Seed Saving Circle 2026

[JanG]

A few photos of some of the things I hope to contribute.  The squashes shown are handpollinated and growing. 

First two are Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkin from George McLaughlin via Vetivert who kindly shared her packet with me, a cucurbita moschata with superior storing properties, not just into winter but still storing when the new plants are growing in spring.  The last photo is showing the 3 from last year which shortly afterwards turned fully yellow beige as their storage colour.

Brilliant to have the prospect of seed for this variety, Galina. I can vouch for the fact that it has prodigious storage capabilities as I still have one in store from last year's growing. I was concerned that the variety might fade out of existence in Europe as I'd been unable to save seed and didn't know whether Vetivert had. It seems unlikely that George McLaughlin has distributed the seed to anyone else outside US.

I, for one, am very grateful for your prowess in hand-pollinating squash and courgette plants, Galina. The others you're developing are very welcome too, Whangaparaoa Crown for its name alone and the courgette for its appealing dark, striped skin, a nice change from the number of white skinned courgettes I've been growing this year.

[JanG]

A very early bean Stangenbohne Simmen.  My seed was from Mr Yeoman's collection.  It is also kept in the Swiss Heritage Seed Library equivalent, called Pro Specie Rara.  Young stringless, but does develop strings eventually.  This was the earliest of the green beans this year.  As the pods get older, the reddish hue intensifies.  The second photo shows younger pods which are pale green, quite wide and long.

Another variety to look forward to. Such an appealing range of colours.

On developing colours I've been intrigued by juliev's Marconi Purple sweet pepper. If you haven't grown it this season, I encourage you to next year. It's a large tapered sweet pepper,very prolific, which quickly turns intense purple.   I thought that was the fully ripe form and I think it is ripe at that stage. But I left one or two on the plant for longer and they turned bright red. It's very appealing to have several peppers of both colours on the plant at once. Definitely a special variety. The colour on the plant photo doesn't do justice to the colour. The second photo shows it more as it is.

[galina]

Definitely looking forward to growing this.  But I had several peppers this year I had to seed renew, so unfortunately they got delayed.  The colours are very striking, especially that dark purple before it finally reaches the red.   

[galina]

Also hoping for seeds from Striped Nigerian Aubergine.  Very early and flowering white.  The fruits are egg shaped and sized and the striping is more pronounced on younger fruits. 

[galina]

Another bean for the circle is Neckargold.  You would not believe that we have been picking this wigwam for our dinners for over a week already.  Very heavy bearing golden colour commercial pencil podded bean.  Neckar is a river in Germany.  Had to reinforce the wigwam too. 

[galina]

And a third bean.  This one from Dutch seed saver Jaap Vlaming.  Musje Eikes, which apparently mean sparrow's egg. No! that can't be right said another Dutchman, it is Musseneitjes for sparrow's egg.  Ok, but I still have the original seed envelope with that spelling.  Then a third Dutch seedsaver helpfully came along and insisted it is the wrong bean, because the seed does not resemble a sparrow's egg and it must have been misnamed altogether.  Well there is nothing worse than a bean with a doubtful history, especially such a really good bean which is  thriving in this heat.  I have also grown this bean several times in England and it liked cooler, damper summers just the same.  So I can happily recommend it as a good bean for the circle, never mind its doubtful naming and history.