Seed Saving Circle 2024

[juliev]

Thanks Galina, I was wondering if they would be worth harvesting as whole leeks. Using them as leek greens make a lot more sense!

While we are discussing alliums, could I ask about Welsh onions/allium fistulosum?
I am assuming they are grown as perennials. How do you prevent different forms from crossing if you want to save seeds? Do you simply remove flower shoots (it seems too simple... am I missing something?)?

[juliev]

[juliev]

I'm about to sow my peas. They are a few varieties that I am not sure I have categorised correctly. (and I trust you more than seed catalogues  )

Sankia (seed circle, shared 2024) shelling pea?
Crown Pea Salmon flowered and Rosa Krone. I grew Rosa Krone last year as a shelling pea, but I'd be tempted to grow it as a dry/soup pea
Opal Creek, yellow sugar snap? It didn't look/have the texture of the other sugar snaps I grew last year
Shiraz, purple mangetout. We've tried several time, we find it awful...
Blawschoker, purple mangetout. In the catalogue description, it's often said "if eaten very young"...

[galina]

I have removed Minogue flower heads when I wanted to grow pure leek seeds.  With the multiplier onions it isn't so critical as they are more variable anyway. 

Welsh onions, I only have the one variety, so that is easy.  In a previous post I was talking about the Welsh leek, growing wild in coastal areas, which is a perennial.  And that is a less winter hardy leek than the Telsing Andrews multiplier leek, St Victoir x Oerprei, so not good for here unfortunately. But we shared seeds in the circle some years ago and I got my first start from goodlife, one of our very active seedsavers in the early years.

[JanG]

Just researching how to get the tree peony started.  Is it really as lengthy and difficult as this?  Very mindful that after the more than six months to germination, there will be little time left to grow them before winter.  Are these instructions valid (from Google AI).  Should I start much later in the year, to give the seedlings a better growing chance next year? 

Hope somebody can give us the correct advice. 

To grow tree peonies from seed, you can start the seeds in a warm place, then move them to a cooler location. After the seedlings have developed roots, you can pot them up and grow them on.
Steps
Put seeds in a bag with slightly damp vermiculite or compost
Place the bag in a warm place (around 70°F) for 3 months
Move the bag to a cooler location (around 40°F) for 10–12 weeks
When shoots appear, remove the seeds from the bag and pot them up
Grow the seedlings on in a cool place
Gradually move the seedlings outside
Plant the seedlings in well-drained soil in a sunny or semi-shaded location

Thanks

A delayed response to this as I missed it until now. I've grown tree peonies a couple of times from seed several years ago so my memory is a little vague. But in general, the AI instructions are designed to mimic the alternate warm and cold conditions of the passing seasons.

The easy approach is simply to sow them in a pot of well draining compost, leave them outside in a sheltered place where you can just keep an eye on them very occasionally and not be in a hurry. If you sow them in the next month or so they will get the warm temperatures through the summer followed by the cold of winter.

From memory they are pretty good at looking after themselves and will germinate at some point. Don't expect an established tree peony for a good three or four years though. But drama and beauty to come when it/they get there!

[JanG]

Thanks Galina, I was wondering if they would be worth harvesting as whole leeks. Using them as leek greens make a lot more sense!

While we are discussing alliums, could I ask about Welsh onions/allium fistulosum?
I am assuming they are grown as perennials. How do you prevent different forms from crossing if you want to save seeds? Do you simply remove flower shoots (it seems too simple... am I missing something?)?

I have two stands of Welsh onions which are very robust and survive in the midst of neglect. One stand has red stems and one white. Interestingly they flower at different times from each other so don't cross. If you have different forms which flower at the same time then simply removing the flower stems from one and collecting seeds from the other should work fine.

As you say, they are Allium fistulosum and won't cross with either leeks (Allium ampeloprasum) or standard bulbing onions (Allium cepa)

[juliev]

Thank you both. I have sown the seeds shared by Vetivert and I'm looking forward to adding a red Welsh onion to the garden.

[Vetivert]

I'm about to sow my peas. They are a few varieties that I am not sure I have categorised correctly. (and I trust you more than seed catalogues  )

Sankia (seed circle, shared 2024) shelling pea?
Crown Pea Salmon flowered and Rosa Krone. I grew Rosa Krone last year as a shelling pea, but I'd be tempted to grow it as a dry/soup pea
Opal Creek, yellow sugar snap? It didn't look/have the texture of the other sugar snaps I grew last year
Shiraz, purple mangetout. We've tried several time, we find it awful...
Blawschoker, purple mangetout. In the catalogue description, it's often said "if eaten very young"...

Unfortunately I have to concur with your opinion on Shiraz. I was actually quite astounded when I first tasted it.

Blauwschokker is a wrinkled drying pea. Fully fibrous pods, not a mangetout, but like most varieties could be eaten as such if very young. According to some old Dutch national variety lists from the 1940-50s,'Schokkererwt' was/is the regional terminology for marrowfat (i.e. large wrinkled) peas, like Alderman, Pilot, etc.

Opal Creek is described as a snap. It might be less 'thick-walled' than other types.

Rosakrone is definitely more in the dry/soup pea category rather than fresh shelling.

And Sankia, from what I can gather, is a semi-wild type that was collected for its resistance to powdery mildew. No idea if it has been selected for culinary use. Round seeded so perhaps best as a soup pea?

[galina]

I have removed Minogue flower heads when I wanted to grow pure leek seeds.  With the multiplier onions it isn't so critical as they are more variable anyway. 

Oops, should have said with the multiplier l e e k s  it isn't so critical.

[galina]

Yes I agree Jan, Blauwschokker is definitely for shelling.  Opal Creek is a snap, but a relatively slender one. One of its real advantages is how tolerant it is of summer heat.                             

[galina]

Thank you Vetivert, makes perfect sense.  Guess a pot is the best way and start when the weather is warming up.  Guess patience is definitely required here.  Lovely fat looking seeds.  Looking forward to growing tree peony.