Garden produce

mink35

Loadsabob wrote:

I wondered whether anyone already does, or has considered saving seed from their homegrown crops?

I haven't, but will be starting to this year with tomatoes and beans.

I always use the seeds from my runner beans as they're so easy. This year is the first year I've grown tomatoes from seed and I bought packet seeds, but I did save some seeds from a particular tomato I liked as well and they have grown (albeit less than I started with cos I kept killing them off!). Not sure whether these will be any good or not but it was worth a try.

Loadsabob

mink35 wrote:

I always use the seeds from my runner beans as they're so easy. This year is the first year I've grown tomatoes from seed and I bought packet seeds, but I did save some seeds from a particular tomato I liked as well and they have grown (albeit less than I started with cos I kept killing them off!). Not sure whether these will be any good or not but it was worth a try.

Good luck with the tomatoes! It's encouraging that they have come up! Did you follow any seed-saving technique, washing the seed etc? Or just save them as they were? (I often wonder how much of the cleaning process is necessary?...

mink35

My f-i-l told me to scrape out the seeds and dry overnight on a piece of kitchen paper, then just rub them lightly in the paper before planting. I saved the seeds from half a tomato (I think about 20 seeds) and planted them the following day! I'll keep you posted how the tomatoes turn out!

Loadsabob

mink35 wrote:

My f-i-l told me to scrape out the seeds and dry overnight on a piece of kitchen paper, then just rub them lightly in the paper before planting. I saved the seeds from half a tomato (I think about 20 seeds) and planted them the following day! I'll keep you posted how the tomatoes turn out!

Well, it's good to know that they've grown from having just been dried like that! Seed from bought vegetables/fruits doesn't always "come true" (you may already know this!), as they may have been grown from F1 seed. F1 varieties are bred from two parents, and the next generation from the seed of F1 fruit will tend to revert back to the characteristics of one or other of the parents -not the F1 fruit that it was saved from.

SO, if you have used seed from a bought tomato and you don't end up with the same type of fruit you started with, that will be why, not anything you've done wrong! But yes, do keep us posted!

mink35

Loadsabob - I did know they might not turn out correctly but thought it was worth a try

Had some real peas today, yum Unfortunately not enough to cook so I just had to eat them straight from the pod

My veggies are doing really well. Ended up with six (:eek:) different types of tomatoes in the greenhouse as well as chilli and pepper. Also got peas, leeks, lettuce, red onions, broccoli, chard, runner beans, radishes, garlic, celery and rhubarb. Have killed off two blackcurrant bushes and two blackberry bushes but my raspberry bushes are growing well!

Carrots are going in tomorrow (been waiting til late so the nasty carrot fly has died off a bit!)

Loadsabob

Mink35,

hope I didn't sound discouraging on the tomatoes! It certainly seems you'll get something from them, and though it may be different to the fruit you got the seeds from, that's part of the fun!

The peas sounded wonderul - I hear people saying that straight from the pod is the best way to enjoy them! You're supposed to start picking as soon as the first ones appear, aren't you, to encourage more to grow? I was terrible with my beans one year, I left them until I thought there were enough for a meal, but by then I think the plant had had enough and didn't produce many more!

I have leeks on the go, too. They're still tiny, like chives, and in little pods. But I hope to make them work this year! My climbing french beans were sowed and germinated at the weekend, and I got more lettuce underway - should have a rotating crop all season all being well.

I think I may give up on carrots in future years...they never seem to work for me! I have some in pots though, may see how those fare. And my onion sets are getting eaten, so I may not bother with those again, but concentrate on the things that are most expensive to buy organic.

And I pre-germinated parsnips this weekend and popped them into modules to get a head start. Fingers crossed, I've never been too successful with those.

And finally there was some summery weather! At last!!!

moggins

I have to get my marrows and courgettes into the ground today or tomorrow, they've suddenly turned into monsters and have taken over the pots they are growing in

Talk about revenge of the trifids

mink35

Loadsabob wrote:

Mink35,

hope I didn't sound discouraging on the tomatoes! It certainly seems you'll get something from them, and though it may be different to the fruit you got the seeds from, that's part of the fun!

Not at all

Loadsabob wrote:

The peas sounded wonderul - I hear people saying that straight from the pod is the best way to enjoy them! You're supposed to start picking as soon as the first ones appear, aren't you, to encourage more to grow?

YES! Best straight from the pod and yes, I think you're supposed to pick them as soon as they are ready - that's what I always do anyway!

Loadsabob wrote:

I think I may give up on carrots in future years...they never seem to work for me!

I've only just started mine - apparently (going on books not experience!) if you can leave them a bit later than normal then the carrot fly don't have chance to lay their eggs Could this be what's caused the problem with yours?

mink35

moggins wrote:

I have to get my marrows and courgettes into the ground today or tomorrow, they've suddenly turned into monsters and have taken over the pots they are growing in

Not got marrows or courgettes growing cos it's only me that'll eat them! Wanna swap something

moggins

what'ya growing mink. Do you have any leeks cos I killed mine off in the mini-sauna (sorry, greenhouse)