Allotments 4 All

Having read Laurens thread on how to save seeds,  on a slightly different note - what fruit  & veg seeds can be saved for sowing the following year ???

In theory all flowering plants can have the seed saved for future years but seed from hybrid plants will usually give disappointing results. Others hybridise so easily with neighbours crops that it is difficult to keep the true strain.

This year so far I have collected the following veg:

Broad bean - Aquadulce.
Pea - Pilot.
Runner bean - Mix
Parsnip - The Student.
Beetroot - Detroit + white with probable crossing.
A Zimbabwe cabbage.
Radish - French breakfast.

This year I will not save anything as this was a lost year, but in previous years I saved the next seeds successfully:

rucola,  mustard, all cabbages, pumpkins, squash, various tomatoes, chives, various beans, peas, lettuce, leek, melon, peppers, chillis, cress and cape gooseberries.

i actually save the seeds of everything that goes to seed, but some will not germinate for unknown reasons. I was once told that some pumpkin/squash varieties are bred to produce sterile seeds. Don't know if that is true, though.

And as for the hybrids: I like surprises!
I mark the seeds saved from F1s and sow them when there is a leftover space.

I always save my own pea and bean seeds.  Flower seeds too.
Don't bother with anything else - results are too unpredicatable.

here's a nice link for HOW TO: http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html

There's also The Seed Site

http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/

    Hi ktl,    this is my list for this year, radish, artic king lettuce,
red leaf lettuce, broad beans, runner beans, climbing french beans,
pumpkin, butter nut squash, marrow, and finally cucumber.   LesH