Topic: Seed Saving Circle 2023

[galina]

Ambrosia is grown too here with great anticipation, but not ready yet.  Cantarix lettuce is a beauty indeed.  The Rossia lettuce has finally started to stretch on a few plants following a 35C day!  Blue Pepe nasturtium, which I overwintered indoors and replanted, is producing seeds after never quite getting to this point last summer. 

Tonight we shall enjoy the first Albarello courgettes.  The Outdoorpse Bruine (sp?) shallots are doing their stuff beautifully, after a late start (my fault, but it really proves their superior keeping qualities!).   Other lettuces are shining this year - fingers crossed for seeds.   

With the fabulous Green Beauty large mangetout peas we received seed for, I decided to grow several other peas of the extra long mangetout pod type - Eat All from HSL and Eat Me (which was shared in this seed circle many years ago), also Bajka which are not quite as long.  https://deaflora.de/Shop/Erbsen/Zuckererbse-Bajka.html?language=de

Have harvested the first almost dry seed pods of dwarf mangetout Norli, which is a very early dwarf variety.  My seeds were from Samen Mauser in Switzerland originally.    https://www.hornbach.ch/de/p/kefe-norli-gemuesesamen-samen-mauser/8100902/

We may get pea seeds for this year's circle, all going well.  Including the very special pink flowered Golden Sweet, but like other yellow podded mangetouts it shows much greater heat resistance than the green ones.   So too early to definitely promise at this moment. 

I know it is a bit boring, but I have lamb's lettuce seeds ready.  That really useful winter salad, which survives any level of frost for very early spring harvests.   It and American Landcress which is nearly ready,  are a great boon very early in the year.   Both just shrugged off weeks of -18C at night the winter before last.  Also the unnamed rocket from the Italian salad mix seed packet, which I had been growing in Rushden for very many years.  It is a cultivated rocket and also fits the bill of 'will thrive through everything winter can throw at it'.  Let me know if there is any interest.  These are not particularly special, but so hardy and reliable for year round gardening, I would not want to be without them.   

I spotted the first bees on the fully opened carrot flowers doing their stuff.  There is very little Queen Anne's Lace here and the few plants I noticed, went in the compost, so I don't expect a problem, fingers crossed.

How is everybody else getting on?

[JanG]

I’m very pleased your Alberello courgette is doing well as the two plants I grew from my own seed didn’t prosper and I was feeling apologetic for contributing poor quality seed.

Blue Pepe nasturtium I love and have grown it now for three years I believe. The dark bluish leaves and intense red flowers are a lovely combination. Thank you, Markfield Rover.

Your long podded mangetout trial promises to be very interesting as well as yielding some great eating! I’m growing Oregon Giant, much loved of Carol Deppe, and could well contribute that to the circle. I too am growing the special pink flowered Golden Sweet. As you say, it soldiers on when other become tired and start to look like producing seed. Fingers crossed for seed.

By way of tomato varieties I’m interested to see what Stonor’s Most Prolific is like. It was an HSL choice this year.

It’s rather early to predict the quality and success of beans but I’ve become interested in trying yellow podded Romano types so hope to find one or two which might fare well and give good seed.

Great to hear of your progress, Galina, with seed circle varieties past, and hopefully to be. I hope others are enjoying similar delights!

[galina]

This is one of my three plants of Albarello.   Nothing wrong with that seed Jang, thank you for it.  Very yummy last night.  And the winner in the courgette race too. 

[JanG]

Looks excellent. I’m very pleased! Not sure where I went wrong with mine. I’ll try again next year.

[Elfeda]

Hello All.

I am interested to join too. how ever, I do french beans to make it easy for my self. 

both dwarf and climbing.

[JanG]

It would be good to have another member, Elfeda. Do you have any particular varieties of beans in mind?

[juliev]

Hello everyone,

I have joined the forum in the hope to take part in the seed swap, I hope it’s ok.

I have been saving seeds for “easy” crops for a few years (beans, peas, squashes, courgettes, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs). Last autumn, I discovered the works of Joseph Lofthouse and Carol Deppe and have fallen down the rabbit hole of modern landraces and plant breeding…
For the swap, I have a nice mix of lettuces (mix from Wild Garden Seed and a few of my own seeds, originally from a gourmet mix) and some coriander that cropped in the autumn, survived the winter snow and deep freeze to crop again in the spring. Fingers crossed, there will also be plenty of beans and cucurbits (I’m planning to hand pollinate). Under cover in a small polytunnel, I have some tomatoes, peppers, chillies, aubergines, basil, cucumbers and melons. I am not sure yet what varieties I will be able to offer as I have planted a small number of many things… may the strongest ones give plenty of seeds!

[galina]

Welcome Juliev,  I had to smile at your post because it is almost identical to my first ever post on this forum 13 years ago asking to take part in the seed circle and describing what I planned to offer. 

Your possible choices for the circle sound very interesting.  Let's hope for a good season for gardening and seed saving for all of us. 

[JanG]

Welcome from me too, Juliev. I like your description of falling down the rabbit hole, suggesting how compelling it is once you get to that point! I started with getting hooked on the incredible range of bean varieties and widened out from there. You are certainly casting your net widely already.
Good luck with your hand pollinating. It certainly opens up a lot of possibilities for cucurbits and peppers.

It will be great to have you join. Do feel free to share how things are going - successes and failures - as we can all learn from each other and enjoy our common enthusiasm.

[markfield rover]

The plan is… tomatoes ,Seattle Best of All, Salt Spring Sunrise, Imur Prior Beta, Pigeon Egg and Blaby Special. Runner bean  Gramp Nicholls ( well isolated)  Pea Tincture A Fleur Blanc , Stokesley, Espoir de Gembloux  Mange tout Born.  DFB Black Valentine and Yugoslavian No 4 . Barlotti Gramma Walters . Possibly some dahlias too ! Fingers crossed.

[JanG]

That’s a great list, Markfield Rover. Lots of bean, pea and tomato varieties new to me.

Fingers crossed indeed. I think you mentioned dahlia seeds last year. I’ve never harvested seed from dahlias. I imagine they need quite a long warm season?

[markfield rover]

Yes I did , but got caught out by an early frost. I had a packet of mixed seed from The National Collection many years ago and was astounded how big they grew in their first year. There are a number of growers ( from seed) in the States one of whom has collaborated with growers in Europe and is brilliant with step by step guidance , I have braved pinching out but dis- budding another time perhaps, I have low vases !

[juliev]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

The beans are doing ok so far (the ones that survived the pill bugs...). Madera marroon and borlotti are competing to reach the top of their cane. Dwarf bean bobis d'albenga was the first to set pods, 2nd was jersey beef grex (brown envelope seeds).
I'm very impressed with the aubergine czech early. Should I only let the first fruit develop for seed saving and remove all the other flowers on the plant?

[galina]

Good question Juliev.

I wonder why we should only let one fruit ripen for seed saving.  On other similar plants we would not do that.  Courgettes are being seriously slowed down in their further production while the first fruit matures for seed, but we get to eat any subsequent fruit that the plant develops.   I would definitely mark up which fruit are for seed and only let the earliest fruits ripen for seed, but if you get more, well then enjoy.  As aubergine is left on the plant to ripen a bit beyond the edible stage, before mature seed harvest, I would say any second and third fruits are for you, just like you would with courgettes.  I think the plant itself will determine whether it stops flowering and developing more fruit.  I will have a look in seedsaving books later and come back if that advice is different.

Good to hear that your beans are now out of danger and starting to come good.

[galina]

Nothing further than letting aubergines get really overripe, before harvesting, cutting open and sort of massaging and washing seeds off the flesh over a bowl of water, straining seeds, then drying Juliev.  Bet you knew all that anyway.  :)

[galina]

Question for you all.  I am growing Phrik key nuu this year.  But I am a bit mystified at its appearance.  Which is very unexpectedly pretty. 

The leaves are variegated and now that fruits are developing they are yellow with green patches too.  Did  not expect this from the photos.  How are others people going with this variety?

Is this the same as Fish Pepper?  It looks like it?

[Elfeda]

I grow basic beans:

dwarf french bean paulista,
climbing green  elegance, blue lake
purple climbing blauhilde.

[JanG]

Question for you all.  I am growing Phrik key nuu this year.  But I am a bit mystified at its appearance.  Which is very unexpectedly pretty. 

The leaves are variegated and now that fruits are developing they are yellow with green patches too.  Did  not expect this from the photos.  How are others people going with this variety?

I grew Phrik Key Nuu last year. It made a small variegated plant but didn’t ever produce any peppers as I think I was rather late to get it going. Interestingly I’m growing it again this year but, from the same batch of seeds, it has produced a plant which isn’t variegated. Your variegated peppers sound interestingly unusual. I’ll have to see if I can grow it for a third time next year to see what emerges.

Is this the same as Fish Pepper?  It looks like it?

Does Fish produce the same yellow and green fruit? I have a plant of Fish growing this year. I must look at it more closely. My peppers are probably well behind yours.

[JanG]

I haven’t mastered the art of quoting yet! In my last message I replied in the middle of a quote so my comment appears as part of the quote. Sorry for the confusion.

[galina]

Does Fish produce the same yellow and green fruit? I have a plant of Fish growing this year. I must look at it more closely. My peppers are probably well behind yours.

Quote is ok Jang as we read all of the text anyway.  No, this is the only pepper that actually has fruit so far.  Most others are still barely in bud or flowering.  And the Locotos are not even growing well so far.  I have never had seeds for fish pepper, so don't have any comparison, bar their description and www photos.  Mine looks like the fruit top centre on this photo.  https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/fish-peppers-african-american-garden-article

Whatever this variety is, it is very welcome and fabulously early, outdoors too.  Noted that is may be an odd one out, however the variegation happened with some of your plants too.