Seed Saving Circle 2025

[JanG]

It's May already and we're right in the midst of a very busy time in the vegetable growing calendar. There is at last the possibility of sowing beans and cucurbits under cover and soon there will be the rush to plant out tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and so on. As part of this activity, it would be excellent if there's space for thinking ahead as to which crops might be good for seed-saving.

The season so far has been kinder, at least in UK, than the last, with a mild spell recently and not the deluges we experienced in 2024. I'm hoping that the slug population is more moderate this season. So far the signs are encouraging here. For me last year several squash, for example, were nibbled to total extinction. Fingers crossed for this year. Those of us who were part of last year's richly varied Seed Circle will have had the excitement of sowing many of its wonderful varieties. It would be very good to hear more of progress and to share results and experiences.

And so to the next Seed Circle! I hope that last year's enthusiastic band will be willing and able to participate again and it would also be excellent if any new members would like to join us.

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). They will then aim to save enough seed for other Circle members to grow a crop the following year. The group could be up to 12 people but is more often under 10. Recently it has numbered about 7 participants. 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 or hand pollinating.  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 shared in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 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 2023 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,83426.0.html
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 2024 https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf2.1/index.php/topic,83530.0.html

Please could a moderator pin this.

[JanG]

[juliev]

I'm in!
Thank you Jan for the time and effort to coordinate the circle.

[galina]

Yes please, thank you Jan!  They are discussing a possible SPS agreement in weeks, which should be very good news for seed exchanges, if it actually happens. Otherwise the usual provisos. 

[JanG]

Great to hear from you, juliev and Galina.

And excellent news on the SPS discussion. Good that you have your ear to the ground on that. Do keep us posted.

[Vetivert]

Thank you for organising this again Jan and count me in please :)


The Chinese Pink Celery I included last year appears to have crossed with a plant of Chinese White Celery, or accidentally mixed. I was sure they flowered at different times and the white seedhead was discarded but must have been mistaken.

Anyway, it's quite fortuitious as the seedlings are a mixture of vivid pink, pure white, pale pink, and pinky green. Selection options!

[Vetivert]

Oh and it's early days yet but I hope to gather seed from:

Lettuce
Gigant
Goldforellen
Wiener Maidivi
Gustav's Salad
Northern Queen
Loos Tennis Ball

Tomato
Jazz
Orange Jazz
Pinky
Chianti Rose
Primabella

Physalis
Schönbrunner Gold

Cucumber
Shintokiwa

Squash
Honeynut
Gelber Englischer Custard
Duobao (Chinese C. maxima for summer squash, like a vining Zapallito)

Chamomile
Bodegold

Opium poppy
Sokol

Cress
Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled

Unnamed Leaf Radish (Looks identical to https://www.rareseeds.com/radish-china-jade)

Brassica hybrids and turnips (if they go to seed) e.g. Kizuna https://vitalseeds.co.uk/product/asian-greens-kizuna-mix-organic/

Pea
Jeyes (shelling)
Edula (snap) https://dreschflegel-shop.de/knackerbse-edula

Various French and Runner beans

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I do have many other peas that need renewing but it's getting a bit late now and the weather is unfavourable. What are your thoughts for sowing now in the hopes for a modest seed crop? - just enough to perhaps double the amount sown. Risky?

[JanG]

Thank you for organising this again Jan and count me in please :)


The Chinese Pink Celery I included last year appears to have crossed with a plant of Chinese White Celery, or accidentally mixed. I was sure they flowered at different times and the white seedhead was discarded but must have been mistaken.

Anyway, it's quite fortuitious as the seedlings are a mixture of vivid pink, pure white, pale pink, and pinky green. Selection options!

I'm fairly sure my seedlings are all pink but I shall check again today.

[JanG]

Wow, Vetivert. That's an amazing list of possibles. There are so very many varieties there which are completely new to me and which hold such exciting promise! Good luck indeed for a good season of growth and with combating the drought which seems to be settling in for many at the moment.

On the pea question, I guess one factor is how many seeds you have of the varieties in question. If you have enough to hedge your bets and try some seeds now and keep some back, it seems worth having a go. Have you got anywhere half shady to protect against the worst of the summer heat. I imagine plentiful watering would help ward off the worst of summer mildew.

I'm thinking Galina has experience of later growing of peas and will offer a far more informed, experience-based opinion.

[galina]

Vetivert and Jan, yes but it only worked here.  In Rushden not so much, because of bad mildew.  Here we do not get that same mildew.  I know that some people have done it successfully in England for an autumn harvest with a July sowing.  It is worth an experiment, but clearly not with precious peas.  Good luck. 

[Vetivert]

Thanks for the advice :) there's a cool(ish) slightly shaded area near some fruit trees that I should perhaps utilise and leave the more open beds for beans?. Or put the peas in pots at home, it's very shady here with some afternoon sun, they might prefer it... the allotment can get very hot. Have you experimented with sprays to keep the mildew at bay? I've read people have success with dilute peroxide and seaweed on sweet peas, apparently the mildew is intolerant of an alkaline environment, though sweet pea foliage is quite different to that of edible peas.