Topic: seed saving

[small]

Nothing fancy - just I've dried some pods of poncy salad leaves, and I wondered how other people separate the seeds. Parsnips, I just hang over a container and shake, radish pods are easy to split, but these are long narrow pods which don't respond well to either method - is there a way I'm missing? And does anyone manage to save their own lettuce seed?

[lottie lou]

Have you tried just popping them into a paper bag and leaving them somewhere warmish.  I tried that with mustard and they opened and shed their seeds on their own.

[galina]

Nothing fancy - just I've dried some pods of poncy salad leaves, and I wondered how other people separate the seeds. Parsnips, I just hang over a container and shake, radish pods are easy to split, but these are long narrow pods which don't respond well to either method - is there a way I'm missing? And does anyone manage to save their own lettuce seed?

Long narrow brassica pods can be put into a strong plastic bag (or old pillow case) and either trodden on or broken down with a rolling pin.  Then sieve, then winnow to clean the little bits off.

Lettuce seeds: after collecting the tufty bits (they look like miniature dandelions), I leave them to dry off a few more days, then rub in my hands to get the seeds out, then very gently winnow.  I winnow lettuce is a deep soup plate or a breakfast cereal plate if I haven't got many to do.  If you just save for yourself, bag them after rubbing and sow together with the debris, it doesn't matter.  There is another way (less elegant, but if winnowing seems a bit scary):  Rub and place in a box (for example the deeper model take-away plastic container, then shake and tip all the contents into one corner of the box.  The fluff should be on top and you can remove it just by pinching it, then pick up the seeds with a small spoon and repeat.  Doesn't get all the seeds but most.

[Digeroo]

Brassicas seeds roll so I put them on a tray and gently tip it a bit and the seeds roll down to the bottom.  Lettuce not sure it matters if there is some crude mixed in, just sow it all come spring and the seeds will germinate and the rest wont.

[small]

Thanks all, plenty to try there, I'll have my first go at lettuce. I only grow big standard varieties so I'm only saving for the fun of it.

[manicscousers]

Waiting for my parsnips to be ready. I figure, as we need fresh  each year, save my own. Plus,  when we've eaten some of the radish pods, I'll let some set seed. Never tried lettuce, maybe next year 

[aj]

Parsnip all collected this weekend. Now the sifting begins.

It's beetroot I get bored with. End up sowing whole lengths of seed still on the stalk.