During a late winter trip to Wilson's Nurseries in Frankfort, I impulse bought a packet of cotton seeds. I started (or tried to) the entire packet, but the seed starter kit I used was a disaster :-(. Only six plants made it to the garden. I had to mark them so I didn't grab them thinking they were weeds.
Once they started blooming though there was no confusion. I had no idea cotton bloomed so pretty! Some of the flowers are white. Some are white and turn pink. Some seem to start pink. I wish I had a time lapse camera set out there to say for sure. The blooms don't last very long and drop to the ground.
The plants are waist high.
I think these "hands" are holding a new bud.
But these are holding what I'm guessing is the start of a cotton boll!
I don't know what kind of harvest I'm going to have with only six plants, but I've had enough fun so far to warrant giving them another try next spring. I'm going to make my own starter pots though and not use the kits from TSC.
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I'm glad I asked you all to count the bats. I thought we only had around 20! I try to count them but get distracted by watching where one goes and miss a couple more coming out or Baaxter walks over to talk to me or... They haven't moved into the new house yet, but putting it up there didn't seem to scare them away. Whew!
Windswept Farm won the drawing! Send me an email with your mailing address and I'll get one of the new Punkin's Patch bags in the mail to you right away :-).
11 comments:
The Cotton flowers look so pretty! Do they have a scent? I've always wanted to try spinning cotton....once I get the hang of spinning :D
The cotton is interesting. I'll be interested to know how many bolls you get and unlike commercially grown cotton, you should be able to pick cotton continuously until frost or something. Helen
The cotton flowers look like miniature roses that don't get opened.
Nice to see you growing these cotton plants. I have thought about it, in the past.
Every year I help some friends show sheep in a number of shows at state and local fairs. Invariably someone passing by will start chatting about getting cotton from sheep! I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but I gently remind them that even though sheep look like big cotton balls, wool is from sheep, and cotton is actually from a plant :-) Thanks so much for showing the beautiful details of where each fiber comes from!
I spun cotton once from bolls my brother picked up from the side of the road after a truck shed a bunch! It wasn't too bad. Knowing you grew your own will be really cool! PS. I spun enough to knit a narrow bookmark with a pattern. Do you have a supported spindle?
My pale yellow one (that looked just like yours) also turned that bright fuchsia pink. I was so tickled! Now I'm waiting for whatever comes next ... I think I will plant it again, too!
I've not seen cotton blossoms before. Thanks for sharing them.
The petals look like rose buds. How large are the flowers?
The blooms are just beautiful! Although I've seen cotton on the plant, and even have some here, I have never seen the blooms!
I see cotton plants often when driving to Statesboro, but I've never thought of growing any. (Hmm, maybe next year?) Just wait until your bolls form. They are so very pretty. Even if you don't have enough to spin, you can harvest the bolls on the stems and have a wonderful arrangement to display in a vase.
They are beautiful plants and blooms, I always think of Sally Field when I think of cotton fields;)
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