Topic: Seed Sharing Circle 2012

[galina]

Update -  Parsley Pea, Dwarf Grey Sugar pea and lettuce 'Lattughino Biondo Ricciolino di Trieste' - Italien 1990:Z29 – from IPK Gatersleben gene bank are looking good for enough seeds for everybody.  Because the 'Trieste' lettuce has been 'liberated' from the gene bank (by the same seed friend who also gave me 'Austrian Greenleaf' which went into the circle a couple of years ago) it would be nice to share it widely.  I have a batch in the greenhouse and two batches in other places in the garden.  A large, light green looseleaf frilly edged lettuce which is early.  In this cold and rainy weather, the leaves have grown to record size and the early planted batch in the greenhouse is starting to flower, the plants are nearly 6 ft tall!  The second batch outside is starting to stretch and the third batch that was planted last hasn't started stretching yet.  All from a single January sowing. 

I am also growing several 'brown' and 'blue' tomatoes and hope to have seed for the circle too.  Another attempt at 'todo el ano (n with a tilde)' squash is looking good so far, but like everything very late this year and hasn't done a lot yet.  I have one handpollinated fruit from last year still on the windowsill.  Maybe there will be a lot of seed to give everybody two or three.  I have just harvested the Sweet Meat seeds from last year and there are a few for everybody.  Both these squashes are superb storing varieties.

That's the news from here so far .....
 

[daveylamp993]

would it be possible to put me on your list to receive some of your lettuce seeds please,i will check what i have available later,many thanks.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm in, but whether I have anything to share depends on whether anything ever gets round to growing!

[ruud]

everything is going well at the moment,tomatoes,beans,mustard greens and two types of cabbage are doing well.

[galina]

would it be possible to put me on your list to receive some of your lettuce seeds please,i will check what i have available later,many thanks.

DL993, This is not a seed swap - all circle members grow a packet of seeds for everybody in the circle, but I should be able to send you a few seeds later in the year after I have done the packets for each member.  Austrian Greenleaf seed is available now, two years old seed, but still germinating well. Should still be fine for next year too.   PM me with your details if you'd like some. 

Ruud, good to hear from you.  What is the weather like in The Netherlands?  As bad as here?

Robert same problem here, just as well that peas and lettuce like this weather, but the pigeons have caused some damage.  I need to copy goodlife's fleece cages for next year, but thought that peas would be too hot under fleece - clearly not this year.  :)  As for the warm weather crops ...... my optimism is vanishing alarmingly, apart from the greenhouse tomatoes.

Forgot to mention, the first lanterns on groundcherry 'Cossack Pineapple' are developing.  If this is of interest for the circle.  They are in the greenhouse, but will grow outdoors in a warm place too or under tall cloches (the plants are less than 50cm tall).   

[Robert_Brenchley]

My peas have suffered pigeon damage as well, but never mind. I should get something from them.

[ruud]

Galina here is the weatherforcast for the other side of the pond;last week 25 degrees no wind lovely.This week we are back into autumn weather strong wind 17 degrees lot of rain so here you can get all the four seasons in one month.One thing about this weather is nice i havenot had to water so much as last year.But as the say overhere it is growing weather i dont know what is growing the weed or the veggies. ;D ;D ;D.The stuff for the seed circle is doing fine,both cabbages are flowering,the mustard green from america is flowering.Both dutch beans are flowering the polebeans are in bloom,maybe time to take some pictures.

[cestrian]

I'm growing yellow stuffer tomatoes and bleu de solaise leeks both from the thompson & morgan heritage collection.

Hi Jayb - Can I step inside the circle of seed?

When is 'the end of the season' for sending your seeds in?

[100mph]

Much too late for me to think about joining in this  year, I'd have thought.
Is there a central document listing the varieties already within the circle so that I don't duplicate anyones efforts for 2013?

[Robert_Brenchley]

It won't be too late to join; you just have to be able to save some seed from something. I've already collected seed from my Ragged Jack kale, but I don't know what else I'll have. The flying rats have hammered the peas, the beans are barely growing at all, and Gloire de Portugal cabbage didn't come through the winter. Next time I'll be protecting these southern European brassicas as they seem to need selecting for our climate.

[Nigel B]

I am trying to save seeds of things that have grown successfully here this year.
I hope I'm doing the right thing as this whole  seed-swap thing is still terrifyingly complex to me.... :-[

[aj]

OK - 2 things

a - I was blogging last year's circle seeds but with the appalling year we've had so many have keeled over/been eaten/rotted/etc etc I would like to do it again next year...

b - I DO have seeds to add in so if you'll have me back I'd love to re-join.

All being well, I should have some newly swapped US beans that seem to have fought off the slugs, regenerated and carried on growing and I currently have pods. Enough for a few each all being well...plus Dobbie's Purple Beetroot and Scorzonera and Tender and True Parsnip - I'll cancel any of those that are already accounted for.

[martinburo]

I'm also saving scorzonera seed, but that's not a reason for you not to.
Will hopefully have Florence fennel as well.

[Nigel B]

I have plenty of Blauwshokker (Spelling?) peas, if they are any good. (I really want to get into this circle but will probably need a little guiding..
They are tall, with beautiful blue-purple pods, and the peas are quite nice too. Any good for starters?

[Jayb]

Sorry I've been awol from this thread for ages  :-[
I'll do some catching up and try and give an update for everyone to know where we are at.

Thanks to those asking to join  :)

Lost loads of things this year   :'( but still hope to have seeds for the circle  :) It will be some what different than I first thought!

[galina]

Jayb, sorry you are having a hard time this year, but the weather has been atrocious. 

I think I can offer Oldambster Wierboon, a Dutch broadbean landrace.  Dwarf Grey Sugar mangetouts,  Elisabeth pea (mangetout with a stable pink flower colour mutation that happened in the garden here), Parsley pea with its unique mutated tendrils, gleaned from HSL.  Also a few Pink Blush seeds - this is an Alan Kapuler bred pea variety, which used the parsley pea tendrils, crossed with normal tendrils and got hyper tendrils - and the peas are just delicious too.  Photos to follow, when we get a page.  The lettuces are looking ok but we really need a bit of dry weather or all the developing seed will rot  :( - just as well I have one variety in the greenhouse where we don't have this problem.  A tomato or two to complete my offering.

As usual, all subject to change and gremlins  ;D  There is also Greek Cress for the circle (elegant looking, finely divided leaves) - can be grown in the garden, over winter in the greenhouse or on the windowsill as sandwich cress, either on folded kitchen paper or on half an inch of soil. 

[pumkinlover]

Sorry you've had a bad year Jayb, galina you're list is amazing.
I make no promises but I am hoping to get the Shark's fin squash seeds and possible willi chilli and or Hutterite soup dwarf french bean.
However only my second year of seed saving and I had expected to have to dropout this year but hopefully..........

[Jayb]

Nooooo, sounds like you are doing just fine PL  :)

Agree, your list sounds delicious Galina  ;D

[SueK]

I make no promises but I am hoping to get the Shark's fin squash seeds and possible willi chilli and or Hutterite soup dwarf french bean.
However only my second year of seed saving and I had expected to have to dropout this year but hopefully..........

I could say the same, Pumpkinlover!  :)  I am not hopeful but still have a few irons in the fire.

On the other hand, my family's capacity for decapitating plants has really come to the fore this year.  The boys got to what were easily the most robust plants I have grown this year, the tomatilloes, leaving a single one to taunt me - absolutely no use for seed saving, of course.

[Jayb]

OK - 2 things

a - I was blogging last year's circle seeds but with the appalling year we've had so many have keeled over/been eaten/rotted/etc etc I would like to do it again next year...

b - I DO have seeds to add in so if you'll have me back I'd love to re-join.

All being well, I should have some newly swapped US beans that seem to have fought off the slugs, regenerated and carried on growing and I currently have pods. Enough for a few each all being well...plus Dobbie's Purple Beetroot and Scorzonera and Tender and True Parsnip - I'll cancel any of those that are already accounted for.

Hi AJ, nice to have you back  :). I thought your blog of sowing seeds was great, I'd love for it to be linked here if we may? Also I've got a page on the go for the seed circles, I'll post a link here in a bit I'm just not very quick with that type thing :-[