Anyone grown mini cucumbers in their greenhouse?

mum_of_4

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Hybrids, if F1, are an improvement on the old open pollinated varieties as they require far less work to produce a crop.Surprised about the price though as F1 seed often cost that price each.

I have found that the open pollen varieties have been fantastic and found them to be less work then others. The main benifit being that I can save the seed and thus the grow your own thing is so, so much cheaper.

Perhaps for someone starting out F1 varieties are a good bet but nearly all the people on our site enjoying saving their own seed.

cjb02

I agree with mum of 4 on this one open pollinated is always preferred over F1 hybrids because you can save the seed. Hybrids are better for seed companies because it means we "the consumer" have to keep going back to them for more seeds every year but as a consumer open pollinated is better as we can keep the seeds (or even breed our own varieties). If you get the right variety open pollinated are also as good as any hybrid IMO.

cjb02

billieboy wrote: »

Does Mr Fothergill's charge postage? Can't see anything on their website . TIA.

just went and tried to buy some seeds and there appears to be no postage costs.

mum_of_4

cjb02 wrote: »

I agree with mum of 4 on this one open pollinated is always preferred over F1 hybrids because you can save the seed. Hybrids are better for seed companies because it means we "the consumer" have to keep going back to them for more seeds every year but as a consumer open pollinated is better as we can keep the seeds (or even breed our own varieties). If you get the right variety open pollinated are also as good as any hybrid IMO.

So for example this year I'm hoping to save seed from -

Tomatoes
Sweet peppers
Chilli's
Courgette
winter squash
melon
cucumber
french beans
herbs
sweetcorn
runner beans
peas
leeks

some things like the peppers will need a homemade isolation cage so they don't cross. I make a basic one using fleece place around one plant. I just pollenate the flowers myself on the squash etc Leeks have to left to run to seed which takes ages so most people would give up.

It must save me a packet saving my own seeds. The above list is what I hope to save this year. Previous years I have saved what is underlined.

nozzy6

this might be a daft question but do you mean if you are planning on saving seeds from your own plants to use next year you must keep them separate from all the other plants? I thought it was just a case of getting the seed out of the cuc or whatever and planting it the following season?

cjb02

nozzy6 wrote: »

this might be a daft question but do you mean if you are planning on saving seeds from your own plants to use next year you must keep them separate from all the other plants? I thought it was just a case of getting the seed out of the cuc or whatever and planting it the following season?

thats some times the idea. I started last year saving my own seed. but I only saved them from tomatoes and achocha (from realseeds.co.uk)

depending on what you want to save seeds from depends how you go about saving that seed. Some are fine just left, others need caging as mum of 4 states. cucumber can cross pollinate I think but if you only have one in a greenhouse you might be ok (dont know for sure with out further research)

so some you isolate and some you dont. depends on what you want to save seeds from.

elliep_2

I think she means to stop similar plants crossing with each other.

I've grown cayenne peppers and salad peppers near each other and not saved the seeds because if one pollenates the other I don't know what I'll be getting if I grow the seed next year. The suggestion above is good though, If I seperate them for the pollenation season (most of the sumer I guess!) then I'll be able to save the seeds.

mum_of_4

Yes the bees will cross pollanate the plants.

So for example I pick out the best looking pepper plant one from each variety grown and then I put four cane into the ground to make a square cover with fleece. This stops the bees getting in then paint brush to hand dust the flowers. Thatt's it. Once the fruit has set I remove the fleece. I mark the plant or fruit with a ribbon or alike and then know that's the peppers that I need to scoop the seed from.

Squashes you get a male flower and push it into the female flower.

French beans don't normally cross. However I uselly mix my F/beans so I have a colourful display of yellow,purple and green beans then I'll have a wigwame of just one type somewhere else which is the plants I'll save the seed from.

This year I guess I'll only save the sweetcorn seed from the early crop grown in the polytunnel.