Topic: Seed Circle 2010 Growing/Feedback

[Jayb]

Just interested to hear how others are doing and what they may have sown. It's hard finding room for everything but I'm trying  ;D
So far I have growing;

Beans; Black Turtle
Bobis d’ albenga
Gauk
Ice/Crystal Wax
Kew Blue
Mountaineers White Half Runner,
Mr Fearn's Purple Flowered
Rudd’s Pole bean
Sweet Australian Purple

Delaway cabbage

Bleu De Solaise leeks

Peas; Carruthers’ Purple Podded
Robinson’s Purple Podded
Salmon Flowered
Serpette Guillotteau

Tomatoes; British Green Tiger
Galina
Yellow Furry hog

Germination has been great and all strong growing plants.
Sadly my one failure is Ruud’s mystery bean, I was really looking forward to growing this one.
I’m hoping to sow some of the lettuce, herbs and radish in a wee while, Little Gem squash have just gone in.

The salmon Flowered peas are absolutely gorgeous, thank you Robert,
[attachment=1]
 
I do have one stray purple podded  pea in amongst them which looks so pretty as a contrast. I’ve left it growing for the moment as it is easily distinguishable.  I think probably a stray seed crept in at sometime though I will try and save seed in case it throws something different when grown out.

[attachment=2]

This little pink beauty is growing in with Serpette Guillotteau, which I supposed should be pure white. With this one I’m thinking it’s a cross or perhaps a throwback?
Be interesting to hear if anyone else has similar.

[attachment=3]

[Robert_Brenchley]

I had a wigwam of Salmon-flowered right next to the Serpette, so it'll be from a pod which ended up in the wrong place. There was a purple-podded variety - I'm almost certain it's Lancashire Lad, which is pretty distinctive as the pods go mottled purple/green as they mature, and I don't grow anything else which does that - mixed up with it. I thought I'd separated them all, but obviously I hadn't.

[1066]

excellent idea Jayb, I was thinking along similar lines this week as we ate a lettuce (Aus Greenleaf) - delicious, has done well throughout the dry weather, and grown lovely big heads. Thank you seed savers and swappers  :)

Lots in the ground - The peas, seem to be romping away, the only problem I have at the moment is there won't be as many to save seeds from as I keep nibbling away at them when I'm on the plot  ;D

Climbing FB's -  Kew Blue, Major Cook's Bean, Sweet Australian Purple
Dwarf FB's - Ice/Crystal Wax, Jacob’s Cattle, Ying Yang - all settling in nicely

Peas - Carruthers' Purple Podded, Robinson's Purple Podded, salmon FLowered (slow to start but seem to be ok), Serpette Guilloteau, Simpson's Special, Winterkeefe (doing very well). Am chuffed to bits so far with the climbing peas  8)

Kale - Vate's Blue and Ragged Jack are are on the go
leeks - Blue De Solaise will be planted out soon
Bunching Onions, Radish and Beets are going ok
Orach - I need to plant out this week, but is looking lovely

More lettuce to sow soon. And on it goes  ;D All in all I need more land  ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

What's the origin of the Ragged Jack? There seem to be several cultivars.

[Jayb]

Thanks Robert, I was getting excited we had a new variety on our hands. I had thought the stray Salmon's growth appeared somewhat different to the others. A stray seed could equally have come from my end  :)
Much easier to spot an off type with coloured flowers and pods. I'm growing a couple of types of bean this year which were not true to type last year and I'm looking forward to seeing what diversity they may bring.

Liking your list 1066  8)

More lettuce to sow soon. And on it goes  ;D All in all I need more land  ;D

Me tooooooo  ;D

[1066]

What's the origin of the Ragged Jack? There seem to be several cultivars.

Robert, I picked up a packet at the Brighton Seedy Sunday, so I think I've got my A4A Seed Saving Circle mixed up with Seedy Sunday swaps  ::) So ignore the Kales!

[galina]

Here are growing
Black Turtle
Yin Yang
Fasolia Gigandes  was a no show
Major Cook
Mountaineers White half runner
Neckarqueen
Polish Purple stringless from HSL
Ruud's Polebean
Ruuds Mystery bean was a no show
both beetroot varieties are doing well
missed sowing cabbage Delaway, can this be sown later?
Carruther's Purple podded is a star, fastest grower, earliest producer
Serpette Guillotteau is a lovely pea
Robinson's Purple podded isn't quite as good, but we will see how it goes from home produced seeds that are adjusted to the growing conditions here.
Blaby Special,Blue OSU,  British Green Tiger, Fablonelistnyi, Falcon, Mexican Honey, Urbikany, Yellow Furry Hog are growing nicely and mostly flowering, some tiny green fruit.  Looking forward to fruiting. 

Couldn't grow the squashes this year because I have several I have older seed for and need to save seed to renew stocks, but as the circle seeds are fresh, they will be great next year.  I missed giving the onions a timely start for various reasons (including husband in hospital) but again there is a second chance and the Shimonita spring onions will go in after the potatoes.  Have an abundance of chard growing this year, so postponed the orach and left a few beans and peas for next year too.  I will sow Sylvesta as a lettuce for later in the year.  Very happy with our exchanges and will be in a better position to comment on varieties later in the year.

Thank you everybody  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

The HSL describe Delaway as a spring cabbage, so it should surely be planted later than this!

[Jayb]

The HSL describe Delaway as a spring cabbage, so it should surely be planted later than this!

Maybe, but after looking at ISSA description, "An Irish heirloom variety, saved for generations by the Hughes family in Co. Mayo. Exceptionally hardy  cut’n’come again cabbage. Tall vigorous plant with large tender leaves and purple stems."
http://store.irishseedsavers.ie/Delaway_Cabbage_p/1035.htm
I thought it worth experimenting with an earlier sowing to compare how they do  :)

[brown thumb]

iam interested in growing perannual  / ever lasting vegetables and salads can any one point me in the right direction to a seed supplier who sell those

[Robert_Brenchley]

You need to look for specific veg. Artichokes (both sorts) and cardoons, which are similar to globe artichokes, are widely available. Potatoes are perennials which are treated as annuals, for good reason given the problems with disease. Then there are things like Daubenton's kale, and others which are still more obscure.

[1066]

Hi Brown Thumb, there was athread on here a while ago which has loads of different ideas, hope you find it useful

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,66415.0.html

Re feedback, I forgot to mention the tomatoes  ::)
Blaby Special, Blue OSU,  British Green Tiger, Fablonelistnyi, Mexican Honey, Galina are all doing well in their pots in the garden, starting to flower and fruit now

[markfield rover]

I will get a more complete list added soon but off the top of my head- Goldrush squash looking good and strong-  Parcel  love it and is now doing the rounds- leeks also going great guns the lettuces just planted out so will get back to you .
It may well be my imagination but the seeds from the 'circle' do seem to be full of vim and vigour,our motto!

[1066]

Ooooo we've got a motto  8)

However, you might want to exclude using that motto when it comes to my seeds.

Houston we may have a problem.....

been away for a couple of weeks, checking on the plot today, and the Little Gem Rolets are going great guns, but, and here's the problem, in unexpected shapes.
One plant is fine
[attachment=1]
It looks nice and rounded, dark green colouring etc

Another plant, is decidedly un Little Gem Rolet like
[attachment=2]

It is elongated, ok colouring, but definitely the wrong shape.
So it looks like a rogue. My attempts at hand pollinating seem to have gone awry......  :'(  :-[  :'(  :-[
It may be ok, but then it may not.
So monster sized apologies from me to you lovely seed savers.............  :-*

1066 (mightily miffed)

[brown thumb]

would the odd shape caused by pollination this year or last years pollen mix up because i have black beauty;grisette,  de provence ,golden zucchini ,(courgettes)di nizza, petty pan,yellow scallops, butternut and sweet du mpling squashes , jack o lantern and rouge  vif  d etampes pumpkins  all growing to gether in one bed so can i expect a mix up this year or will the mix up be next year if i grow on the seeds from them

[1066]

Hi, this year's will be fine, it's next years, home saved seed that could be a problem. Squash are kind of flirty with one another. and that's the polite way of saying it  ::) :)

[galina]

Hi, this year's will be fine, it's next years, home saved seed that could be a problem. Squash are kind of flirty with one another. and that's the polite way of saying it  ::) :)

Yes they are - or it it the bees that do the flirting?  10 don't beat yourself up  about it.  It happens.  I have, without thinking, caused crosses just by pollinating several varieties of the same species, one after another, without washing my hands inbetween.  Sure enough I transferred some pollen unwittingly and won't make that mistake again.  Pollen sticks to fingers  ;D

Part of dealing with OP seeds is roguing, ie removing or not allowing to seed, any non-typical plants.  Now that we have been warned, we can be on the lookout.  We can self-pollinate our Litte Gems, ie only using a male and a female from the same plant, until we know which plants are odd ones out.  No doubt the odd ones are just as palatable in the kitchen.

BT. The crossing that is going on. is almost entirely restricted to varieties within the same species.  For example, your patty pan and your di nizza can cross, because they are both varieties of the species cucurbita pepo.  The butternuts, which are cucurbita moschata, won't cross with the pepos and neither will Rouge Vif d'Etampes, because it is a cucurbita maxima.  For seed saving it is very useful to try and find out what species a squash belongs to.  Unfortunately not all seed sellers will tell you, but it is not very difficult to find out on the net.

As 10 already said,  a pure, not crossed, seed of any squash will produce just that variety.  The only part where the cross manifests itself is inside the seeds.  The rest is identical to the maternal variety, whoever the pollen daddy was.  It is only the following year, when the crossed seed is used to grow more squash, that a crossed plant with different characteristics and different fruit happens.

[1066]

nicely explained Galina  :)

So, I'm tempted to leave the rogue for a little longer, it's only early summer, so I can eat it! I wasn't planning on saving any seed from these this year, but may revise my plans now. Need to have a think
And thanks for the tip about washing your hands after pollinating!

 :)

Update on the swaps - positive - the Blue OSU tomas are going great guns in the GHouse, very excited by these, hope they taste as good as they look  ;D
The rest of the Toms from the swap are growing in pots in the garden, and frankly look weedy in comparison, but it's early summer, so there's hope ....

[lottiedolly]

Parcel is lovely and plants are being given to all of my fellow plot holders. Beans are romping away except for Ruuds mystery bean, mine is also a no show  :'( i am having wonderful crops of peas and mange tout, trouble is the peas do not get off the allotment as they are sooo sweet. great selection of lettuces and everything else growing - too many types to mention off the top of my head, in fact great year for different veg. thank you to all the seed savers 2010

 ;D  :-*  ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Most of my beans are climbing away now, the only exceptions being the odd few which were particularly badly hit by the late frost. The peas are looking good, as long as I can keep the vultures off them. I need more elaborate netting every year, but there hasn't been too much damage yet.