Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => Miscellany => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Wobbly John on 14 September, 2011, 10:05:29 pm
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Anybody else save their own seed? (No, not that sort of seed you discusting irk!)
As I haven't had so much time to harvest them when they were ready, I'll have plenty of bean (broad, french & runner) seed. As usual I'll save some of the shallots and elephant garlic to plant. I let some of last year's leeks and sping onions run to seed and have just picked them to dry off.
This year I'm also trying harvesting radish seed for next year.
In the past I've also done parsnips from collected seeds.
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How did you get on with the parsnips? Were there any complications?
It's a good one to do as their seed doesn't germinate if kept too long.
I bought Sue Strickland's book "Back Garden Seed Saving" but haven't had much time since to put it to use.
I presume you're familiar with http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl/
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The parsnip seeds grew Ok when I did them a couple of years ago - I haven't tried it yet as you need to grow the plant for 2 year before you get to sow the seed.
The radishes from saved seeds have germinated.
The beetroot seed I saved went a bit manky so I havent bothered planting them.
Sugar snap pea plants from saved seeds are growing well.
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I've been using non F1 hybrid seeds for years. Always intending to dabble with breeding and seed collecting. Not got round to it until this year when I have sown my first home collected parsnips.
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In an early example of IP law, you're not allowed to propagate many named varieties ::-) It appears that you can actually copyright DNA.