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Seed Saving Circle 2023

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JanG:
It’s time to think ahead for seed saving 2023. Surprisingly soon corn salad will be in seed followed by lots of over-wintered brassicas and plenty more. So seed gathering can soon commence!

I hope the season’s growing is well under way and going well in spite of a rather strange spring. 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. It would be good to hear of particular surprises, successes etc as the the season goes on. I’m hoping the 2023 Seed Circle will carry on the high standard of variety and interest! So please do say here on this thread 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 again.

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

The Seed Circle is open to all A4A participants; 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, probably in November, sharing some growing information and your 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 do make sure they are well wrapped so that they don't dampen any seeds), and saving enough seed for every other member to grow a crop the following year. The group could be up to 12 people but is more often under 10. Varieties 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.

Some vegetables are easier and more reliable than others to save seed from. But generally peas, French beans, tomatoes, perhaps potatoes and some herbs are the easiest. Chillies, sweet peppers, squash, courgette and to some extent lettuce will need isolating from other varieties to keep seed pure.  Parsnips, onions, leeks, beetroot, carrots, celeriac and many brassicas only go to seed in the second year and need isolation from other varieties and so are more time-consuming and a little trickier.

Real Seeds created 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 vegetables at: https://www.diyseeds.org/en/

For anyone interested, what we finally shared in 2020, 2021 and 2022 can be found with images and donors’ notes at https://airtable.com/shryC20nRNmUcgT30. Try Gallery View.

The seeds exchanged from 2017-2019 can be found at https://seedsaverscircle.home.blog/
And for seed exchanging from 2010 to 2016 at http://seedsaverscircle.org/seed-circle/a4a-seed-saver-group-2014/


And some previous threads for the Circles:
Seed Circle 2022 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,83279.0.html
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? 

ruud:
You can count on me,already busy to plant some intresting stuff

JanG:
Great, Ruud. Looking forward to hearing more. Happy growing.

markfield rover:
I am a little more organised this year , I do have some interesting seeds and if all goes to plan , could well contribute. Thank you JanG.

JanG:
That’s good to hear, MR. I hope your growing season goes very well. Progress reports very welcome as things develop.

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