Author Topic: Seed Saving Circle 2020  (Read 34868 times)

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #60 on: October 05, 2020, 17:32:37 »
I think Solar Flare is a beautiful looking tomato and tastes good but I found it very low yielding.

How did you find it?

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #61 on: October 05, 2020, 19:09:09 »
It does look lovely. I haven't grown it! Was wondering whether it was worth considering for next year - but if yields are very low I'll pass.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #62 on: October 05, 2020, 20:50:22 »
I'd be interested to know whether my experience is typical. Maybe I'll just have to grow it again myself, to make sure I have a sample of more than one plant!

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #63 on: October 13, 2020, 07:55:40 »
It seems a good time to see how we’re all doing, seed harvest wise. I’ve listed anyone who has already said they’d like to join this year’s seed circle. It would still be great if anyone else thinks they’d like to. You’re asked to commit to contribute only two different varieties of seeds and in exchange you receive a lot of interestingly diverse contributions from others. Please see the first posting on this thread for details.

By each name I’ve put possibilities mentioned. Please update if things have turned out differently or you’ve had further thoughts. Harvests don’t always turn out as hoped for or expected! And of course, some seed harvesting might yet be still to come.

1. Vetivert - Sweet Meat Oregon Homestead squash, Beefy Resilient Grex drying beans, and Magic Manna flour corn
2. Markfield Rover - Hangman’s Door pea, Nasturtium Blue Pepe, Syrian broad bean, Bloody Warrior lettuce
3. Galina
4. Ruud
5. Jang - tomatoes (Rosella, Dancing with Smurfs, Black Opal, dehybridised  Sungold), peas (Avi Juan, Magnolia Blossom, Opal Creek), lettuce Bloody Marvel (?), some basics like land cress, dill, wild rocket

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #64 on: October 13, 2020, 08:58:16 »
Just fermenting a few tomatoes,  Mini Orange, Orange Banana and Reisetomate.  A couple of beans gave a good harvest too.  Bosnian, Tirana's Rotviolette and Mazlenk Rumen Visok II.  And one of the courgettes, probably Golden Marbre.  Our new neighbours have bees, I hope this has not increased the crossing rate in beans and tomatoes.  Does anybody else have bees in the vicinity?  They should still be nearly all selfpollinated before the flowers open.  The golden pattypan courgette was isolated and handpollinated.  :wave:

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #65 on: October 13, 2020, 12:43:03 »
That sounds great, Galina. Lovely selection. I'll add your possibilities to the provisional list.

I keep bees and have never so far had cross pollination of beans. I haven't been saving tomato seed for long enough to judge. Mind you, the hives are probably nearly 100 metres from where the beans grow, and perhaps your neighbour's bees are closer? 
But I think with home saved seed we can never totally guarantee that seed is 100% true to type. Bees travel 3 miles from home to find nectar! And there's lots of interest and pleasure to be gained from the occasional surprise. But, as you say, they should be nearly all self-pollinated before the flowers open. I think the risk is very low indeed.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #66 on: October 13, 2020, 13:02:45 »
Thank you for the vote of confidence Jang.  I would love feedback on it from everybody when these are grown please.  What happened to Solar Flare?  Please could I have a couple of seeds, even if you don't put it on your list.  :wave:

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #67 on: October 13, 2020, 14:56:20 »
Haven't heard of those beans before galina, very exotic.

I can confirm:
Blooming Prairie dual-purpose dwarf bean
Beefy Resilient Grex dwarf drying beans
Sweet Meat - Oregon Homestead maxima squash
Mullein
Früher Heinrich mangetout pea
Redventure celery
Magic Manna flour corn
Hooker’s Sweet Indian sweetcorn

Did anyone grow the Anna Russian rogues I included last year?

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #68 on: October 13, 2020, 17:05:37 »
Yes I have.  3 plants all pink, 2 large plums, 1 beefsteak.  They tasted nice, but unfortunately after a couple of fruit, the dreaded blight had its way.  :wave:

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #69 on: October 13, 2020, 17:25:47 »
All climbing French beans.  Bosnian - green pods with large seeds, develop pattern later.  Pods stringless and stay edible as green beans almost until the seed is mature enough for seed saving.  Nice fat white seeds with black dots and swirl pattern, which I shell and freeze rather than dry.  My seed donor was Jaap Vlaming who got them from Bosnia. http://www.bohnen-atlas.de/sorten/b/564-bosnian

Mazlenk Rumen Visok II has wonderful large golden yellow stringless pods, excellent as pods.  Later these get a reddish pattern, very pretty, but when they do it indicates seed maturity and the pods are past eating.  My source Sharon Vadas my seedsaving friend from Colorado, but the bean is originally from Slovenia.  Name means Tall yellow from the Mazlenk family. A couple of photos attached.

Tirana's Rotviolette is from Bohnenatlas. Very high yielding.  Long narrow pods. Better as shelling bean but young pods are nice.  OS from Tirana in Albania  http://www.bohnen-atlas.de/sorten/t/1708-tiranas-rotviolette-1506
« Last Edit: October 13, 2020, 18:01:31 by galina »

ruud

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #70 on: October 14, 2020, 08:48:58 »
galina i will put in some solar flaire seeds.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #71 on: October 14, 2020, 12:25:59 »
Thank you Ruud  :sunny:

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #72 on: October 14, 2020, 20:57:24 »
Great to have your confirmed list, Vetivert. Hooker's Sweet Indian sweetcorn sounds very interesting. From a quick google it seems that it's slightly shorter than some but I'm very curious to know more about your experience of it and how you sourced the seed.

And your climbing beans all sound wonderful, Galina, in their very different ways. And lovely to have such detailed information on both the source and the characteristics.

Ruud beat me to it on Solar Flare. I certainly have enough seeds for you, Galina, or anyone specially interested, but not quite enough for a circle contribution. But if Ruud is happy to donate to the Circle, that's great.

markfield rover

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #73 on: October 21, 2020, 16:54:51 »
Sorry if I’ve missed it , but do we have circle size ?  Hangman’s Door pea and Burmese Sour tomato ready so far ..........

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #74 on: October 21, 2020, 21:04:30 »
I believe the confirmed participants excluding yourself are Galina, Jang, Ruud and I.

How sour are the Burmese Sours?  :tongue3:

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #75 on: October 22, 2020, 06:18:16 »
Good to hear from you, Markfield Rover. Yes, we are a circle of five, so packets of four of each variety.

Hangman’s Door and Burmese Sour sound great. Can you tell us any more about the Burmese Sour?

markfield rover

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #76 on: October 25, 2020, 13:13:03 »
Afternoon, Burmese Sour , is sour , my first thought was an ideal tomato to eat with a salty cheddar . The seed was from Adam Alexander , he found the seed in Yangon , it is used in sour cuisine. A multi lobed  cordon variety.  Also from him I will have tomato  Syrian Stuffer. Lettuce Bloody Warrior. Syrian Small broad bean. Hangman’s Door ...pea
And from elsewhere Purple pod pea.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #77 on: October 26, 2020, 17:41:02 »
That sounds great. I'm personally really pleased you're able to contribute the two Syrian varieties. I totally failed to save pure seeds from the Syrian courgette I had from Adam Alexander but will try again next year. It's reassuring that there are some efforts to preserve varieties from the rich heritage of Syrian growing which would otherwise be lost (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/04/syria-seeds-experimental-farm-network-plants-biodiversity)

Carrying on the Syrian theme, I also love red tinged or spotted lettuces and a favourite is Spotted Aleppo aka Bloody Cos. Unfortunately I haven't sown it this year so can't add to the Syrian varieties with that either. Again perhaps next year. But I'll be interested to grow Bloody Warrior alongside  Bloody Cos.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #78 on: October 27, 2020, 07:30:08 »
Carrying on the Adam Alexander theme.  I received a gift of seeds from I am pretty sure it was you Markfield Rover, but stupidly I did not note it down, of cucumber Zanzibar, which originally was from him.  This year many things were difficult.  Including a last minute lash up watering system for the greenhouse that overwatered and wetted the tomatoes followed by a long absence: On return blight had done its worst and the tomatoes had effectively collapsed. 

But Zanzibar and also the square seeded large Bolivian Achocha took over and covered everything.  Now it unfortunately does not look like the achocha will ripen.  It now has the greenhouse to itself and sharp frosts willing it may have a little time left.  The cucumber on the other hand has given us pounds of fruit and would still be going if I hadn't tidied up the tomato remnants with the intertwined cuke plant.  I hope that the dark brown fruit will give plenty of seeds after a few more weeks of maturing off the plant.  If so, I will add to the circle.  Not handpollinated, but only one in the greenhouse.  :wave:
« Last Edit: October 27, 2020, 08:03:20 by galina »

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2020
« Reply #79 on: October 29, 2020, 06:22:08 »
That would be a great addition to the circle. A quick google suggests that Adam Alexander describes this variety as turning brown when ripe. Do you wait until it’s brown before eating it, or is it simply that it turns brown rather than yellow when it’s past its best for eating? He also calls it rampant as you’ve definitely found!

The Avi Juan pea I’m planning to contribute is also from Adam Alexander so definitely an AA theme this year.

 

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