Ohh...could I join too...? ;D
What is most popularly offered?...how about is there something that there is not enough?
Before I can even starting to think what to grow..what kind of quantities we are talking about..for how many people?
I like growing anything and everything.. ::)
Thank-you so much Jayb it is a lot of work for you but I do think something important is happening here.
May be I should keep a journal of this.
I'm definitely interested in Babbington Leek. I had a trayful once before; they came through winter happily in a cold frame, then rotted off as soon as it warmed up. By the time I got there it was too late. Another time I'll have them outside.Not sure what happened there, it is better to plant them straight into the soil, that's what I did. I have a corner in the greenhouse and a permanent corner outside and both have been doing well for several years. I thought Babington Leek was practically indestructable, you must have been very unlucky. It is certainly one of those vegetables/herbs that everybody should have. They are a coastal plant, thriving in sandy soil. Yet on my heavy clay they thrive just as well. I made the mistake of trying to incorporate them into crop rotation and that doesn't really work. They need two, sometimes three years from bulbils to underground bulb development. And if you dig them all up, one or two will always pop up again from scales that are left behind in the soil.
Babbington leek sound super but will they be able to be sent out with everything else or do we need to think of something different?
Good to have you on board Martinburo,Thanks.
How much interest there would be from others for my 'wanna-be-babbingtons'?
If there is only few of you I'm happy to send some just for you lot and do 'proper' seed lot for everybody.
Thanks Galina for your encouragement ;D..if there is not generally much interest for these I would love to get some of yours and compare them.
Shall we see what others say first? ;)
Jayb,the journal - I try to keep a illustrated ( drawings)record of the plot but by July it becomes a little overwhelming ,so to make it easier illustrating the seed sharing circle plants being fewer ,rarer etc should be more interesting,well that is the theory.
What about tubers like oca or ulluco?
Is there still room for a little one to join in ;) :D ;)
Is there still room for a little one to join in ;) :D ;)
I penciled you in just in case ;D
Suek i will grow some russian short season tomatoes next year,if you are intrested i can put them in the circle or if you cant wait i can spare some i have enough.Are you growing them outside or in a greenhouse?If you want some now just p.m me your adress.
Saving squash seed will be a new experience for me this year,
So on my list so far is Kale
So on my list so far is Kale
1066, if you want to grow kale I will grow spring cabbage instead.
Saving squash seed will be a new experience for me this year,
Sounds interesting, do you have any particular varietes in mind?! I'm tempted to try again this year but haven't decided yet - I might try a summer squash......
I was reading through the Real Seeds site on seed saving and noticed an attractive carrot flower it looked good enough for the vase
so if it is not too daft a question-( not for seed saving) if in spring I planted some shop bought carrots would they flower?
We do have some good carrots so I may take the two year option for seed ,just curious as to the flowers for this year.
Daft or what?
cheers.
Glad to have you join us poolcue ;D
I like Koralik, I found them quite early and tasty too, for me not in Sungold Sweet league, but still an enjoyable tomato.
What about a French bean or a pea variety?
Possibly Moonlight bean
As that's a cross -it would be interesting to see if you get the same babies as the parent once the beans were saved....
As that's a cross -it would be interesting to see if you get the same babies as the parent once the beans were saved....
Do you know for certain that Moonlight is a cross between runnerbean and French Bean? The advertising hype is suitably vague on the subject. I thought it was a runnerbean for which they claim improved bean setting (sets as easily as a French bean)? But haven't been able to find out for definite what this bean is.
Runnerbeans can cross quite easily with other runnerbeans in the vicinity.
All I can see is various statements all saying:Yes, but Suttons are the only seed sellers saying it is a cross. Thompson and Morgan seem to have changed their description - the following is their most recent version:
Unique Runner/French cross for improved pollination!
They always keep their secrets if possible on things like this! I've nothing other than that! But the suppliers [Suttons said the above] all seem to be stating that it is a cross.
On the packet it doesn't say that it is an F1 so that's why I thought I would give it a go.The bean is white so when harvesting the colour should be the same.Time will tell.I will grow this in the garden which is fenced so there will hopefully be no crosses.Yes they should be open pollinated - do give it a go. If you are not growing another runnerbean in your garden, chances of crossing are very low.
To my mind seed companies are not the best at labelling what should be. I've been growing Red Rum the last few years, for me it does really well as an early/late crop in the polytunnel, again some companies claim it is a self-pollinating variety. Although not labeled as an F1 T&M state on their site 'Please Note: Seed saved from this hybrid will not come true'.
So Moonlight may well be open pollinated :-\
;D This morning I made 'holy' decision for not getting anymore new tomato varieties ::) I have been writing my list and trying to sort out what to grow ::);D
To my horror I'm getting nearer to 200 varieties now..and it's growing once I've got all list merged together :-X...but one cannot resist to try something 'new' ;D
Ruud's list is looking very interesting..I'm seeing some that I'm not familiar ;D...I'm loving it...saving and hording more and sharing.. ;D
Luckily I'm not the only one over here.. :-X..I could name few others that are bit bonkers... :-X ;D
It would appear you are as fanatical about tomatos as I am about pumpkins and squash;D err,,yes,,but I'm same with squashes, beans, kale etc. ::) Every year something else takes my fancy and I'm adding on... not changing from one to other :-XI got some Babington Leeks yesterday from HSL so if I get a decent result I'm happy to add some to the Babington mix on here.
We shall see how they progress :D
1066, I'm awarding you a gold star for the first admitted learning curve of the season, no failures here, only changes in plan ;D
poolcue,i got the seeds from a greek man wenn i was on holiday in greece,but you have homegrown dutch ones.They are from my first crop.
I've just checked my stored Early Blood beetroot, its not looking good for them. I couldn't have given them enough protection from frost, with several of the roots going soft and I think others have been affected, so I'll scrub them from my list. :'(Oh, that's a shame. Mine were nibbled by mice. I had them in a box of sand on the top shelf in the shed and when I went to check them yesterday, most were just empty shells. I am pretty mad. My HSL dwarf guardian beans were destroyed by the mice last year, apart from one plant, so no returns for HSL there, they also decapitated a number of tall French Beans, nibbled a winter squash on the vine - and now the beetroots. I have great sympathy with you JayB, but was hoping yours would be ok for seed :( because these are lovely and fast growing beetroots. Great pity.
as it seems my eyes are bigger than my plot!
poolcue,i got the seeds from a greek man wenn i was on holiday in greece,but you have homegrown dutch ones.They are from my first crop.Thank you very much Ruud they arrived this morning together with some extras.It is really appreciated.Looking forward to May when I can plant them.
Hi guys,Sounds good. Tomato seeds adjusted to northern conditions are very good to have in the circle. Hope you will get a good growing season. Vova Yellow look pretty, like slightly elongated Sungold.
Just to say, I found some old out-of-date packets of tomato seeds (almost a back of the sofa job), from back in the days when I didn't fully appreciate the growing conditions I had and possibly had more money than sense! I've tried germination tests on these and they are germinating, so would anybody be interested in some seeds for the seed circle as I will be growing them on? They are Vova Yellow and Purple Calabash. The latter I know is not everyone's cup of tea judging from comments on the internet but it has been discontinued by the organic catalogue this year so might be of interest (we found it palatable when I grew it before); the former I haven't tried before but it has a Russian heritage and may compare favourably with some other outdoor yellow varieties such as Golden Sunrise.
What do you think? Of course, this presupposes that we don't get slammed by blight! :)
Best regards,
Sue
I should add, I will still be growing the short season varieties I'm trying out for the first time as well, so it's not an either or.
I've had no success germinating Mashua seeds so far this year.
If everyone is in agreement, I think this year's circle now be closed to new members. Hopefully everyone who wanted to join has :)
So that's about 200 seeds for everyone to have ten each. That should be manageable.
I'm sure some people will drop out - I'll worry about it in about 8 months time.
What do others in the group think about packet sizes?
I've had no success germinating Mashua seeds so far this year.
I missed some posts earlier - what that then?
Thank you for your offer AJ but you don’t get away that easy ;D
I can't manage ten seeds each for squashes and other lower seed count vegetables unless circumstances are very favourable this year.
Without meaning to prolong Galina's anguish, this made me realise that I haven't the slightest idea how many seeds I would get from a summer squash/courgette - a bit of a downer when I'm hoping to save seeds from a courgette this year! :) So, I guess the question is how many actual courgettes should I aim to produce for their seeds? If I understand the more recent posts correctly, we are looking at 5ish seeds per person in the circle, or roughly 100 seeds.
Also, if I'm growing 4-6 plants to enable me to have enough flowers at the right stage and keep sufficient diversity, when it comes to pollinating the female flowers could I use the females from just one or two plants but the pollen from the rest...?
As far as I'm aware, pollen stays viable for a long time, so if you get male flowers before you get any female ones, you could dry the male flower in case you get female flowers later and no male ones.Or tie the flower up until the female is ready.....
Jayb, sorry I have never grown, let alone germinated, Mashua. They look and sound such an interesting vegetable. I hope you can get some joy from your seeds.
250+ corn plants is a huge undertaking. I assume you are talking about seed saving. You need a lot of land to do it all in one year. The only practical way I know for smaller gardens/allotments, is to grow smaller patches and save over time. Perhaps 50 of a variety every year for 5 years. If you choose a variety that produces two or more ears you can eat one and let the other dry and freeze the seeds. Say you started with 250 seeds, you could grow 50 each year and save seed. Corn freezes well (with silica gel sachets begged from the shoe shop or baked rice).
As far as I'm aware, pollen stays viable for a long time, so if you get male flowers before you get any female ones, you could dry the male flower in case you get female flowers later and no male ones.
Apparently 250 corn plants is the minimum amount to be grown for seed saving purposes to avoid inbreeding depression. Although on reading Seeds of Kokopelli manual, it hints at this may not be necessary for heritage typesYes, I've read that too from Kokopelli's book..and I've come across similar claims in other websites...I have to start digging them out ::) As far as I'm aware, pollen stays viable for a long time, so if you get male flowers before you get any female ones, you could dry the male flower in case you get female flowers later and no male ones.
The recommendations from the USA say to pollinate squash flowers after the dew has dried ....
from about mid morning on..but not for long.
The pollinatioin times for squash are to be able to catch the female at the right time.. it is not the pollen.. the female flower is only receptive for a wee while,,from about mid morning on..but not for long.
XX Jeannine
I wonder how everyone else is getting on, its great hearing the progress?
Jeannine, don’t be daft, you are reliable... ;D I'll second that..but they weren't my words :-X..I would not dare to call you such... ;D ;D
Jeannine, don’t be daft, you are reliable, just sounds like your weather has been very poor. Must be disheartening and incredibly frustrating when all you want to do is get going on your new plottie. Please don’t feel pressured to produce anything for the circle, but stay in and see how things go. I’m sure it will all pick up. I'm always amazed how quickly plants grow on and produce a harvest.
Interesting, I’ve only grown the variety Rat’s Tails, does it differ much from your other variety Robert?
Lots of peas and beans sounds sooooooooo good ;D
Perhaps now there is a picture we should explain what it is..
XX Jeannine
Interesting, I’ve only grown the variety Rat’s Tails, does it differ much from your other variety Robert?
Lots of peas and beans sounds sooooooooo good ;D
Dunno yet, but it's Munchen Bier, so 1066 is the one to ask!
Hopefully I'll have a couple of lettuces to add to the list, but I haven't grown them for seed before. Altringham carrots sound interesting; it's supposed to be anything up to three feet long, but I don't know whether that includes the sort of long root parsnip exhibitors always leave on. I've never had any luck with carrots though.
If my Parsley Pea tastes any good; I'll be saving some of that for the circle. If my Parsley Pea tastes any good; I'll be saving some of that for the circle. ;D
from memory they were roughly the size of yours..well mine never made decent size..well large..last year..thick yes, but not much height. Only like really thick spring onions.
;D Tiny toes is excellent name..very catchy and it stands out.. ;D
Oh..that sounds ok..nothing drastically wrong then.. ;D
If Paula is five feet high it's definitely a climbing peaYep...I've just had another look..its grown like mad and it is 6ft now..and first flower buds are just starting show. From so tiny seeds comes so big plants.. ???.I had bit of 'panic attack' in GH as it already was reaching the roof.. ::) So I manage to secure my plants around couple of canes and then carried the whole lot outside..dug a hole and dropped the whole bucket it, canes and twine around and now they can romp away as much as they want..only sky is the limit.. ;D..and the canes.. :-X Oh..and not to forget a netting..cheeky sparrows were muching away some of my other peas while I was standing almost next to them.. :o..cheeky sods..
Good to heara about your Soya beans Jeannine. I too have some although I didnt see them flower so the beans came as a suprise. I have 12 plants with at least 5 pods on them (and more pods to develop) so that could give me at least 120 beans but lets not get ahead of my self.
How many of us are there in the seed share?
Same here. i have no access to google docs due to internet at work not permitting it.
Would love to know what everyone is doing at a glance. Espeicailly as some of us will not be able to supply what we initially intended and may havce to change our minds.
Forgive me but I am not an active contributor to this forum :-[
How many of us are there in the seed share?
Forgive me but I am not an active contributor to this forum :-[
Sue, although it is not the recommended way I’ve often saved seed from only one plant. I think as long as the plant is true to type, healthy and producing well it is, maybe not ideal, but ok. Others may think differently.
...
Look forward to hearing how you rate the taste of Purple Calabash as it is not one I’ve grown yet, although I have an interesting F1 cross I’m growing Calabash x Green Nails.
I've looked on the packet [how clever was that ::)] and so long as I collect ok I'll have leek Seigfried on offer. This year I've sown Bleu de Solaise so that'll be around the following year.green lily
I also grow Trail beans and always sow my own runners -Painted Lady.
This year they survived the cold and frost [still underground] so they are ordinary but as hardy as runners get. The trail beans died and I had to resow ::) But there should be seed.. baring hurricanes and snow..... ::)
I'll try to save Amish tomatoes if anyone is interested. I find them fantastic but grow them in a poly. Hope this is OK :)
Can I join please?
Yes I would like to be part of this /next years circle. I've 2 big leeks going to seed- now I have to wrack my brain which they were....I don't have big resources-or needs but would love to try one or two new things and can offer one or two in exchange. Would particularly be interested in the potato seed project as that has really captivated my interest :)
Jayb,If you mean the peas, yes let the pods ripen, they get a bit wrinkly and leathery and should change colour. I then usually harvest the whole plant and hang it somewhere dry to finish drying. Nowhere that gets too hot as that could affect germination and storage viability. Once podded I leave mine either in a little box or paper bag to continue drying.
p.s. Should I leave them on the plant to dry up and turn brown?
Is there any interest for Catawissa?YEEES! ;D
I Want to add some squash as well so must see if I can bag some females when the time comes, choosing between Spaghetti Squash, Tuffy Sweet, Thelma Sanders and Bon Bon.
Bon Bon is a hybrid variety. Please don't save seeds from hybrids, they will not breed true. You can dehybridise a hybrid, but that takes at least 6 years.
Both Tuffy and Thelma Sanders are outstanding varieties. It does happen that someone in the circle already has seeds of a variety you offer. Can't be helped. In some cases a new 'injection' of seeds from another source can be very beneficial to help broaden the genetic base of seed stocks we hold. This is a good thing, and allows comparing the two batches, before mixing the old and new seeds, or keeping them separate if appropriate.
Ohhh...how nice looking flowers..something to eyes to feast on as well.. ;D
I don't know if any of you have tried bolivian coriander..I've got some coming to flower..that could be one possibility for seed saving..any thoughts?
I had some other night with the stirfry...ohh..lovely..really fragrant flavour..strong but no bitter or lingering after taste.. ;D..and soo easy to grow and no worries for it bolting..still plenty of leaves to use as you only need small quantities at the time.
My Mayoral Blue squash are struggling, the weather here is red hot now ,before the rain was defeating us, they are growing but not as I would like to see them so fingers crossed, this is the last of the very rare seeds.
On a good point the limas and soya beans are doing excellent so I think everyone should be OK on those.
XX Jeannine
to have a coriander that does not bolt...well it does...but it doesn't effect cropping.. ;D
it has only now started to fruit so i hope that i can get something to ripenPlenty of time for that..you'll be shoveling ripe fruit before then.. ;)
just been trying to find out a bit more about the Cimmaron lettuce, and it seems it is known here as Little Leprechaun or Red Leprachaun. Why, the difference in name I haven't a clue?! but I have decided to try and save this one for the seed circle :)
Hmm, not sure if what I am rowing is unusual enough. I won't be offended if it isn't :)
I have...
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce (never gathed lettuce seed before)
Tomato Snowberry
Mini White Cucumber
Lettuce Drunken Women ( I'm keeping the lettuce separate)
Yohooo!?... ;) ;D..remember me? ;D TPS :P
That'll be a yes then...... ;D
I've definitely discounted my Black Seeded Simpson as it started to bolt. Looks like it may be a better one for early season planting...... next year......
That'll be a yes then...... ;D
I've definitely discounted my Black Seeded Simpson as it started to bolt. Looks like it may be a better one for early season planting...... next year......
Yes please to the TPS. Have just dug up my tubers from TPS (seed swapped several years ago), but they have no flowers unfortunately. Love the surprises you get from TPS.
I don't understand - lettuce needs to bolt, has it bolted very early before making a sizeable lettuce plant? Madeira Maroon sounds yummy and early.
Yohooo!?... ;) ;D..remember me? ;D TPS :PThat'll be a yes then...... ;D
Yes please to the TPS. Have just dug up my tubers from TPS (seed swapped several years ago), but they have no flowers unfortunately. Love the surprises you get from TPS.
I picked a Painted Mountain cob yesterday, not huge in size but neither are the plants. Although not ripe enough for seed saving the rows were well filled and the different seed colours were starting to show. Eaten in the garden, yum ;D
Jayb, could you please enable me to add to the document? I have taken a few pics.
as ever, a learning curve is occurring on the SE Coast :)
I like them both and a mix sounds good to me. Easy enough to rogue out the odd Papalo if it is not wanted :-[..doggy wasn't too suprised about the tray or the seeds..more like me making rather 'not so nice' sounds.. :-X ::)Not much help for this year, but I did read on an American forum how using a blob of pva glue can be used to seal self pollinating type flowers shut eg tomatoes and chillis. This needs to be done before the flower has opened. I tried it last year and it does work, the flower just seems to die back and as the fruit ripens and it pushes the old flower and glue off.
..........
Shame about the Lemon Drops, I like them. Could the weather have affected them also?
Well confesion time :( :( :(
Has anyone else had a few problems.... how have rest of you gone on?
Great and thank-you as I have just finished number 20 and am going to pull my hair out. Not sure I have the attention span for small arts and craft stuff. More a hammer and nail kind of person :)
By the way, here is a neat little site for templatesa http://tipnut.com/seed-packets/
I am using the childrens set for my peas
Black Magic would certainly help 8)LOL ;D
Black Magic would certainly help 8)
MR,
Last year we had 5 seeds of Black Turtle bean. Here 4 of them grew into strong healthy plants and produced seeds plenty enough for a proper 'grow, save and eat' in future years. With beans, tomatoes, peas and squashes it is fine not to have a lot of seeds from many different plants, because we can save from just a few plants without creating a problematic genetic 'bottleneck'. More is better obviously, but unlike sweetcorn, brassica, root crops and alliums, there is no big genetic deterioration, provided all plants are healthy and true to type. If there is a chance to get more Black Turtles or 'Tuts' in years to come from another source, I shall grow those separately and compare to make sure they are the same, and then combine the batches.
In the meantime I cherish and save seeds from my Black Turtle beans, as I will cherish your King Tut peas, whatever the quantity. We are all seedsavers here and can make more ;D
Thanks galina I guess every little does help. I also think every seed is a minor miracle!
Most of mine's ready but the beans are still drying.
Ahh...one thing came to my mind..Jayb..any chance of confirmation for the total number of members for this..just so that I know how many packets to send..;)
Ok...I've finally got myself in order and some data is been added into google doc..but..how do you get your photos added into the list?
If I forgot the postage I would be happy to recieve a polite PM to remind me to sent it :-X
You give enough with the time you take over this JayB :D :D :D
What I can offer this year is..Swedish One Dot and Magpie beans, Paula and Skånsk Märgart peas, Bolivian coriander (now rogue's sorted out so just one variety)..Is that selection ok?
If I forgot the postage I would be happy to recieve a polite PM to remind me to sent it :-X
I quite agree. Last year I sent a signed cheque (limited to a bit above what I expected the cost to be), so that Jayb could fill in the actual amount it cost her to send the envelope back. Did this work out for you, Jayb, or do you prefer 'real' stamps?
Hi Jayb,
Have sent you a pm with email address for the google doc! Do we have a deadline for sending in the seeds?
The borage is all bagged up and ready, just dried out some rice in the oven to give the tomatoes a thorough dry.
Exciting times! :)
I think I need lessons!
Hi Jayb, glad the package arrived safely. There's one extra helping of each variety just in case (use as you wish).
Re the rootstock, I didn't have much luck with them, given that the packet I bought contained only four seeds (50p per seed!), and three of them did not germinate. The one graft I attempted did not take, so I pinched out the top and stuck it in as a cutting to grow for seed. It was not marked as an F1, but the price might indicate otherwise (I can't find much information about it).
Also glad you like the packets; a friend designed the drawings and I am happy as larry with them.
Great it is always a little bit scary to send it over,hope you like it.
ARRGH...I've tried and tried...Instructions are clear and simple..that is how I would have done it too..but it just don't allow me to download my photos..I get message that my photo is too 'large'..and they are not! They are well bellow the limit..(I'm pulling my hair out here ::))..is it my camera or puter that makes my life so difficult.. ??? >:(Ok...I've finally got myself in order and some data is been added into google doc..but..how do you get your photos added into the list?
I put the cursor where the picture is to go
Header line with commands has an 'insert' button
This brings up a lot of options
click on 'image'
this brings up a blue button 'choose an image to upload'
click that and it goes to my desktop where I put the filename of the photo into the window and click on 'open' and upload.
I find that I usually have to make the picture much smaller by clicking on it, which puts a box around it. I grab the bottom right 'blob' and drag it up and left to make the picture smaller.
Good luck! There may be better ways of doing it, which I too would love to hear about ;D
Also one parcel is delayed and will have to follow on when it arrives.will you need more stamps sending for extra parcel?
Egyptian walking onions and the Babington leeks :)
I might do a blog just about the seeds in this circle......grow them all and document the trials, tribulation, elations and yield.I already know I'm not going to manage growing all the tomatoes, peas and CFBs, but otherwise I'll try.
Yay, mine arrived too. Thank you Jayb and all.I might do a blog just about the seeds in this circle......grow them all and document the trials, tribulation, elations and yield.I already know I'm not going to manage growing all the tomatoes, peas and CFBs, but otherwise I'll try.
Goodlife's photo looks AMAZING :)
I might do a blog just about the seeds in this circle......grow them all and document the trials, tribulation, elations and yield.
I have spring cabbage (Durham Early) and sorrel (Belleville) and I'll also add lovage seeds, all packed and ready to be sent. No pictures, sorry, my laptop broke.
Currently drying out tomato seeds - all the Prairie Fire and the first batch of Vova Yellow. Very grateful for the mini heatwave to help finish off the tomatoes!