Seed Sharing Circle 2015 and growing progress

[galina]

I've been wondering what to add to the Seed Circle. I'm growing Huacatay (Peruvian Black Mint) Pipiche (Porophyllum tagetoides) Quillquiña (Porophyllum ruderale) and Papalo (Porophyllum coloratum) and hope one or more might make it onto the circle seed list?

Also I've two Giant Bolivian Achocha plants, fingers crossed.

Each, any or all of them sound good. 

I am just harvesting my first seed.  I have salsify in the garden and decided a while ago on a little selection program to improve the size of the roots.  They are still not really big, but bigger than they were.  The seeds collected are only from the bigger rooted plants.  The blue flowers are a bonus.   

[galina]

[Silverleaf]

I love salsify flowers! Scorzonera flowers are lovely too, and smell really good to me.

Nice big roots would be fantastic.

[sparrow]

They are beautiful flowers, but I can only see about one or two seeds in each flower. Any ideas what I have done wrong? There are masses of flowers and I thought I would be drowning in seeds...

[galina]

They are beautiful flowers, but I can only see about one or two seeds in each flower. Any ideas what I have done wrong? There are masses of flowers and I thought I would be drowning in seeds...

a photo would help.  Yes you would normally have masses of seed from scorzonera.   

[sparrow]

I'll try and get one in a bit when I go to water.

The flowers go all fluffy like a dandelion and I break them off with some stalk at that point and put them in a bag to dry. But when I look through the flower there are only one or two seeds that look like the ones in the packet. All the other strands are really really thin and wispy.

[galina]

Do they just got fluffy or do they spread out to a full round head of fluff.  They are ready when they are fully fluffed out (the stage at which they are at risk of blowing away).  Do you have more flowers to come?  Maybe wet or drizzly weather somehow prevented proper pollination and all could still be well  with later blooms. 

If not, it may be just one of those things.  We all have unexpected problems as well as unexpected successes.  When it comes to seed saving. unfortunately, problems can and do happen, but they happen to everybody.   

[sparrow]

Thanks galina. I picked them both at starting to be fluffy and at full fluff (technical term! :)).

I think it's just one of those things. There are a lot of flowers to come, so I will see if the later ones are better. At least seed is cheap.

[galina]

Thanks galina. I picked them both at starting to be fluffy and at full fluff (technical term! :)).

I think it's just one of those things. There are a lot of flowers to come, so I will see if the later ones are better. At least seed is cheap.

You are doing everything right Sparrow, and fingers crossed for the later flowers 

I would happily go halves with you, but my variety is unnamed, so not the same as yours.  Had we both grown the same variety for definite, we could have had a joint seed-save effort.  But yours are by no means a write-off at this stage.  More flowers please     

[earlypea]

Just a bit of an update on my progress having returned from 5 weeks away just over a week ago.

Originally I said I'd hope to supply Red Swan dwarf French bean and Sokol Breadseed Poppy.

Sadly I didn't get around to the bread seed poppy.  The red swans went in, but all of the allotments are infested with the worst black-fly we ever did see and they're struggling, but I should have just enough.

I'm also saving, nearly dry now - Atika Root Parsley

...and tomatoes almost ripe:  Purple Heart dwarf (from the online dwarf tomato project)
Black Russian, Paul Robeson (gorgeous, big, early and totally black-tasting - devoured my first yesterday)
Oxacan Jewel - Bi-coloured sunset-looking orange with red glowing through it.  Looks lovely get's good taste reports.

If anyone fancies the above I'll do those instead.

I can't find the page to see if people have had them before.

[sparrow]

I'm also saving, nearly dry now - Atika Root Parsley

...and tomatoes almost ripe:  Purple Heart dwarf (from the online dwarf tomato project)
Black Russian, Paul Robeson (gorgeous, big, early and totally black-tasting - devoured my first yesterday)
Oxacan Jewel - Bi-coloured sunset-looking orange with red glowing through it.  Looks lovely get's good taste reports.

If anyone fancies the above I'll do those instead.

I can't find the page to see if people have had them before.

All of those sound good. I LOVE root parsley. I just wish someone would breed a giant version as the roots are never big enough. Am away at the moment and slightly fretting about my allotments and what might be happening with the plants for seed saving.

[galina]

If anyone fancies the above I'll do those instead.

I can't find the page to see if people have had them before.

Earlypea, they sound really good.  Here is the page of everything that has been exchanged:
http://seedsaverscircle.org/seed-circle/a-z-of-varieties-shared-in-the-seed-circles/

Don't worry Sparrow - if you plan on two specific crops and they don't work out (which happens to everybody!), then you could end up with nothing.   But only then.  If you think of alternatives, there is still plenty of time.  This circle for me inspires more general thinking along the lines of 'Can I save true seeds from all these vegetables?'  Often there are not enough seeds for the circle, but plenty for myself.  Other times I could supply a small village.  For example, I hoped for seed from a specific lettuce, then at flowering time we got mist and rain for weeks.  Most flowers rotted rather than producing seeds.  Happens all the time, but usually the spread of flowering is long enough for a harvest for yourself.  And with luck for the group.  Or another lettuce that matures a few weeks later will produce lots of seeds. 

Handpollinating squash is another one.  If we are on holiday when the bulk of male and female squash flowers happen and come back to set fruit, we won't know whether they are true breeding or not.  We probably don't want to take the fruit off and start again waiting for new flowers, because of time needed to mature.  And another of my problems with squash is our location in a colder part of the country.  I often get so few seeds inside a fruit (or even none), due to the temperatures at handpollination time.  Or maybe I am just a bit heavy handed with my pollinations?  Also in nature a squash flower is visited on average by 8 bees or other insects.  Seedsavers handpollinate once.  Not surprising that there are often fewer seeds.  If I had promised that particular squash and ended up with ten seeds only, it would be enough for me but not for the circle.  We all have these problems to contend with.  To switch is never a problem.

To switch to something exciting like one of the tomatoes from the dwarf tomato project, is definitely no hardship for the recipients.  And your other suggestions sound great too, like Sparrow said.   

Good growing all   

[Silverleaf]

Judging by the amount of flowers my Skagit Magic TPS plants have, I'll likely have plenty of that to share. Some nice little berries already too. :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Are those direct from TPS, or tubers from previous years' seed?

[Silverleaf]

From seed this year.

[Debs]

Lemongrass ...

[Debs]

My lemon has probably been the only success I have had this season, although it hasn't flowered, so I will be providing the seed I sowed it from for the seed sharing circle.

I hope others have had a more productive growing season!!

Debs

[earlypea]

It's certainly been a trying season, agreed!

Late frosts..........drought...........rain on rain.....

Results have been very mixed, but I've managed to save the following:

tomatoes (as mentioned before):  Paul Robeson and Oxacan Jewel  - My absolute favourites.  I believe I will be growing these every year. I'm in love with both.  Purple Heart Dwarf - not so successful in this cooler season, but interesting and worth trying again.

I've also managed to save plenty of Red Swan dwarf french, despite the black-fly.

I think I'll add Vegetable Mallow (from Realseeds).  I wouldn't say it was a favourite (has a good texture if just wilted, but never the flavour of spinach or chard), but if you have a free-draining plot like mine and add drought to it then it's really good to have any kind of leafy greens, June onwards.  You only need a couple of plants.  They're big and they stand up well to heat/dry and they're an attractive feature.

My Attika parsley root seeds are finishing off indoors, but don't seem to be drying very well - we'll see.

Looking forward to hearing what others have got.

Lemon grass would be great Debs - something new for me.

[sparrow]

It's been such an odd year. The things I really wanted to add in (aubergines, salsify, Lazy Housewife beans, beetroot) have been disastrous.  The seeds I got from last year's circle have absolutely romped away though!

I will definitely have Flat White Boer squash and possibly enough Royal Black chillies. Am loathe to name anything else in case it then turns up its toes. I seem to be under a small curse...

On the plus side, I have a big crop of Black Coco beans to return to HSL, and I am keeping some of them back for next year, they are fabulous. Seed Circle 2016..?! 

[Silverleaf]

Ooh, the mallow sounds interesting earlypea, especially as mallow is good for rabbits. :) My two bunnies would definitely approve!

[markfield rover]

Well, I have picked the first Vince tomato, and if there was ever a tomato doing an impression of a yellow pepper this is it! Tastes like one too!