Seed Saving Circle 2025

[JanG]

I've only tried peas in seed snails so far. For those and based on my previous way of sowing I don't save as much space as you, MR. I sowed 40 seeds in the snail above. They were quite crowded. Usually I would sow them in a 40 module tray 2 per module so the 40 seeds would make up half a module. It's certainly less space taken and less compost too, perhaps two thirds of each. I might get to plant them out today r tomorrow and will be interested to see whether the collar I left helps prevent tangling of tendrils.

[JanG]

Just made two seed spirals out of the bubble wrap strips and wanted to sow two kohlrabi types (root day in the moon calendar).  Mislaid one of the packets and have been sowing purple summer sprouting broccoli instead.  Wrong day for sowing, but we can only try!  As overwintering PSB here turns to mush, I bought summer sprouting and hope we will get something later in the year.  Placed inside a supermarket container with holes in the bottom and onto the capillary matting on the seed shelf.

Other good news, the first lettuces have sprouted, yeah!

Congratulations on your germinated lettuces. Spring at last does seem to be with us.

I'm interested in your spirals. You seem to have large centres and narrow outer swirls. Is that just the effect of the photo or does that suit the type of seed? Or perhaps a layer of compost on top? Mine have small centres and wider outer layers. Different styles for different sowers!

[galina]

The strips I found in my packing materials box were very slightly narrower at one end, so I chose to have that end in the middle and have the slightly higher part of the strip at the end to contain the wet soil better.  I left about 3 inches unfilled at the end to make wrapping easier (and less messy).  The outermost turn is part empty, rather than less filled  The difference in strip height means that you can't really see the slightly shorter bits of the snail, but since you unwrap from the outside, it made sense to do it this way. Well until a better way presents itself.  No doubt there will be a learning curve here too!

Your peas have come on beautifully, compared to the last photo, no wonder you are about to plant them out.  They do look bonny, Jang! 

[JanG]

Yes, they've come on well. Planted out this afternoon and I was pleased with the way the snail unfurled and with the root development. Very easy to plant out and no entangled tendrils.

[juliev]

The snails are definitely photogenic! I can see why they are popular 

[juliev]

Crossing in French Beans

Morning everyone,

I'm finally sorting the rest of my bean seeds and I see a lot of new types. Personally, it doesn't bother me at all as I'm interested in breeding and growing as mixed populations but it raises some questions/concerns:

Do the crosses happen in my garden? If so, I should be more careful and isolate better the varieties I want to share with the seed circle (have you noticed crosses in the seeds I've shared?)

Have you noticed a lot of crosses in your own gardens? Do you do anything about it apart from increase isolation and roguing?

Just thought I'd ask... do you get rid of the off types or do you grow them on to see what happens?
(If you usually get rid of them, I'd be delighted to rehome them as part of my mixes  ) 

[galina]

In French beans (and also tomatoes) the natural crossing rate is around the 5% mark, higher when we have been able to attract a lot of hungry insects, especially earth wasps.  Much lower than that in peas, but also possible.  Some beans themselves, due to differences in flower structure have a higher crossing rate.  Generally not enough of a problem to isolate, but definitely not unknown.  Broad beans and runner beans cross at far higher rates (and peppers too) and need to be isolated.   The rarest cross is betweeen runnerbeans and French beans, but even that is not unknown.  When you suddenly get French beans with red flowers, this is what has happened.

You cannot spot a cross in the year it happened.  Because seed coat is maternal material,  the seed looks just like the mother variety, but dad's pollen has been transferred all the same, to create a different crossed variety inside that seed coat.  By the time you notice a cross, seed may well have been shared already in good faith.  You only really notice that there must have a been a cross, when you grow that seed and get a different plant from what you expect.   

Very occasionally, I stick an unopened flower truss inside a wedding favour bag.  Which ensures 100% purity, but the resulting bean pods can distort a bit or get too hot.  With runnerbeans there is no other choice, because nobody in an amateur setting has the isolation distances available.  HSL recommends 1.5m distance from any other French beans for seed guardian varieties, but this is more to avoid seed mixing, I guess, it certainly doesn't stop insects.  Cori of Bohnenatlas recommends lots of insect attracting flowers, to feed the bees and wasps on more attractive pollen, rather than the beans being affected. 

I find that the Appalachian beans tend to have a slightly higher crossing rate and yes following up crosses is great fun.  If you follow bean afficionado Russ Crow (a bean collectors window), he cherishes every new and promising cross.  This is how new varieties happen, unless of course they are deliberately crossed. 

Noted about you wanting seeds that have accidentally crossed. 

So yes, it does happen in your garden and in my garden and in all of our gardens, but we either live with it or marvel at it, whichever applies.