Topic: Seed Sharing Circle 2013

[daveylamp993]

I cant remember if I signed up for this seed swap earlier this year,I have some cucumber,tomato a few cabbage and leek seeds,also some jalapeno chilli pepper seeds if anyone wants some.There will probably be some other different stuff when I get round to checking on things too,i will let you know what else there is.

[markfield rover]

A question if I may,  I have podded some of the Birds Egg CFb  now all the seeds are cream with 20% red markings but one pod the seeds are 95% red with tiny cream speckles ,  I grew them at home and not near other beans. Have I done something wrong ?

[goodlife]

A question if I may,  I have podded some of the Birds Egg CFb  now all the seeds are cream with 20% red markings but one pod the seeds are 95% red with tiny cream speckles ,  I grew them at home and not near other beans. Have I done something wrong ?

Nope....for some reason these 'funny' colourings do happen and the off spring from those are most likely come out 'as usual'.

[markfield rover]

Many thanks goodlife  . Unlike last year I shall have a decent amount for you all.

[goodlife]

 

Many thanks goodlife  . Unlike last year I shall have a decent amount for you all.

[Nigel B]

Is it too early to re-introduce Sharks Fin Melon to the list? I have a bunch of them from a single plant, oh, and a lovely unnamed large Marrow which finishes a beautiful green and yellow/orange colour and is a great roaster. :)

[robw349]

Hi
I'm new to this so hope I'm in the right place. I have, firstly, plenty of seed saved from a very good year with my District Nurse heritage climbing French beans. For those who don't know they produce very vigorous plants - over 8 ft tall plant - and are excellent croppers of flat, succulent pods heavily flushed with purple. The flavour and tenderness are, in my opinion, excellent too. They freeze well and produce finely mottled seeds which are really good for bean cooking. My mate sent me 8 seeds which all germinated well. I am happy to do the same in small packets. I have plenty drying off at the moment so they will be ready in a month or so.

Does anyone have any of the purple pea variety called Lancashire Lad. The HSL have stopped doing them in favour of an older but green Lancashire Lad that they say is the genuine original of this variety.

Thank
Rob

[Robert_Brenchley]

Please do put the shark's fin in. If people have it already they can always swop it again. Mine were still in pots when I did my back in., so I ended up losing the seed.

The old Lancashire Lad is a good pea, but I no longer have seed. The new one would be more than welcome as well, of course, if anyone has any!

[goodlife]

YOHOOO!?
Are we getting ready yet for bagging and sending seeds forward? Do we know total number of members for this years circle?

Little update.. White Cherokee corn didn't make it.. The cobs did get pollinated well but they didn't mature enough. If only the spring would have been slightly warmer and slightly earlier so I could have got the plants growing that little bit better early on...having longer autumn didn't compensate 
I was also promising some hulless pumpkin seeds for swap...well...I opened the hand pollinated ones and the seeds inside weren't what I was expecting...and those pumpkins that were left to bees to pollinate had loooooovely seeds inside...something went wrong there
BUT...I have squashes that I have pollinated and just cut open one of them...TONS of lovely plump seeds!! ..and (burb!) the squash was lovely too

[pumkinlover]

I'm in this year, not done too badly, mainly thanks to Galina who gave me beans to grow on for the circle after all my disasters. Will have time next week to get the packing up done!!
So relieved to actually have something to send in! And am getting organised for next year with some overwintering cauliflowers in the greenhouse so I do not have to worry about  cross pollination.

[galina]

Have been cutting into the Striped Custard Marrow squashes last week.  Had 3 isolated/handpollinated fruits, one only has ten good seeds, but the others have many more plump seeds.  So, there are enough for all in the circle     Given that these are meant to be a summer squash, I was pleasantly surprised how nice they taste now.  Their light yellow sweet flesh is much denser than courgettes and they are fibreless.

Yesterday I harvested the last Mouse Melons aka Melothria Scabra.  After the first sowing was decimated by slugs, the second attempt made good growth.  Once these got going, they were quite rampant although the plants are very slender.  They were squashed into a corner in the greenhouse, but they don't mind a bit of crowding and gave lots of fruits for many weeks.  Not sure what the best method for harvesting seed is.  I have fermented one batch and washed, then air dried another.  Will put a mixture of both into the packets for the circle.

Hope we all had a much better year and a good seed harvest.  As always some things will not have worked out, that's too bad but it happens. 

[markfield rover]

I have the  seeds ready all in lines for counting  and they look lovely. So much potential from such tiny things bit of a miracle that.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm still trying to get seed dried off.

[galina]

I have started listing what I can offer in Jayb's seed blog that goes with this circle - our own virtual seed catalogue and growing reference booklet.  It lists all the varieties we have shared over the years, together with some mouth watering photos, extra information and an introduction to this seed sharing circle.  At the bottom of the year listings are also several helpful urls for seed saving information.

https://sites.google.com/site/seedsharingcircle/home

[aj]

Hi

Could you add the Seed Saving in Schools booklet to that list of links; it's one of the things I worked on a couple of years back?

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs/Seed-Saving-in-Schools.pdf

[pumkinlover]

I have done 16 packs .Does that sound about right?
Only one variety packed up to date!

[goodlife]

I have done 16 packs .Does that sound about right?
Only one variety packed up to date!

Don't it feel great when things go to plan and you find that you have seeds to share..
I was hoping Jayb would be able to confirm the 'numbers' before I start doing any packing, but your 16 cannot be that far off.
I've been starting to look though seedsites...not bought any new seeds yet...Plan is and I'm firmly sticking to it, to wait until circle's parcel has been put together and then see what I should still 'need' for next year

[galina]

Hi

Could you add the Seed Saving in Schools booklet to that list of links; it's one of the things I worked on a couple of years back?

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs/Seed-Saving-in-Schools.pdf

???
I have already added that link two years ago.

[aj]

Hi

Could you add the Seed Saving in Schools booklet to that list of links; it's one of the things I worked on a couple of years back?

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs/Seed-Saving-in-Schools.pdf

???
I have already added that link two years ago.

Oh, I can't see it...on here I meant

https://sites.google.com/site/seedsharingcircle/link

[galina]

All seed saving information is located together in one place, at the bottom of each year page so that everybody can read about the theory of what they would like to grow for the circle that year.  As this blog is a collaborative effort, everybody in the group can be put on edit privileges by Jayb  and add or correct. 

For 2013 the info reads:

Seed Saving Information:

http://www.howtosaveseeds.com/seedsavingdetails.php#beans
At the bottom of most pages in the Real Seed Catalogue are seed saving instructions with pictures:
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/wintersquash.html
and here some of the basics:
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html
Seed saving instructions from Heritage Seed Library:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/members/seed_saving/
Seed Saving for Schools from Heritage Seed Library, but there is very good information for everybody, not just students:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs/Seed-Saving-in-Schools.pdf
Brief guidelines - their list of selfpollinated vegetables are the easy ones for seedsaving beginners.  however 'beans' is too unspecific because runnerbeans and broadbeans cross quite a lot and only one variety should be grown or the flowers should be bagged and handpollinated in an allotment situation where there are lots of other runnerbeans and broadbeans around.  French beans can cross, but it does not happen too often:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07602.html