
There is a small primary creek about 75 foot away, and a boggy area 20 foot away and about 5-6 foot further down the slope.

ferns.jpg


The boggy area...
stream.jpg


Any opinions?

I'm thinking in the immediate area of the ferns...
 
  • #13
That's a huge amount of Ramp bulbs. Did you at least try one of them? I've never seen them in the woods, but I'll sure be looking now. I did a little searching (which you've probably done already) and found this site which sells a booklet on growing Ramps and sells Ramp bulbs for shipment in February along with fresh Ramps for eating. http://rampfarm.com/

This site http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetables/p/Growing-Ramps-In-The-Vegetable-Garden.htm describes the areas where Ramps grow, especially the other plants seen with them:

"Soil: To grow ramps in your yard, try to pick a site as close to their native growing conditions as possible. They are usually found in moist areas, under deciduous trees. The soil should have a good amount of organic matter in it and be well-draining. Although ramps like regular moisture, they do not grow well in wet soils. If other woodland flowers, like bloodroot, trillium and trout lily will grow in the area, ramps should do fine."

Bloodroot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodroot
Trillium: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium
Trout Lily: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_americanum

I do know of a woodland area that was full of Trout Lily. Last time I was there was in the late 1970's. Might not even be there now!
 
  • #14
Didnt try a one, lol..... probably should have but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these :)

Ive got the book on Ramps from rampfarm.com... It's been very helpful.
I have also read most of what ive found online.... and looked at a lot of "in-situ" pics.
I "think" I found the best spot I have available on my little piece of ground...

I planted about half in the immediate area of the ferns and the other half just a little further up the slope just to increase my odds of success.

Come early spring I hope to see some leaves popping up. I wont harvest any the frist year or two though...

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=wild+ramps+images
 
  • #15
With so many bulbs, you should plant them in different areas within it's range of acceptable conditions and see which area works best. That way, you're almost guaranteed success :)
 
  • #16
Rich,

Very true, but most of my land is on top of a ridge, too dry or covered in Pine and Cedar..... all of which are a non starter.
Supposedly the ferns are one of the good indicator species.... hopefully, Ive played my hand well.

Av
 
  • #17
Any sign of growth yet? Hope they did well over the winter.
 
  • #18
Grow them like a woodland orchid and you're set.
 
  • #19
woot woot!!

stopped counting after 30, guessing over 50 plants :)

nomnomonom, but wont harvest any this year.... maybe next

Ill let them grow another week or so before I take some pics... right now the biggest have 3-4" leaves with most 2-3"
I crushed a leaf with my fingers and omg the smell LOL

Hope they flower :)

With someone's over abundance of generosity, I passed on a pile to Crissy... I think she has growth too, but I'll let her chime in on hers :)
 
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  • #20
That's really good news for Crissy. I hope she does show us some photo's. I'm enjoying the success of you guys.

I am wondering if you should give them any fertilizer? I know they only get leaf mold where they grow, so they may not need it, but you know-a little bit of a jump start may work to your advantage. What do you think?
 
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