What can I grow that I don't need to keep buying seeds for?

[lovelygreenleaves]

Hi everyone, I'm new to veg growing so would be grateful for your expert advice! I've grown a few things this year, but am trying to make a good plan for next year. Could anyone tell me what I can grow that I can easily save seeds/ cuttings from? and how do I save seeds?? I imagine some must be easier than others

[Green Aura]

If you have a look on Real Seeds website - I think it is www.realseeds.co.uk - but you can google them.

They have a great section on saving seeds, and the seeds they sell can all be collected in future, if you see what I mean. So even if you need to buy some for next year you should be able to collect from then on. You can let things like onions and celery etc go to seed and collect, but it depends on your original stock if they'll come true next year. Hybrids tend to revert to one of the parent varieties.

Not sure about cuttings - most veg are annuals. There are things like salsify, jerusalem artichokes, spuds and horseradish that you could propagate by dividing the roots/saving tubers, but I can't think of much else offhand.

[Helsbells]

Runner beans and broad beans are easy to collect the seeds from.

[Broad Bean]

Both runner beans and broad beans will cross easily with other varities if anybody else is growing any nearby. They'll grow OK but you'll have no certainty that they'll be what you want. French beans however pretty much keep themselves to themselves so they're pretty sure to come true to type. Peas are good too as they tend to pollinate themselves before the flowers actually open.

[Helsbells]

Heh heh yes it can be interesting what comes up. I had some purple runner beans amongst my green ones this year!

[lovelygreenleaves]

Wow the real seeds website is really good thanks, lots to try there!

[Shirley]

perennial veg - someone started a thread on neeps earlier in the year.

I grew some walking onions, aka tree onions and they are GREAT. They grow little onions at the top of the plant where you might expect the flower to be and they also produce onions at the bottom. The onions at the top can either be used for pickling or the plant will droop over (or could be encouraged) and the little onions will root and produce more. It's gorgeous too.

[Milims]

We seem to have grown lots of tomatoes and sunflowers without planting any seeds at all! You've guessed it - home made compost!

[Big Al]

Both runner beans and broad beans will cross easily with other varities if anybody else is growing any nearby. They'll grow OK but you'll have no certainty that they'll be what you want. French beans however pretty much keep themselves to themselves so they're pretty sure to come true to type. Peas are good too as they tend to pollinate themselves before the flowers actually open.

Typical French behaviour then......

[Islay]

Those tree onions are brilliant! Can't wait until we have a bit more space to try all of these things.

[Millymollymandy]

Coriander, let some flower then go to seed and just harvest the seed by shaking the seed heads into a paper bag.

I have found that my own saved seed isn't very flavoursome to use as ground coriander in curries, soups etc though - maybe it's not hot enough here. But they sure grow fine from my seed.

Ditto dill. Actually I don't need to save the seed as they just self seed everywhere!

[jim]

Rhubarb or asparagus if you can persuade someone who's splitting roots to give you some. Radish seed is easy to collect in the same way as corriander,

Love and Peace
Jim

[Green Aura]

Of course, the other thing is to grow perennials, like daylilies, that are not always obviously veg. The Plants for a Future website has loads of info.

Here's the link
http://www.pfaf.org/index.php

[KathyLauren]

Could anyone tell me what I can grow that I can easily save seeds/ cuttings from? and how do I save seeds?? I imagine some must be easier than others

Anything!!

I just attended a seed-saving workshop today. The basic rule of thumb is that, if it grows from seeds, you can save them yourself. Some things, like garlic, don't grow true from seeds, so you have to plant bulbs or cuttings. Hybrids either won't grow from seed at all or else won't produce true offspring. Anything else is fair game.

A lot of veggies are biennials, meaning that they will not produce seed until their second year. To save seeds from these, you have to over-winter them. If you live in a climate where the plants can survive a winter, that is easy to do. In a colder climate, you might have to transplant them indoors for the winter and then set them out again for their second year.

[grahamhobbs]

All the experts say you can't really save brassica seeds, because they are too promiscuous, your cabbage and brussels will get all mixed up. Is it true, has anyone tried? What do you need to do to prevent it?