Seed saving

C_J

Hello fellow gardeners

So I've been looking back at the successes and failures of my veg gardening this year, and as part of that review I would like to have a go at saving seeds which isn't something I have done before.  I know about leaving runner beans on the plants until they turn brown and brittle (maybe if the rain would stop they'd have a chance to do this!) but wondered if you might have hints, tips, definite don't-do things which we could share?

My first query is regarding Uchiki Kuri. I have grown these for the first time and had a fantastic crop of very tasty fruit, and am keen to try and save some seed for next year. The original seeds came from Premier Direct and weren't marked as F1, however they were grown in a squash bed alongside Blue Hubbard, Moustade de Provence, two types of pumpkin, four types of courgette, butternut squash and pink banana squash plants.  Searching t'internet seems to indicate that even if they are not F1, they will cross pollinate with other squashes and result in horrible bitterness next year. 

Has anyone tried squash seed saving, and how did it go? Any advice, please? (Also please let's talk about saving other veg seeds as I am going to be trying several types).

twopenny

Only tried once with Spaghetti squash from a smallholding. The seeds aparantly saved well but were reluctant to germinate. Couldn't try again as I couldn't buy another.

Problem is that their not a vegetable you can trial in a small corner somewhere.

I've been sucessful with Brassicas, purple and white brocolli saving and growing the following year. Trouble is it takes so long for the seeds to ripen and the enormous plant is taking up space.

I've had great results with tomatoes, peas and runner beans. Tomatoes are the easiest if fiddly. I squished a ripe tomato and spread it on a paper towel. Seems to help keep them dry in storage and you don't loose the little blighters. You can then bury the paper towel waiting for them to germinate.

Farway

twopenny said:

I've had great results with tomatoes, peas and runner beans. Tomatoes are the easiest if fiddly. I squished a ripe tomato and spread it on a paper towel. Seems to help keep them dry in storage and you don't loose the little blighters. You can then bury the paper towel waiting for them to germinate.

Snap, for all,

I'm always surprised when saving tom seeds this easy way because when one looks on line / You Tube it's removing and letting them ferment / sieving the seeds. & gawd knows what

And I write on the kitchen towel the variety & year.

C_J

That's very helpful re tomatoes - thank you. I'll not bother with all the washing, swishing, sieving etc etc and just squish them onto kitchen towel.

I've saved quite a lot of chilli seeds by tapping them out onto kitchen towel and wrapping them up, so I'm hoping at least some of those will germinate next time.

Apodemus

Farway said:

twopenny said:

I've had great results with tomatoes, peas and runner beans. Tomatoes are the easiest if fiddly. I squished a ripe tomato and spread it on a paper towel. Seems to help keep them dry in storage and you don't loose the little blighters. You can then bury the paper towel waiting for them to germinate.

Snap, for all,

I'm always surprised when saving tom seeds this easy way because when one looks on line / You Tube it's removing and letting them ferment / sieving the seeds. & gawd knows what

And I write on the kitchen towel the variety & year.

Lol, my tomatoes this year were self-seeds from my (two-year old) compost - much more successful than any toms I've grown before!

twopenny

That happened to me too. I was desperate for tomato plants in lockdown because mine weren't growing and ended up begging and buying from a roadside stall - then the compost I'd laid started germinating left right and centre.

I remember doing the paper towel thing with green pepper seeds. One year sucessful, one year not.

I've found storing seed in little sealable plastic bags works fine. They're stored in a wooden box and they are easily labeled. Better than the recommended paper bags which can get damp or attract snails or mice.

Davesnave

Squash are promiscuous. If you've never had 'odd bods' from bought seed of the marrow family, then you're luckier than me!

You will get viable seed, but no one will know what the fruit will be like, including keeping ability, until some time after harvest. Is it worth it? How much spare land have you got?

Agree on tomatoes, paper towel etc and even F2 from F1 may not be that noticeable.

-taff

Tomatoes, I do the put them in a jar with water and swish every day and rinse on the third day and dry. It's easy enough when you leave the jar by the sink. Tomatoes self pollinate so if you do have heirloom/heritage ones, they'll come true. And as dave says, depends on the hybrid for F1s. The last time I did that with plum tomatoes, I ended up with tomatoes each the size of my hand, still a plum, in big bunches like bananas that didn't ripen at all. Good for experiments though.

Squash are a pain, because any squash or courgette is pollen tastic. If you want to keep them next year, identify a flower before it opens and a male flower, stick the male flower in the female flower and then put an elastic band or tie the top of the femal flower so it doesn't get fertilised again. To be honest though,realistically you shouldhave enough seeds from what you bought originally to try this next year without having the keep any of this years. Uchiki Kuri are not F1s,not many squash are.

Peppers and chillies are another selfpollinating lot so keep and dry the seeds [ from ripe fruit preferably] and you shouldn't have a problem with germination as long as you remember they lik eit warm, so be prepared to cosset if you're sowing in February or March....

Did you want to save anything else specifically? And with beans, make sure they are really really dry before you them away. If you can make an indent on the skin with your nail when you press moderately hard, they're not dry enough to store.

C_J

This is all really useful stuff, thank you. I have enough room to try an experiment with the Uchiki Kuri - the kitchen garden is about half an acre. I've saved a handful of seed from one nicely ripe Uchiki Kuri which was eaten this week and will definitely try a few of those seeds next year, just to see what happens. However I have just checked the spreadsheet where I keep my seed inventory (does anyone else keep a spreadsheet?) and realise that I already have 60 Uchiki seeds left from this year so I don't actually need to save any after all. I think I just want the excitement of an experiment.

I have left about 20 large pods on the runner bean plants, and hopefully they will dry eventually. Can I pick them and leave them to dry on the greenhouse bench or indoors?

Farway

C_J said:

This is all really useful stuff, thank you. I have enough room to try an experiment with the Uchiki Kuri - the kitchen garden is about half an acre. I've saved a handful of seed from one nicely ripe Uchiki Kuri which was eaten this week and will definitely try a few of those seeds next year, just to see what happens. However I have just checked the spreadsheet where I keep my seed inventory (does anyone else keep a spreadsheet?) and realise that I already have 60 Uchiki seeds left from this year so I don't actually need to save any after all. I think I just want the excitement of an experiment.

I have left about 20 large pods on the runner bean plants, and hopefully they will dry eventually. Can I pick them and leave them to dry on the greenhouse bench or indoors?

I think I'd try and save a some Uchiki Kuri just to see if you can and how germination is, belt & braces in case the ones left over go mouldy or as as happened to my saved tomato seed on kitchen paper a few years back , been "tided away" [chucked in bin ]

Beans, I'd leave them on plants, think in the wild no one collected & stored them and they've kept going for millennia

Again, try an experiment, pick some & leave some. But once the pods are brown the seeds inside are ripe anyway

silverwhistle

The Real Seeds company has some good information on their website and even encourage their customers to have a go, and they don't sell F1 seeds. This has reminded me I need to save a few tom seeds: I've already got some beans, Aji and chilli seeds. I dry in/on rice in the airing cupboard. I hope the paper envelopes will be OK, but as I store in the house they should be.