What seeds are you saving this year ?
What seeds are you saving this year ?
I normally only save the bigger seeds from the legume family and tomatoes, but this year I'm expanding a bit.
The normal seeds are 2 varieties of climbing French beans, broad beans, early peas and maincrop peas, plus several varieties of tomato.
As well as those, this year I am saving sweetcorn, beetroot, melon, butternut squash, and next spring I will try and save spring cabbage, cauliflower and PSB seed, although those are all together and I'm not sure if they interbreed (probably), so might end up with some "interesting" brassicas next year.
The normal seeds are 2 varieties of climbing French beans, broad beans, early peas and maincrop peas, plus several varieties of tomato.
As well as those, this year I am saving sweetcorn, beetroot, melon, butternut squash, and next spring I will try and save spring cabbage, cauliflower and PSB seed, although those are all together and I'm not sure if they interbreed (probably), so might end up with some "interesting" brassicas next year.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
- doofaloofa
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
I'll save some of the french beans I grew this year
I was going to save some maro peas, but the ones you buy in the shops for mushy peas are cheap and disease free (looking)
I was going to save some maro peas, but the ones you buy in the shops for mushy peas are cheap and disease free (looking)
ina wrote: die dümmsten Bauern haben die dicksten Kartoffeln
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
Marigold! Just this year I'd decided to make some marigold "oinkment" and didn't have enough of them... Usually they come up all over the place.
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
- Green Aura
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
We'll be saving some of the peas and beans that performed better up here.
The red mustard, marigolds and nasturtiums seem to save themselves - all over the polytunnel! Oh and spuds - I'm still weeding spud plants out of the polytunnel. The troubling thing is that we've never grown spuds in there
The red mustard, marigolds and nasturtiums seem to save themselves - all over the polytunnel! Oh and spuds - I'm still weeding spud plants out of the polytunnel. The troubling thing is that we've never grown spuds in there
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
Yeah, I've got that problem, too! I think it's just a few old tatties that ended up in the compost and decided to have another life... I eat very few tatties these days, and the two plants that came up next to my courgettes will do me just fine for the year.Green Aura wrote:The troubling thing is that we've never grown spuds in there
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
...... or even just potato peelings. If there's an "eye" intact on a peeling and it's kept moist (like in a compost bin), it will grow without hesitation.
You have the right idea GA, keep seeds from plants that do well in your climate. Also it's a good idea (although I don't know if it works 100%) is to save seed from the most prolific plant, or the plant that produces the biggest/tastiest crop.
I'll let you know next year if it does work, as I had one broad bean plant that was bigger and had a much heavier crop than the others, and I now have about 100 seeds from it.
You have the right idea GA, keep seeds from plants that do well in your climate. Also it's a good idea (although I don't know if it works 100%) is to save seed from the most prolific plant, or the plant that produces the biggest/tastiest crop.
I'll let you know next year if it does work, as I had one broad bean plant that was bigger and had a much heavier crop than the others, and I now have about 100 seeds from it.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
Well, I won't be saving curcubit seeds as the squash and courgette fruit that I carefully hand pollinated have both rotted
I have a few parsnips and leeks that I left in the ground last year - I'm intending to save seeds from them. My neighbour left some broccoli plants in the ground, so I've collected a few hundred seeds from them. Probably also peas and beans. I have both celery and fennel flowers, but I'm not sure about them as the celery was tiny (this is last years - it survived the very mild winter) and the fennel bolted (obviously, or I wouldn't have flowers). On the other hand, the few sugar beet plants that I sowed early specifically so that it would bolt for seeds... didn't. Depending on how the harvest of the rest of the crop goes, I may lift the tubers and replant next year in the hope they'll flower then. I assume that will work.
I have a few parsnips and leeks that I left in the ground last year - I'm intending to save seeds from them. My neighbour left some broccoli plants in the ground, so I've collected a few hundred seeds from them. Probably also peas and beans. I have both celery and fennel flowers, but I'm not sure about them as the celery was tiny (this is last years - it survived the very mild winter) and the fennel bolted (obviously, or I wouldn't have flowers). On the other hand, the few sugar beet plants that I sowed early specifically so that it would bolt for seeds... didn't. Depending on how the harvest of the rest of the crop goes, I may lift the tubers and replant next year in the hope they'll flower then. I assume that will work.
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Rachel
Take nobody's word for it, especially not mine! If I offer you an ID of something based on a photo, please treat it as a guess, and a starting point for further investigations.
My blog: http://growingthingsandmakingthings.blogspot.com/
- Flo
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
Jerusalem Artichokes. I thought I had cleared the patch last year, wrong! So we will eat as many as we want and if there are some left in the ground then we shall have them for next year.
Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
Definitely going to keep fennel seeds, considering that is what we grew our fennel for, don't know if the parents are planning on keeping tomato seeds (I don't like toms and they're not good for brewing, so I leave them alone)
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
No need to worry about saving fennel seeds, brewtrog, unless you want them for cooking. Fennel is a perennial so will come back next year and it will seed itself around - crafty little wotsit that it is..
Flo, I wouldn't mind Jerusalem Artichokes coming back year after year, they're such pretty plants. And they provide endless amusement after consumption.
Flo, I wouldn't mind Jerusalem Artichokes coming back year after year, they're such pretty plants. And they provide endless amusement after consumption.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
I didn't think I had saved any seeds last year until I realized there are tomato plants growing among the courgettes and squashes! They must have sneaked in via the compost heap :-)
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Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
French beans I think will be the only veg, I haven't hand-pollinated anything so not bothering to save squash or courgette seeds. I let the chard seed itself, I'm not picky about where it comes up.
Also saving a few flower seeds- lavender, lychnis somethingorother, morning glory, french marigold and maybe sweet peas. The rest can sort themselves out I'm lazy so I have lots of perennials and self-seeding annuals.
Also saving a few flower seeds- lavender, lychnis somethingorother, morning glory, french marigold and maybe sweet peas. The rest can sort themselves out I'm lazy so I have lots of perennials and self-seeding annuals.
Re: What seeds are you saving this year ?
Sorry should have said I meant for cooking and brewing (well pastis making). MY herb patch is all perennials as my parents put down weed proof membrane over the whole garden. It stops anything from self seeding, but any annuals I might want have to be grown in pots.Green Aura wrote:No need to worry about saving fennel seeds, brewtrog, unless you want them for cooking. Fennel is a perennial so will come back next year and it will seed itself around - crafty little wotsit that it is..