Author Topic: Seed Saving Circle 2016?  (Read 122362 times)

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #260 on: January 10, 2017, 10:58:39 »
Rough - very count looks like 16!! Should we confirm our interest ?

Yes, I hope that Jayb will let us know in the next few days what she wants to do.  If not, I'm happy to do the same as last year.

Definitely in:

pumpkinlover
sparrow
markfield rover
earlypea
clumsy
sunloving
galina
ruud
elfeda
penedesenca

and Robert has been invited to send an SAE for packets to him.

I hope a few more can confirm.  :wave:
« Last Edit: January 11, 2017, 07:47:06 by pumpkinlover »

markfield rover

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #261 on: January 10, 2017, 11:45:42 »
Thank-you galina ,very helpful and thanks for the offer to do necessary !

sparrow

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #262 on: January 10, 2017, 13:46:35 »
Thanks galina, and yes am still a definite. I make that 12 of us in total so far if we also send in seeds for Jayb.

martinburo

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #263 on: January 10, 2017, 18:23:24 »
I hope a few more can confirm.  :wave:
:wave: Waves back. Me, please.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #264 on: January 10, 2017, 19:57:28 »
Thanks for confirming martinburo  :sunny:

Robert_Brenchley

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #265 on: January 12, 2017, 17:17:02 »
Please PM me the address for the SAE, and the amount I should put on it.

Debs

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #266 on: January 13, 2017, 23:02:07 »
Confirming me too  :icon_flower:

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #267 on: January 13, 2017, 23:27:53 »
Confirming me too  :icon_flower:

Nice group coming together.  :sunny:

vicsallotment

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #268 on: January 14, 2017, 16:08:25 »
New member, love idea and want to join, not sure how best to contribute seeds as relatively newbie!

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #269 on: January 14, 2017, 16:25:02 »
New member, love idea and want to join, not sure how best to contribute seeds as relatively newbie!


Vic,  you might read this thread from the beginning, that should answer your questions.  Anything still not clear, just ask.  Welcome to A4A!  :wave:

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #270 on: January 16, 2017, 08:51:27 »
Morning all,

Unfortunately I haven't heard anything back from Jayb and it doesn't look like she is in a position to do the seed circle share-out   :sad10:  To make it happen, your seeds, in individual packets, can be sent to me instead.  I distribute and post them back out to you again in an SAE.  I will PM everybody in a few days with the details, once we firmed up who is participating.  We need to know how many seed packets to send in. 

The circle stands at:

pumpkinlover
sparrow
markfield rover
earlypea
clumsy
sunloving
galina
ruud
elfeda
penedesenca
debs
martinburo

Several members have expressed an interest to send in extra seeds for Robert and for Jayb, which I will pass on.  I can also forward a few extra packets if you wish to take the opportunity to send something to another member which saves postage allround (but please label clearly).  I have a couple of extras to add myself for Clumsy, Elfeda and Jayb, also for Hector.

Last call-up and confirmation of participation please, so we can get the ball rolling for Seed Bounty Day in early February.   :wave:


galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #271 on: January 16, 2017, 09:45:49 »
New member, love idea and want to join, not sure how best to contribute seeds as relatively newbie!


Vicsallotment, in short: you need to commit to growing seeds of at least two varieties that you have saved yourself for every other member of the group,  Usually we are between 10 and 16.  This is a seed saving learning group right from beginner level to more advanced. 

We need to start with open pollinated varieties that breed true and we need to save with the correct techniques to keep them true breeding and not let them cross.  There are a few exceptions to this.  For example potatoes from potato berries never breed true, but they are welcome (tps - true potato seed).  Some members breed landraces, a deliberate mixture of many different varieties.  That's fine too if labelled as landrace.  We are trying our best to save good quality seeds.  And if it is from varieties that are a bit unusual and not on every seed rack, that's a bonus. 

There have been questions about seed ripeness.  If saving seeds from cucumbers or squash for example, the fruits need to be fully ripened and then stored for several weeks before the seeds inside are ripe.  Others also benefit from being beyond mature, for example aubergines which need to be almost at the wrinkly stage to give good viable seeds.  Peas and beans for seed need to be harvested well beyond the edible stage too, ideally when the pods are fully dry, but sometimes weather dictates that the final pod drying happens on the windowsill indoors. 

Some types of vegetables and many herbs are easy, we can just let them go to seed and they don't usually cross, others cross freely and we need to take special measures to ensure that the resulting seed is pure breeding.

Some vegetables are inbreeders and we only need seeds from a couple of good, healthy plants, others are outbreeders where we need to put many plants aside for seed or the seed produced will grow into plants with stunted growth and smaller yields (this is called inbreeding depression).  If a member isn't sure about how to save seeds of a variety they have chosen, please ask. 

And lastly, it happens to all of us many times that what we had planned to do initially does not work out.  Usually it is possible to switch to something else.   If in doubt, somebody in the group will know the answer if you ask, or can look it up for you.

At the start of this thread there are several seed saving guides listed to help with tackling saving our own seeds. 

Hope this has answered some of your questions, Vic and looking forward to you joining next year's seed circle.  :wave:
« Last Edit: January 16, 2017, 10:09:48 by galina »

sunloving

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #272 on: January 17, 2017, 23:45:51 »
Hello all, I've got a dilemma I've lost the labels on my two saved peas these were the salmon flowered and Alaskan early. The seeds are distinctive though, one is light green and sperical with no dimpling, the other is browner with dimples, does anyone know which is which!
X sunloving

penedesenca

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #273 on: January 18, 2017, 06:05:51 »
Hello all, I've got a dilemma I've lost the labels on my two saved peas these were the salmon flowered and Alaskan early. The seeds are distinctive though, one is light green and sperical with no dimpling, the other is browner with dimples, does anyone know which is which!
X sunloving

Are the salmon, crown peas? If so I find the seeds tend to be more brown, but if it was me I would just '?' the labels so peeps exercise a bit of caution just incase.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #274 on: January 18, 2017, 07:36:35 »
I agree with Penedesenca.  The green ones are Alaskan Early and the brownish ones are the Salmon Flowered crown peas.  :wave:

I found a photo of salmon flowered pea in Rebsie Fairholm's blog.  Top row in the middle of the box of 9 seeds are the salmon flowered.  Grown on different soils yours may have slightly lighter or darker shades of brown, Sunloving, but they will never be green.  An easy one to sort.   :sunny:

http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/whatever-happened-to-great-garden-pea.html

« Last Edit: January 18, 2017, 08:10:36 by galina »

sunloving

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #275 on: January 18, 2017, 10:55:13 »
Thank you , I've been doing lots of blog surfing to for pictures, turns out that the dimpling is genetic but the colour is not and salmon flowered peas don't dimple. So I'm going to use this to label them , but like you said leave a ? They can only be one of two and perhaps the fascinated type of stem will be clear early on in their growth! Hope that will be ok for everyone!!
Thankyou for your help x sunloving

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #276 on: January 19, 2017, 15:53:14 »
Hi A4A  seed sharers

There were no further emails from members and I'm closing participation for the 2016 seed circle now.

 :sunny:    We are 12 in the circle this year.  :sunny:

Plus any extra packets you wish to add for Robert and Jayb.

I will send a pm to everybody with further information.  Essentially it is the same as last year.  Please ask if there are any outstanding questions.  I don't know how many seed varieties will be sent by members, but if we again go with the small parcel postal rates for the return envelope, we have plenty of leeway for any tubers and bulbs that we might get.

UK Small Parcel rates    First Class  £3.35    Second Class £2.85
If you wish to receive  your seed return  ‘signed for’,  you would need to add £1.10 to both prices. 

Ruud and Sunloving, I will contact you when I know the actual postage costs to you and we settle up then.

Get folding those seed envelopes  :wave:

 






sparrow

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #277 on: January 19, 2017, 17:34:27 »
Perfect! Thank you so much for doing this bit.

I am stuffing mine in a box this evening. While my seeds are lovely I will be so glad to get them gone!
I may start ambushing the postie soon for the return version.

sunloving

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #278 on: January 19, 2017, 21:09:07 »
Just to check then we send 11 bags of each seed because we don't need our own seed back? Or is this to complicated for the head packer and send 12 plus spares for jayb and Robert?
Exciting!

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2016?
« Reply #279 on: January 20, 2017, 07:12:48 »
Just to check then we send 11 bags of each seed because we don't need our own seed back? Or is this to complicated for the head packer and send 12 plus spares for jayb and Robert?
Exciting!

In the past we had, where possible, an extra packet in case somebody's return parcel got lost in the post.  Unused seeds were then added to the next A4A seed swap.  But this is up to individuals and there is no seed swap planned in the near future either.  Any extras this year will go to jayb and Robert.

I won't send you your own seeds back unless I have a very senior moment  :drunken_smilie:

I pack as well as I can and use extra tape too.  Let's hope that everybody gets their share back safely.   :wave: 
« Last Edit: January 20, 2017, 08:12:59 by galina »

 

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