Seed Sharing Circle 2014?

[galina]

Sandpoint tommies are in! I am in the process of saving Marianna's Peace tom as in one fruit the first time I have had only one fruit ! On any tom! So is this a sad plant and not good enough for seed saving?

If you have any doubt Markfield, you could take seeds, grow it next year and see whether it adapts to our growing conditions.  If you got the seeds from a source far away, it may not be a bad plant, just a plant that isn't too well adapted.  If it is still below par grown from your own seeds, then is the time to make a decision whether the growing space and tending time is justified. 

Sorry this is not the 'yes or no' answer you may have been hoping for.  Plant adaptation (or not) is a fact of growing.  I have several varieties that I like and put up with lower harvest and more difficult growing, but I would not put them into the seed circle.  Please give this one another chance and then decide.  It certainly has rave reviews.   

Looking forward to the Sandpoints. 

[galina]

[markfield rover]

Thanks for that, I suspect the problem is me and that others will do better so I will pop them in and hope others  do better, the seeds were from HSL.The Georgian beans are in too.

[green lily]

Dear Jayb and others,
sorry to be a bit late checking in with my offerings for the circle. Nothing spectacular I'm afraid but I have saved quite a lot[for me] of Amish plum, some Purple Ukraine [also plum], some Blush and some Betimes macbeth. Onions are my second growing of Jeune Paille, and I've rocket and oriental mustard both in abundance if of any interest. Sorry didn't get anything else done as I hoped to sell my house [ and didn't] so cut down on garden veg. People said it was too high maintenance and wanted grass and borders.... So I'm still here and planting again but a bit less than before as I've put in some shribs etc to make it easier. Love to everyone

[galina]

Markfield Rover and Greenlily, sounds like you both had a good seed year mostly and looking forward to growing from your seeds.   

[markfield rover]

I have just popped up the plot  , beautiful sunshine  I now have pockets full of seeds mainly dahlia and cosmos but very satisfying . Plenty if anyone wants some, the cosmos grew to 7ft!

[green lily]

Hi Galina,
When I've finished cleaning and packing my seeds shall I send them to you or Jayb? If you, will you please PM your address. Thanks

[galina]

Hi Galina,
When I've finished cleaning and packing my seeds shall I send them to you or Jayb? If you, will you please PM your address. Thanks

Green lily, 

last year Jayb was unwell for quite some time and the circle got delayed.  Should this happen again, I will step in and help out.  This is only a back-up plan.   I expect Jayb will be along any minute and tell us when she is ready to start receiving seeds.

Great that you are ready and have already portioned and packed your seeds.  I think we were looking at sending the parcel out in January after the Christmas rush and before the earliest seeds get started.      

[goodlife]

 
I have FINALLY shelled all the peas from GH...and started shifting rest of the seeds into house too. Mice started to get bit interested of my stores.. I've been keeping my eye on them, expecting it to happen and jumped to action as soon as I saw first signs of the darn things. Pheww...in time 
Now I'm waiting beans to finish off on plants....nearly there and if the weather is kind for little while longer they are ready for picking and drying...fingers crossed.

[Jayb]

Hi Galina,
When I've finished cleaning and packing my seeds shall I send them to you or Jayb? If you, will you please PM your address. Thanks

Green lily, 

last year Jayb was unwell for quite some time and the circle got delayed.  Should this happen again, I will step in and help out.  This is only a back-up plan.   I expect Jayb will be along any minute and tell us when she is ready to start receiving seeds.

Great that you are ready and have already portioned and packed your seeds.  I think we were looking at sending the parcel out in January after the Christmas rush and before the earliest seeds get started.      

Thanks Galina 
If everyone is in agreement, seeds to be sent in by Christmas at the very latest, prefreably before to miss the worst of the festive post. Then parcels to be sent out to everyone the second week of January.
We need numbers of who's still in, so seed packs can be packed up.

I'm still not sure of everything I'm putting in, I'll try and decide very soon.

[Jayb]

Just looking through the most recent posts it seems currently active in the group are,
Galina
Goodlife
Green Lily
Markfield Rover
Silverleaf
Sparrow
Jayb
Pumpkinlover
Aj
Ian Pearson
Easyonthebrain
Ruud

I'll pm the others as they don't seem to have been on this thread for a while and ask them to confirm, hopefully a few more names to add to the list.

[pumkinlover]

I have some dwarf beans and hopefully some mangtout peas..

[Silverleaf]

I have mispoona definitely, and I'll see what else I can manage.

[Jayb]

I have some dwarf beans and hopefully some mangtout peas..

Brilliant, I've updated above list.

[Jayb]

Pm's/emails sent.
Final numbers to be confirmed by 30th October.
I'll then send my address for the parcels to be sent to 

[aj]

I'm still in - still collecting so will look at things that haven't been saved and see if I can fill in any gaps.

Cheers

AJ

[Ian Pearson]

Me too. Katja tomato, celeriac, and culinary dandelion.

[galina]

Me too. Katja tomato, celeriac, and culinary dandelion.

Have just read up on Katja tomato.  Oh wow! 

I'll add Rosalie's Early Orange tomato, which has done so well outdoors this year.  At one stage after the first fruits were harvested, blight struck and I though t'that's it', but actually after a few blighted fruit the plants really got going and produced a massive crop of healthy fruit and they are still going now, although I now take them in at the first sign of colour.  Our first slight brush with frost did not harm them.  The only problem with them is that early fruit is huge but (practically) seedless.  Later fruits have far more seeds.  My outdoors plants actually have done a lot better than the greenhouse plants I had planted 'for insurance'.

The other tomato I am thinking of adding is Lylia, a small sweet cherry on long trusses.   And the third is Sosulka Rozovaya aka Pink Icicle, which is the pink sister variety to Sosulka Chernaya aka Black Icicle that we had in the circle before.  As with Rosalie's Early Orange, I am still picking fruit at the moment. 

Pea 'Sugar Lord' in conjunction with goodlife,  Salad Burnet herb and a bean or two (depends on final numbers to make sure that everybody gets a decent portion).  I definitely have enough of 'Cousin Oliver' climbing French Bean. 

The Piquante peppers from Jeannine's parcel are finally turning red (peppadew type of pepper), might add those seeds.  Squash seeds haven't been harvested yet, so I don't know yet what I have.  That's the situation here.   

[easyonthebrain]

Hi, i'm still in albeit had a few problems with original stuff i'd signed up to so it will be San Marzano broccoli Raab/Turnip Broccoli and Minidor Yellow Dwarf French Beans. Hope these are alright for everyone. I do have Aeron Purple Star Runners if anyone wants some of these although still drying out at present.

Regards Eric

[ruud]

You can count me in
Already looking forward to participate the round robin.I am already harvesting and drying seeds so lets starting.

[Silverleaf]

I can probably manage a small offering of Blue Lake climbing French beans - sorry they aren't terribly exciting or rare or anything, but they massively outperformed all my other climbing beans despite millions of slugs, very dry weather, and a late start. The other beans have done practically nothing. Shame, because I wanted to share some of those. :/ I should be less neglectful next year!

Probably also Telephone peas, but again only a few.