Seed Saving Circle 2026

[JanG]

I'm sorry you didn't have more success either Ruud's older seeds, Garrett. But it's great to have your list of hopefuls for the seed circle.

I haven't got a list yet but, like you, hoping to contribute a pepper or two. I grow peppers in soil in my polytunnel and then the only way to be sure of true seed is to bag flowers. But early on, while they're still growing in pots, I've been able to put a couple of varieties, just before the flowers open, on window sills in separate rooms. One of these is Champion (CAP 334). I had 2019 seed from the South Lincs Chilli Boys who had just disbanded. This was the last seed and two germinated. It's an interestingly bell shaped mild pepper and I'm hoping that the developing fruit I now have will produce enough good seed to share. The photo is of an unripe pepper from last time I grew it

 

[galina]

https://awaytogarden.com/a-spectrum-of-colorful-podded-peas-with-peace-seedlings/

And interesting artice featuring a number of the peas that have been shared in this seed circle.

[galina]

Thank you for the Mogette beans.  Had four pods last night, young they are an excellent green bean and they are really early too. 

[JanG]

Thank you for the Mogette beans.  Had four pods last night, young they are an excellent green bean and they are really early too. 

Interesting. I grew them last year but didn't try them as a green bean as I had them firmly in mind as a dried variety.
I guess many beans are good green if picked young.
That's certainly early. My only pickings so far are from in my polytunnel. I picked six very young beans of the commercial variety Cupidon.

For earliness I'm delighted with both of the purple fruited peppers contributed by juliev, Buena Mulata, a medium hot chilli and Marconi Purple, a sweet one.

[JanG]

Both seem very early and prolific

[galina]

Wow,  my peppers are biding their time and two early pods succumbed to slugs that made holes, then the weather shrivelled them to a crisp.  This is great Jang.  I know you started a bit earlier than I did, because you have additional lights.  But even so.  Congratulations.  Super photo.   

[galina]

So we have our first flop this year.  I had bought seeds for a nice Polish courgette Zloty Cepelin and had a couple of issues with germination, but in the end one plant grew nicely.  https://seemnemaailm.com/en/courgette-zloty-cepelin.html

As you can see from the photo, an attractive yellow courgette.  I isolated and handpollinated the first female fruit.   Except that what is actually growing is a very pale green almost white courgette.  So that will be a no then, unfortunately. 

I have also handpollinated a Striato D'Italia, but we had that a couple of times already, and it isn't such an interesting variety in the first place.  But let me know if you are interested.

Had a major pea grow out this year and with the heat they are now rapidly coming to their natural end of cropping period.  We have Purple Podded from Heritage Seed Library, which must be the earliest and highest yielding of all the purple shelling peas,  Kent Blue the mangetout with the intensively blue coloured flowers, Swedish Yellow which was once shared in the very early days of this seed circle from Goodlife and there will probably be a couple more for the seed circle.  Maybe Visionary with its very unusual flower colour, named by Silverleaf from a seedbank 'liberation' with dark royal purple flowers. A real front garden pea.

Other circle candidates to follow.  Maybe lettuce Cressonette Maroccaine if the slugs leave them alone.  We will see what else works out in the end.  Hope everybody else has managed to get their plants through the heat wave ok.  Here watering was a proper chore and we had a few casualties regardless.  Dino melon among them unfortunately.