Seed Sharing Circle 2015 and growing progress

[Debs]

Hi Jayb
I'd love to join in this year if its not too late!

Debs 

[Debs]

[Jayb]

Welcome Martinburo and Debs, good to have you join in this year 

Goodlife
Markfield rover
Silverleaf
Sparrow - possible squashes & peppers
Robert_Brenchley
Ruud
Galina
Pumpkinlover
Ian Pearson
Earlypea - Red Swan dwarf french beans and Sokol breadseed poppy
Martinburo
Debs

[Silverleaf]

I'll try for Telephone peas - I apologise for not putting them in the last swap as promised, but fate conspired against me and I didn't have enough.

Anyone interested in landraces? I should be growing a few this year, mostly beans and peas. Don't know if anyone else wants a bunch of mixed-up seeds!

[earlypea]

Anyone interested in landraces? I should be growing a few this year, mostly beans and peas. Don't know if anyone else wants a bunch of mixed-up seeds!

Yes, I am, they look fascinating.  I nearly indulged in some land-race broad beans myself for this season, but as they come from the US I thought it might be a bit bulky and possibly intercepted by customs. 

[earlypea]

.....I just love Red Swan and was thinking of putting it in this year, so I'm really pleased you are going to be adding it. Perhaps I can be back up for in case needed? ......

Sounds like a good idea.   Or, if you really wanted to do them I'm sure I could find something else.  I've not grown them before, just came across them accidentally trying to source tomatoes and it was love at first sight.

A lot of us seem to gravitate towards the same varieties, which is lucky really.

[galina]

Good to have you back Earlypea.  The world's first proper Red Bean, how exciting!  I collect a pot of poppy seed every year for making dinner rolls etc.  Proper Breadseed Poppy seed is nice.

There is something very comforting about sharing the seed saving effort, especially for very rare varieties.  We receive two lots that were grown under different conditions and with slightly different adaptations (this especially applies to seeds from abroad).  And the obvious benefit for the seed saver is that the pressure is off, because the other party can step in or supplement, if the harvest was small for whatever reason. 

[Jayb]

I've stickied this.

[Jayb]

I'll try for Telephone peas - I apologise for not putting them in the last swap as promised, but fate conspired against me and I didn't have enough.

Opps, I added them to the Seed Circle list!

[Jayb]

Sounds like a good idea.   Or, if you really wanted to do them I'm sure I could find something else.  I've not grown them before, just came across them accidentally trying to source tomatoes and it was love at first sight.

A lot of us seem to gravitate towards the same varieties, which is lucky really.

No you carry on, I'm aiming to grow them again this year so I won't be missing out 
Yes it's fun to know others have chosen the same and interesting knowing what takes people's eye.

I nearly indulged in some land-race broad beans myself for this season, but as they come from the US I thought it might be a bit bulky and possibly intercepted by customs.

I think I may have bought the same or similar  though I've not grown them yet, I wanted to add them to a Grex/landrace I've got on the go. I've some spare mixed X broadie seeds if you would like to grow some?

[sparrow]

what makes something a landrace? I've really struggled to understand the definition. And apologies for noddy question!

[galina]

what makes something a landrace? I've really struggled to understand the definition. And apologies for noddy question!

There are two definitions of landrace.  The first is a mostly farmer selected, genetically broader based variety that shows a little more variation than the very uniform varieties we buy in seed packets. 

The second definition (applies here) is a selection of different types from early generations after a cross.  Each seed produces a plant that can be very different from the next one.  The idea is that you can sample many types (but all from the same parents that were crossed) rather than all plants being the same, and then select which plants do best in your particular growing environment - for example the earliest, the best yielding, the one that best stood up to blight, the one with the prettiest colours, best flavour etc etc. It is your choice.

After the initial cross which creates an F1 hybrid seed,  the generation that follows on, the F2 generation, shows the greatest difference from one sibling plant to the next.  The next generation after that, the F3 (or third filial generation) and F4, F5 and F6 respectively are showing increasingly more uniformity until eventually the strain or strains that you selected out of the original seed mixture (grex), is a genetically stable and uniform new variety.  And very well adapted to your growing conditions. Your own variety. 

I hope this explains what is meant by landrace. 

[Silverleaf]

what makes something a landrace? I've really struggled to understand the definition. And apologies for noddy question!

Not a noddy question at all, I apologise for not defining the term when I used it!

I may not be using the term entirely correctly, but for me it's a fairly diverse population of plants of similar type (usually all the same species but not all the same variety). For example, I have a mixed bag of climbing French bean seeds for shelling out - lots of different varieties, but they will all grow and be used in the same way. I don't mind if they cross, and I'll keep adding in a few seeds here and there when I can to keep up the diversity. The more diversity the better as far as I'm concerned, because that gives me the best chance of eventually getting a landrace that's adapted to my area.

[galina]

  Who is the noddy now?  I didn't get it either!  Thank you for the definition, Silverleaf.   

[Silverleaf]

Who is the noddy now?  I didn't get it either!  Thank you for the definition, Silverleaf.   

That's only MY definition. ;) I guess when it comes to sharing I could just call it "a bunch of seeds that are the same type of thing but not all exactly the same", but that's not as catchy as "landrace". ;)

[Debs]

Hi Jayb
Put me down for Cymbopogan flexuosus (East Indian Lemongrass)

Debs

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm definitely in, and with a lot more raised beds built. I shouldn't get in the same mess as I did last year. Hopefully! I should have some brassica seed to share, but everything depends on what comes through the winter - Di Sicilia Violetto cauliflowers are frost vulnerable - and what flowers. I'm hoping to get seed of some perennial tree kale, but it's too early to be sure it's going to bloom.

[markfield rover]

From our local seed swap I did find four tomatoes , Dwarf Wax (HSL).Veepro Paste.(HSL). Vince (HSL)  Wild Tomatel Columbianum (HSL)  the first two I can find info for ,the other two a little more allusive , so suck it and see! Also Chickpea Hannan pop bean , looks very exotic for these parts!

[Silverleaf]

Also Chickpea Hannan pop bean , looks very exotic for these parts!

I once tested some "kana chala" dried brown chickpeas from my local Asian food shop to see if they popped in hot oil. Most of them did, and they tasted pretty good with a little salt. They don't puff up huge like popcorn, but they do puff a bit.

I sowed a few too as an experiment, but didn't get much from them if I remember. The plants are pretty.

I'd like to try nuñas (pop beans) but I can't find a source for them.

[markfield rover]

Silver leaf,  I don't have many but you are more than welcome to some.

[cambourne7]

yes please