Author Topic: Seed Saving Circle 2022  (Read 35485 times)

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #40 on: July 27, 2022, 12:50:40 »
Have literally just scraped seeds for next year, so able to share if you are a bit short.  Plants are around 5ft or just a tad shorter, in the greenhouse corner, planted into soil, and seem to have come through the heat ok.  But I did notice a flush of early fruit which we have just eaten, and the next batch will be ripening in a few weeks.  A bit of a production stop for some reason, maybe the extreme heat for over a week.  I wonder whether they would do well outside too. 

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #41 on: July 29, 2022, 06:05:52 »
Yes, I completely under-estimated their potential size. The basic tomatillo I grew before remained quite compact and sat quite happily in pots on greenhouse staging. Definitely for polytunnel bed next season . Trying outside is an interesting thought too.
Thanks for the offer of shared seeds. The packet from Ruud was generous so I should be OK unless I manage to mess it up again!

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #42 on: August 12, 2022, 17:50:45 »
It looks like there will be a good beetroot and radicchio seed harvest.  :icon_cheers:
Last year the lettuce flower heads were plagued by some big caterpillars, and the same is true this season. I think they are cabbage moth - they eat all of the developing seeds out of the side of the ovary. I should be able to salvage some of the red lettuce seeds but they've eaten most of the Trout seemingly overnight... very annoying...

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #43 on: August 13, 2022, 05:00:26 »
How very annoying - and surprising that cabbage moths would depart from their brassica hunt. I’ve never come across anything preying on lettuce seed heads.

My seed failure this season is onion. I was full of hope that I would be able to save onion seeds by replanting 15 best specimens. However, the plants succumbed badly to mildew and before the seed heads could fully mature, they lost vigour and withered away. In my other area I also let some spring onions form seed heads. They looked promising for ages but again mildew overtook them before the seeds could mature. Either it’s a bad year for mildew (which I think it is) or this is a common problem with saving onion seeds. I’ll keep trying though.

Well done on the raddichio. The seeds always seem tantalisingly hidden away, deep set in the drying flower head - but retrievable, hopefully. Happy retrieving!

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #44 on: August 13, 2022, 17:58:11 »
Very sorry to hear that Jan, it's disappointing to lose any seed crop let alone the best selections nurtured over two seasons. I don't think I've ever seen onion mildew, and certainly wouldn't have expected it to be a problem with this season's weather. Will you be trying onions again?

Attached a photo of the caterpillars from last season...

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #45 on: August 14, 2022, 06:34:50 »
A sad sight on your lettuce seeds. It certainly looks very like cabbage moth, which still seems rather strange. Does it seem as though the cabbage moths must have laid eggs on the lettuce flower heads or were there brassicas close by from which the caterpillars could have crawled?

From Gardening Know How: Onions With Powdery Mildew – Tips On Treating Onion Powdery Mildew https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/onion/treating-onion-powdery-mildew.htm
“Powdery mildew on onions is most prevalent in the hot, dry conditions of summer months that have followed cool, wet spring weather”
I suppose that fits conditions here this season, but I believe other parts of the country (eg.Charles Dowding) have also had problems with mildew this year. I hope you continue to avoid encountering it!

I think I’ll try onion seed production again though as my onion crop generally this year is below par, I might decide to skip a year and wait until I have some finer specimens.

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #46 on: August 15, 2022, 16:48:15 »
They laid eggs there on both occasions, as no brassicas have been in the vicinity. Found a few yesterday on some heading lettuce, too. I actually haven't seen a cabbage moth caterpillar on anything other than lettuce here... Diamondback moths are the main pest on my brassicas.

It could be that our local dry spring spared us from the widespread onion mildew. Saw some huge specimens on neighbouring allotments. Perhaps, in their second year, growing the bulbs in pots of fresh compost in a polytunnel would protect them from the disease. Fingers crossed for future attempts. There's definitely incentive to save one's own onion seeds; what's on offer commercially can be hit and miss, mainly miss.

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #47 on: August 16, 2022, 05:59:33 »
You have opened my eyes to the array of potential winged pests. My attention has been totally taken up with the two types of cabbage white butterfly which are certainly a threat to my brassicas. I’m not aware of the presence of either cabbage moth or diamondback moth here, or certainly not as a pest. I wonder what accounts for the difference.

Your suggestion re growing onions for seed in the polytunnel, either in pots or in the ground, is helpful, although my spray watering can be a bit hit and miss. Certainly worth thinking about and taking care with.

What kind of problems have you had with commercial onion seed? Germination or subsequent growth?

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #48 on: August 16, 2022, 14:03:24 »
Sorry about your lettuce problems Vetivert.  I had tiny white caterpillars very similar in appearance to pea moths a couple of times, but never so many that the seed harvest was endangered.  Sorry to hear about your troubles.  We are now harvesting lettuce seeds of several varieties.

And your onion woes Jang.  I can't grow onions easily either, but things are a bit better this year. 

As part of growing all my Ukrainian seeds this year, Ukrainian beetroot from HSL is looking good and hope to overwinter for seeding next year.  Carrot Solvita is also looking fine, again I hope to save seeds next year from them. 

Have just cut and put into storage 4 different courgettes.  As they are showing storage colours, the green ones getting orange hues and the white ones beige pinkish.  These were all handpollinated very early on, the first fruit on all of them.  I would not normally cut this early, but they are ready.  We have Hungarian Zucchini, Striato d'Italia, Long white Trailing from HSL and Bianco Lungo.  So if you can use 4 different types of courgette, I should be able to harvest and dry seeds well in time for the seed circle deadline.  Currently they are on a sunny shelf hardening off.   

Also various tomatoes are being fermented right now.  And cucumber Beit Alpha, which we originally got from Jayb.  The earliest fruits in the greenhouse were allowed to turn yellow on the plants and now they are cut and also maturing on the shelf.   
« Last Edit: August 16, 2022, 14:16:16 by galina »

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #49 on: August 17, 2022, 06:01:57 »
That sounds a great haul of potential seeds,Galina.
My results with alliums vary. I usually get a good crop of leeks and acceptably good of garlic. I have some good seed heads on St Victor’s leek at the moment, so we’ll see how they go.

Great achievement with the multiple courgette pollination. I hand pollinated Alberello Genovese courgette at the beginning of the season. The plant has just grown the one huge fruit. I imagine I need to leave it on the plant until it begins to change colour. Of course it means sacrificing your crop from that plant for probably the whole season.

 It looks like we might well be courgette rich in the seed circle this year. 👍 Mine probably won’t be ready in time but four will be plenty of excitement!

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #50 on: August 17, 2022, 08:25:04 »
The Long White Trailing from HSL is a little different from ordinary courgettes.  Flesh denser and according to HSL also good as a marrow.  We will see whether this is true, if we can still eat the flesh after seed harvest.  The Hungarian Zucchini comes from the lady in Colorado, whose family hails from Hungary and she collects Hungarian varieties.  No further variety name known to her.  An early green zucchini with tiny white dots, which have now turned yellow on the marrow sized seed fruits.  The Striato as the name implies is green with white stripes, a week or so later than the Hungarian.  The white Bianco Lungo is very long and slender, a bit snake like, whereas the white trailing variety is shorter with some ribbing at the shoulders by the stem and much broader.

Alberello Genovese is new to me and would be great for the next year.  Have just googled it, seems the Italians like their courgettes striped. 

I have 2 fruit from the Hungarian zucchini and one of them did just that.  The plant spent all its energy on the one fruit, whereas the other one produced a slightly smaller seed marrow, but carried on making a few more courgettes, probably now at a faster rate with the seed fruit gone.  Mildew is starting here, so we many not have the courgette plants for much longer.  It is good to have achocha fruit as substitute to fall back on this year, which don't have this problem. 
« Last Edit: August 17, 2022, 08:36:08 by galina »

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #51 on: August 18, 2022, 06:43:03 »
The Alberello Genovese has matured into a large pale marrow-sized fruit. Unfortunately I didn’t record its appearance when young but I think it was pale green with slight mottling.

I haven’t been able to find the name Alberello Genovese online. The seed came from my Italian donor who is not known for accuracy in naming but, on the positive side, does have many rarer Italian forms within his collection. The name Alberello di Sarzana appears fairly frequently and may be similar. I must observe more closely next season. If you found reference to Alberello Genovese do let me know but at the moment in my mind there is some confusion around this variety.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #52 on: August 18, 2022, 10:15:31 »
Is it not this one?  Maybe not.  https://seedsofitaly.com/courgette-gartenkurbis-alberello-leben/

Or could it be this?  https://www.ingegnoli.it/ita/zucchino-genovese.html#:~:text=1385%20%2D%20ZUCCHINO%20%2DGENOVESE%2D&text=%C3%88%20un'ottima%20selezione%20del,frutti%20ed%20anche%20di%20fiori.

Alberello just means 'sapling' according to google translate.  So if the Genovese is what describes this courgette and Alberello is applicable to several courgettes, plus given your description, could it be this one?
  https://www.premierseedsdirect.com/product/italian-courgette-genovese-organic/
« Last Edit: August 18, 2022, 10:25:40 by galina »

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #53 on: August 18, 2022, 12:04:59 »
Germination in the main issue I've encountered, JanG. Not from all suppliers, bunching onions from Real Seeds and Premier Seeds being exceptions, but most have been very poor.

Those courgettes all look excellent and would be new to me. :toothy10: I've been enjoying Rugosa Friulana and Romanesco a little too much this season and my resolve to save seeds vanished once we started eating them. Both are relatively dry and the RF in particular is quite firm and excellent in stir-fries. The plants are healthy so it may still be possible to get a couple ripe fruit before the season ends.

The melons have set fruit and are growing away happily but I don't want to count my chickens...

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #54 on: August 19, 2022, 07:36:09 »
The Alberello Genovese resembles the Genovese courgettes you link to, Galina, rather than the Alberello di Sarzana, so I think Genovese probably is the operative term.

Rugosa friulana looks fascinating too!

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #55 on: August 20, 2022, 14:30:33 »
One of my favourite Jayb bred potatoes is her cross between Pink Fir Apple and Inky Squid.  Large, dark purple potatoes, which are blue and white on the inside growing on tall and healthy plants.  They must be full of cancer fighting and health giving anthocyanin.  Flavour is very good and chestnutty especially just washed and baked or microwaved.  They are also fertile and have produced a lot of berries this year from white flowers. 

Would tps from these berries be of interest for the circle?   
« Last Edit: August 20, 2022, 14:43:37 by galina »

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #56 on: August 20, 2022, 14:37:46 »
From Jeannine and Jayb's big parcel came this gem from Wild Boar Farms.  Pink Boar.  Very attractive brownish pink tomato with green stripes and rich and deep flavour.  And an early yellow beefsteak tomato, Rosalie's Early Orange.  This was originally also from the Internet Tomato Trials, where the organiser sent us mystery seeds and after we returned our reports, we got to know the names of the tomatoes we had grown.  Grown both outdoors and greenhouse in Rushden whereas Pink Boar was greenhouse grown in Rushden. 
« Last Edit: August 20, 2022, 14:39:17 by galina »

Vetivert

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #57 on: August 20, 2022, 22:16:54 »
TPS would certainly be of interest to me, sounds like a lovely potato! What generation would they be? Those tomatoes look excellent, too.

I have questions about the Gilfeather 'turnip', which I saw was in the circle many years ago. Does it behave more like a turnip or swede in its rate of growth? Do you think I'd be able to get a crop of small roots if I were to sow it now with the rest of the autumn turnips?

JanG

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #58 on: August 21, 2022, 06:59:43 »
I would say definitely yes to all three. If potato flowers self-pollinate, I suppose the parentage of this variety is likely to show up in its offspring.

I’m growing Pink Furry Boar this season, so that could make a fitting companion for Pink Boar perhaps.

galina

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Re: Seed Saving Circle 2022
« Reply #59 on: August 21, 2022, 20:52:39 »
The generation doesn't matter in the same way it normally does, as I got a starter tuber from Jayb.  Once you have got a tuber from a tps plant and start multiplying vegetatively from that tuber, the variety is fixed and no substantial differences are expected, apart from much better yields grown from full sized tubers, rather than the initial mini tubers grown from seed. 

This is a tetraploid potato, so more variable than a diploid variety if self pollinated, but anything grown from those seed should still somewhat resemble the parents.  I did however have other potatoes flowering at the same time, that made no seed balls.  A further cross is therefore also possible.  I had Snookie (also from Jayb) flowering at the time, which is Pink Fir Apple x Kifli, but no berries and my own number 9, a red skinned tps from Picasso, again no berries. 

I can only guess about Gilfeather, but for ordinary turnips of the quick growing types, the time is definitely right.  Also for the black winter radish.  US sites say Gilfeather needs about 3 months to mature, which we  no longer have.   Maybe should have sown in July.  I could kick myself as I had intended to grow them too this year, but missed the right time. 

Must google Pink Furry Boar.  Sounds a nice partner tomato. 



« Last Edit: August 21, 2022, 21:18:15 by galina »

 

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