Author Topic: Seed Saving Circle 2022  (Read 35504 times)

JanG

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Seed Saving Circle 2022
« on: April 29, 2022, 17:37:20 »
It’s time to think of seed saving for 2022!
I hope growing is well under way and going well in spite of some cold and some very dry weather in many places. So time to think ahead as seed saving is such an important part of the year’s cycle. Last year’s seed circle included many exciting varieties generously given, and I imagine many of these are already being grown and enjoyed in members’ gardens and allotments. So hopefully the 2022 Seed Circle will also surprise and delight! This will be its 12th year and in that time an amazing number of seeds have been exchanged - some very lovely, many very interesting, some unusual and some just downright useful. So please do say if you’d like to be involved, whether or not you have before, and then begin to think what you might be able to set aside for seed-saving. It would be good to have some new members but I hope previous participants will also join in again

For those who haven’t joined before here’s some information to help you decide if you would like to join.


The Seed Circle is open to all A4A members; it’s great to have new people join too. The group is all about setting aside a little growing space, ,and time to raise some crops for seeds, keeping the group informed as to how the season is going, then at the end of the season sharing some growing information and the all-important saved seeds with the group.

Each person decides what 2 or more crops they will grow and save seed from (we do inc. tubers, bulbs and cuttings, but just make sure they are well wrapped so they don't dampen any seeds), saving enough seed for every other member to grow a crop the following year. The group could be up to 20 people but is more often under 10. Veggies will generally need to be heritage or open pollinated so that they will come true from seed (potato seeds won’t come exactly true). If you include grown out hybrids please state this clearly.

I think most of us have found out that some vegetables are easier than others to save seed from, and everything can change with the weather. But generally peas, French beans, tomatoes, perhaps potatoes and some herbs are the easiest. Chillies, Sweet peppers, squash, courgette and lettuce will need isolating from other varieties to keep seed pure.  Parsnips, onions, leeks, beetroot, carrots, celeriac and many brassicas only go to seed the second year and need isolation from other varieties and so are more time consuming and a little trickier.

Real Seeds gave the idea for the circles. Their site gives some great seed saving tips as well as being a great seed catalogue http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html. There is also a brilliant series of shortish videos on seed saving for different veggies at: https://www.diyseeds.org/en/

For anyone interested, what we finally shared in 2020 and 2021 can be found at https://airtable.com/shryC20nRNmUcgT30. Try Gallery View.
For anyone interested, what we finally shared from 2017 onwards can be found at https://seedsaverscircle.home.blog/
For anyone interested in previous years’ Seed Parcels and what we finally shared in 2016 and previously, they can be found at http://seedsaverscircle.org/seed-circle/

And some previous threads for the Circles;
Seed Circle 2021 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,83047.0.html
Seed Circle 2020 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,82679.0.html
Seed Circle 2019 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,82221.0.html
Seed Circle 2018 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,81651.0.html
Seed Circle 2017 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,81010.0.html


Please could a Moderator pin this? 

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2022, 17:10:37 »
Thank you, JanG. :icon_cheers:

It'd be lovely to have some new participants. Contributions are by no means limited to the rare or exotic. Varieties that are widely commercially available are equally worthwhile. Seed companies are letting many open-pollinated stocks degrade so it is well worth saving and selecting your own seeds of varieties that otherwise appear 'safe'. OP Purple-sprouting broccoli, Boltardy beets, Greyhound cabbage, and Gardeners' Delight tomatoes are some of the most notable examples of widespread, once reliable varieties that have been poorly maintained.

Count me in again for 2022, please. :happy7:
All being well, besides the usual annuals I'll have some biennials to share this year - beetroot, swede, radicchio, and spinach.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2022, 06:29:39 »
That’s good news, Vetivert, and a very timely reminder that all seeds are worth saving, not just the less usual.
It would be interesting to know how you’re going about seed-saving of the biennials you mention. I have saved spinach and radicchio by sowing late in the year, cropping through the winter - possibly protected by fleece or mesh - and letting them go to seed in spring or early summer of the next year. Beetroot and swede take a bit more care I think, especially as here they get munched by rodents over winter if left in the ground. Do you lift them, store over winter and select a few? How many would you replant in spring to get good seed?

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2022, 07:03:45 »
As they have delayed checks from EU into Britain yet again, it looks like participation is possible which I would love to do.  The problem is how to get the return seeds, but it was encouraging to read that Ruud's seeds made it despite the post Brexit rules. 

Very good points both, Jang and Vetivert.  By the way, Senposai is romping away, will be planted out in the next few days.  The Cress is growing very well too, and transplanted easily to the outside world a couple of weeks ago.  We 'stole' the first couple of real lettuce leaves this year to supplement the landcress and lamb's lettuce for our lunches.   

Tomatoes and peas from the circle are looking bonny, although I had to leave a couple of the tomatoes for next year.  There are flowers coming on Jen's Tangerine.  Giant Bolivian achocha has fruits!  I decided to trick the plant into flowering at the spring equinox rather than sowing in May.  Normally they flower around the autumn equinox and produce fruit shortly after.  However, as I have now twice lost plants from my seeds (from Jayb originally) that just did not make it in autumn here and were cut short by early sharp frosts a rethink was in order.  This year I used the seed circle seeds and sowed in January for a house plant, which did indeed start flowering at the spring equinox.  I will plant them out into the garden in a couple of weeks and hope the flowering will continue.

I have started putting beans into little pots too to be ready for that magic date of 15th May that is supposed to be the last frosty night here. 

One of the joys with home grown seeds is that they are fresh and keep longer than commercial packets that have been germination tested at the time of packing, but could otherwise be a few years old already. 

Would love to take part again. 


JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2022, 06:02:41 »
That’s brilliant news, Galina. And so far so good on sending seeds from UK into Europe. If it happens that you’re visiting England around the right time, of course I will happily send to a convenient address. We can arrange that as we go. But hopefully either way will work. Very good to have you join.

A good reminder to sow the Senposai seeds. Have you grown it at different times of the year, Vetivert? I’m wondering what the best timing is to delay it going to seed.

Tomatoes and peppers are well underway here too. Your Sipka Belaja, Galina, romped away very early and has been eager to produce flowers and fruit for a while now. I’ve discouraged it in order to encourage the plant to keep growing more, but will let it have its head now, I think. Ruud’s Phrik Key Nuu has produced a strikingly variegated small plant. I’m hoping that’s a characteristic of the variety. Has anyone else found the same?

Some peas are coming into flower. I’m struck by how early Kentish Invicta is. It has outstripped other early peas both in speed of growth and in coming into flower. I’m looking forward to tasting its first peas!

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #5 on: May 04, 2022, 14:15:42 »
I just left everything in the ground all winter. Ate some, culled the stragglers, and kept the largest/best-looking. For the beets and swedes there are 6-8 selected roots of each. Not ideal but that's the space I have. There were plans to get a seed crop from the Avon Early beets I got from the HSL, but I scrapped that as they were not impressive. Looks like they've crossed with a chard.

Senposai has been springing up all over the allotment, and it appears that plenty of seeds made it to the compost pile. Now there are dozens of little senposai in the potted potatoes. I hoed out the ones in the ground as they had flea beetle damage and were in the way, but the stowaways in the pots with compost are the picture of health. I may prick them out eventually but shall leave them be until the potatoes poke through. I have noticed there are still many with trichomes; don't forget to only save seeds from the smooth-leaved plants.

I've opted for later sowings with peas this year. Sowed only a couple of varieties in March, a bunch in mid-April and the rest I'm sowing today. Last year I lost so much to the damp, cold weather and got fine crops from the late-spring sowings, so thought it best to err on the side of caution.

Not growing Phrik Key Nuu this year, but can confirm that the Sipka Belaja have germinated and grown excellently. The Malinalco tomatillos are flowering already - a day length thing?

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2022, 06:24:55 »
Thank you for the advice not to save seeds from the hairy leaved types of Senposai.  Will watch for that Vetivert.  Your report of late seed development had me sowing relatively early.  But I have also kept seeds back, thank you for a generous baggie, for another go if this is difficult here too. 
« Last Edit: May 05, 2022, 06:27:02 by galina »

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2022, 06:39:04 »
Glad the Sipka Belaja has made a good start JanG.  I have them sitting on the kitchen windowsill, they dried very easily.  Take half of one and crush it with my fingers at cooking time.  This makes pepper flakes, no mill needed.   Can also be cut into fine flakes with the kitchen scissors.  The flakes rehydrate very quickly during cooking.  Heat is not lethal, but a little goes a long way.  I used four in a large curry for eight persons and OH found it a little bit too hot, just right for me.  We will have to add yoghurt to his next portion to cool it down.  And remember to use half next time.  I am afraid Ruud's  Phrik Key Nuu is slumbering in the freezer.  Wish I had grown them this year now. 

penedesenca

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2022, 14:15:32 »
Hi all, glad to see the circle is still going strong. (well done JanG) I am hoping to contribute this year if I am okay to join x x

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2022, 17:31:48 »
That'd be lovely, penedesenca :icon_cheers: This summer I'm hoping to finally taste the White Queen tomatoes you shared last time.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2022, 07:29:19 »
I liked your Fox Cherry tomato and it was pretty good with blight, Penedesenca.

saddad

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #11 on: May 07, 2022, 18:03:59 »
Ooh, I haven't grown fox cherry for years, got them from HSL and grew them for over a decade, then somehow "lost" my saved seeds. Not seen them in the HSL catalogue since.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2022, 05:23:29 »
Really pleased to have you joining in again, Penedesenca. I hope your growing goes well.
I can vouch for the White Queen tomatoes. I grew them in 2020 and they did very well and tasted good.

The Fox Cherry unfortunately was before my time, so I can’t help out there, Saddad. But how about joining the Circle for sharing similar goodies?!

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2022, 05:28:29 »
One of the varieties I’m hoping to contribute to the seed circle is an onion.

In late 2020 I ordered a range offered by the Experimental Farm Network in US, called Storage Onion Grex. It had been developed by Wild Mountain Seeds and selected for size, hardiness and beauty as well as for storage potential. In 2021, the results were good in all respects. Many of the onions were reddish. So this spring I selected the best 15 from storage and planted them for a seed crop. So far so good - lots of promising buds. I’ve never replanted onions for a seed crop before, so I’m excited to see how these do.

Does anyone else have any particular projects for seed saving this year?

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2022, 00:49:25 »
Congrats on the budding onions! A couple of the surviving potato onions, plus a few Ouddorpse Bruine shallots are on their way to flower. Would be nice if they crossed up a bit.

I'm saving seeds from 'Deventer', a big Dutch winter storage beetroot. The Abundant Bloomsdale spinach is bolting, but it'll be a first for saving spinach seeds and I'm not confident about producing a quality crop.
Gul Svensk swede has new shoots and should do well if I can keep the pollen beetles away. They really had a go at the Senposai flowers last season. Speaking of - I may do another round of Senposai selection this year to eliminate some of the hairy-leaved genetics. They're volunteering all over the place. Already had dinner from the ones that sprung up between the potatoes. :toothy10:
I'm hoping to cross some lettuces this year, if the bolting times align. Is the Bijou you provided a heading variety or loose-leaf?

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #15 on: May 25, 2022, 04:48:03 »
That sounds like a very intriguing range of seed saving - and breeding - projects.

There’s a whole world of possibilities from over-wintered root crops, either lifted and replanted or left in and surviving the winter. It’s a world I haven’t explored much yet and so your beetroot and swede plans will be interesting to follow.

I’ve grown spinach from my own saved seed for a few years now and haven’t noticed a decline in quality. Is it the number of plants which concerns you?

The Bijou lettuce is loose leaf, I’d say. I’m not sure that the picture helps much but it does perhaps indicate what a good deep red it is. Do you have a specific goal for your lettuce breeding?

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #16 on: May 31, 2022, 20:30:53 »
Yes and the male:female ratio of plants could be an issue.

Is anyone growing the Boerentenen runner beans? It would be good to know if any outcrosses have come up.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #17 on: June 01, 2022, 05:34:54 »
As we were lucky enough to receive two large white seeded runner beans - Boerentenen and Judion - I rather randomly opted to grow the Judion and save the Boerentenen for next year.

There was some crossing in the El Beano broad beans but easy to rogue out.
I’ve not hit upon a successful method for keeping either runner or broad beans true. This year I bought some thin fleece which is tubular. I cut a length, perhaps two feet and put it over a stalk of broad bean, with rubber bands round the top and bottom of the fleece, after it had started flowering but before the top flowers had opened. My intention is to harvest seed from the top pods and see whether that works. I have previously wrapped a whole plant in mesh but, as they keep growing as they flower, the whole sheath has come adrift. I guess that making a tent rather more carefully and supporting it with some kind of props would be more likely to work.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #18 on: June 01, 2022, 06:22:55 »
A Geoff Hamilton cloche with fleece cover should work.  I have limited experience with broad bean seed saving, but that worked for me without introducing pollinators.  Not sure if all broad beans self pollinate enough and whether for the long term health outcrossing by pollinators is crucial.  Maybe just the one variety and no special measures other than rogueing is the better approach.


JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #19 on: June 02, 2022, 07:03:37 »
Is a Geoff Hamilton cloche built from blue water pipe? It seems to me to be quite tricky to build a cloche tall enough to cover a group of broad bean plants. Some of them grow quite tall - 4ft? Possible I suppose but quite a major construction.

 

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