How To Save Your Own Fava/Broad Beans, Heirloom Seeds, Heirloom Seeds For Sale, Rare Seeds, Seed Saver, How To Save Vegetable Seed.

 

Fava/Broad beans will cross with other varieties that are growing nearby.  So if you want to keep your variety pure, you need to isolate them in some way.   Theoretically you should aim for at least half a mile between varieties.   In practice, in a built up area, fences, trees and houses will all reduce insect flight.   This means you should have minimal crossing even with beans much closer than half a mile so long as none of your immediate neighbours are growing different varieties of bean.

In an open situation like an allotment, you can physically isolate plants.   Fava/Broad bean pollen is transferred by insects working the flowers, but the plants will also self- pollinate, so if you can exclude insects at flowering time, say by a covering of fleece, your seed crop will be pure.  

The simplest method of all, if you are growing a relatively large number of beans and you are not concerned about achieving 100% purity (i.e just for your own use), is to mark and save seed from several plants in the middle of a block of beans.   Insects are relatively unlikely to come from a neighbouring patch straight to the middle of your patch, tending to work the outside flowers first.   So by the time they reach your seed beans, the amount of 'foreign' pollen remaining should be small.    Always keep seed of strong, healthy plants and get rid of any that are not typical of the variety ideally before they flower.  

Let your seed beans mature and dry on the bush. The pods will turn dark drown, dry & wrinkled. Then pick and shell them out.   Check that they are really dry by biting on them.   If your teeth leave a dent, dry them further in a warm (not hot) place with a good flow of air.   Fava/Broad bean seeds should keep for several years, so there is no need to grow plants for seed every year. 

- Heirloom seeds can be purchased in the USA from ‘Seeds Now’ which sells GMO free, organic, raw and untreated seed along with regional growing recommendations 

More information on how to save your own vegetable seed can be found on my Facebook – 'Heirloom Seeds' page – https://www.facebook.com/seedman66

How To Save Your Own Tomato Seed

 

Most modern varieties of tomato are self- pollinating and will not cross. The anthers on tomato flowers (which make the pollen) are fused together to make a tight cone that insects cannot enter. Usually the stigma (the receptive surface for receiving pollen) is very short, and so is located deep inside this cone of anthers. No insects can get to it and the only pollen that can fertilise it comes from the surrounding cone of anthers.

 

In a few varieties however, the stigma is much longer, sticking out beyond the cone of anthers. In this case, insects can get to it, and there is the chance of cross-pollination. Varieties with longer stigmas include potato leaved tomatoes and currant tomatoes. To avoid crossing only grow one variety with exposed stigmas. The double flowers which are sometimes formed first by many beefsteak tomatoes also often have exposed stigmas, but later single flowers will be normal.

 

To collect the seed, allow your tomatoes to ripen fully. Then collect a few of each variety that you want to save seed from. Slice them in half across the middle of the fruit and squeeze the seeds and juice into a jar. You then need to ferment this mixture for a few days this removes the jelly-like coating on each seed, and also kills off many diseases that can be carried on the seeds. To do this put the jar of seeds and juice in a reasonably warm place for 3 days, stirring the mixture twice a day. It should develop a coating of mould and start to smell really nasty!

 

After 3 days, add plenty of water to the jar, and stir well. The good seeds should sink to the bottom of the jar. Gently pour off the top layer of mould and any seeds that float. Then empty the good seeds into a sieve and wash them thoroughly under running water. Shake off as much water as possible and tip the sieve out onto a china or glass plate (the seeds tend to stick to anything else). Dry somewhere warm but not too hot, and out of direct sunlight. Once they are completely dry, rub them off the plate and store in a cool dry place, where they should keep well for at least 4 years.

 

Heirloom seeds can be purchased in the USA from ‘Seeds Now’ which sells GMO free, organic, raw and untreated seed along with regional growing recommendations    

More information on how to save your own vegetable seed can be found on my Facebook 'Heirloom Seeds' page -   https://www.facebook.com/seedman66  

Saving Your Own Potato Seed, Heirloom Seeds, Heirloom Seeds For Sale, Rare Seeds, Seed Saver, How To Save Vegetable Seed.

 

There can be a problem with saving potato varieties by replanting tubers because this can accumulate in the development of virus diseases. Most of these viruses are spread from plant to plant by the peach-potato aphid. Some viruses have little impact on the crop while others can be quite harmful. Essentially the more virus types a variety has, the more poorly it will perform.

 

Growing potatoes from potato seed can be very interesting and a lot of fun. The potato plants after flowering carry small berries that look similar to small green tomatoes. These berries should be picked around two months after they form, when they are mature and start to become soft. At this point they tend to fall off the plant due to being ripe. Squeeze the seeds from the fruits into a bowl and add enough water and then cover. The good seeds will tend to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Continue to add more water and pour off the debris, drain and dry the seeds.

 

The following spring plant the seeds starting in a 7cm (2.75inch) pot and pot on from there as they grow. Potato seeds tend to germinate best at temperatures from 65-80F. At this stage they can be treated like tomato seedlings. Each plant will be unique in that it will be a new variety from all the other plants you have grown.

 

Here it is where it can be fun in that each new plant will produce small potatoes and you can start to select. Boil the potatoes and try them for taste and texture. Select those plants that are better than the others. Keep a few tubers from each of the plant pots so that you have material to plant next year. Keep records.

 

What is so good in breeding potatoes from seed is that the reproductive process leaves behind viral diseases carried by the tubers.

Heirloom seeds can be purchased in the USA from ‘Seeds Now’ which sells GMO free, organic, raw and untreated seed along with regional growing recommendations

More information on how to save your own vegetable seed can be found on my Facebook 'Heirloom Seeds' page -   https://www.facebook.com/seedman66 

 

 

Small Scale Seed Drying Methods, Heirloom Seeds, Heirloom Seeds For Sale, Rare Seeds, Seed Saver, How To Save Vegetable Seed.

 

When I was setting up a local seed bank in my community called ‘Sussex Community Seed Bank’ in the UK.  I had the good fortune of working with and receiving guidance from the Millennium Seed Bank situated in the UK.

 

The Millennium Seed Bank has a collection of over 2.4 billion seeds from around the world, banking them to conserve them for the future.

 

One thing amongst many that I learnt from working with the Millennium Seed Bank is the importance of drying down your seed you wish to keep sufficiently to help maintain longevity of the seed.

 

Here is a link to Sussex Community Seed Bank’s website - http://www.sussexcommunityseedbank.com/  If you go to the section called ‘Seed Cleaning & Drying’.  It opens to a number of pdf files courtesy of the Millennium Seed Bank.  If you open the file called ‘small scale seed drying methods’.  There you will find information on drying down your seed sufficiently on a small scale.

 

I would suggest for those of you wishing to save your own vegetable seed on a small-scale ie for yourselves.  The second part of the information sheet ‘Using silica gel to dry seeds’.  Also, ‘Using charcoal to dry seeds’ should be sufficient for you.

 

I hope you find this information useful.

- Heirloom seeds can be purchased in the USA from ‘Seeds Now’ which sells GMO free, organic, raw and untreated seed along with regional growing recommendations .

How To Save Your Own Carrot Seed, Heirloom Seeds, Heirloom Seeds For Sale, Rare Seeds, Seed Saver, How To Save Vegetable Seed,

 

Carrots are native in many regions including parts of Europe. northern Africa, Afghanistan and central Asia.

Carrots are insect pollinated and different varieties can easily cross.  They also cross easily with Queen Anne's Lace, the wild carrot.  Luckily, crosses with the wild type are easy to spot because the thin, white root is dominant.  But if you do not isolate your carrots physically you should still ensure there is no Queen Anne's Lace nearby.  If you are keeping more than one variety you can isolate those varieties you wish to save seed from under teepees made of fleece on a support of bamboos.  To pollinate the flowers you can use blowfly pupae (bought from a fishing tackle shop) which are put under the teepee.  When they emerge the flies pollinate the flowers.

As they are biennials, they usually take two growing seasons to flower.  In the second spring, a seed stalk starts to emerge from the centre of the leaves and soon the first umbel unfolds.  Lift your crop in the autumn and store in a cellar.  Select the finest carrots, smooth, well-coloured, and with a flat top.  If you want to maintain a carrot variety effectively, you really need to save seed from at least 40 good roots to maintain a good genetic diversity.  If you have too small a genetic pool, you will end up with small, poor quality roots in a very few generations.  

Cut off most of the green tops and store in sand.  Replant after all danger of frost has passed.  Otherwise, leave the best plants in the ground over winter, protected with a thick mulch.  

The flowers are white.  They are borne at the end of several stalks with numerous branches and successively appear in flat clusters which are about 4 inches (10cm) wide.  Carrots grow into big plants waist high or taller.  So they will need staking to support from the wind.  

If left for too long in the garden, the seeds may fall off as the umbels begin to dry.  In wet weather at harvest time, cut the branches, and dry indoors.  The primary and secondary umbels give the best seeds and if you have enough plants, save the seeds from only these ones.

In a good year, one plant can yield 120 grams (4 ounces) of seeds, and as little as fifteen grams in a bad year.  When the seed heads are completely dry, rub them between your hands or over an appropriate screen mesh.  Then use a smaller screen to remove the fine chaff.  Winnow with care as the seeds are light and could blow away.

Home-saved carrot seeds have a beard on their seed coat, unlike commercial seeds which have been mechanically rubbed.  This beard is reputed to enable carrot seeds to work their way into the ground.

Carrot seeds can last up to three years if kept in a cool, dark and dry environment.  Suitable packaging for the seed is mylar bags which one can seal using a woman's hair tongs or a clothing iron.  For containers, kilner jars are suitable as they have a good sealing lid capacity.  For longer term storage,  place the seed in freezers at -20C.  

Heirloom seeds can be purchased in the USA from ‘Seeds Now’ which sells GMO free, organic, raw and untreated seed along with regional growing recommendations . 

How To Save Your Own Brussels Sprouts Seed, Heirloom Seeds, Heirloom Seeds For Sale, Rare Seeds, Seed Saver, How To Save Vegetable Seed,

Brussels Sprouts developed from kale, the ancestor of the cabbage in western Europe.  The crop is relatively new, having been developed over the last 200 years in Belgium. 

Best grown in a cool temperature climate where the frosts make the little heads tight.

Brussels Sprouts will cross with any of the Brassicaceae Oleracea flowering nearby.  They are biennial and insect pollinated.  As they are self-compatible you will need to leave  more than one plant for seed (preferably at least six plants).  They flower in the second year.  For the kitchen, take only the bottom sprouts at the beginning of the season and the top ones at the end.  This leaves the middle ones standing, the best for seed.

The top leaves of the plant are generally cut off to force the side sprouts to develop branches of flowers.  The pods, containing small spherical seeds will form, and the seed stalk should be cut when the older pods turn yellow, but before they are dry.  leave to dry out on the canvas, then winnow and dry the seeds further before storage.

There are about 270 seeds to the gram and they will last for four to five years.  Suitable packaging is mylar bags which one can seal using a woman's hair tongs or a clothing iron.  For containers, kilner jars are suitable as they have a good sealing lid capacity.  Longer term storage can be achieved by placing the seed in freezers at -20C. 

Heirloom seeds can be purchased in the USA from ‘Seeds Now’ which sells GMO free, organic, raw and untreated seed along with regional growing recommendations

 

 

How To Save Your Own Borage Seed, Heirloom Seeds, Heirloom Seeds For Sale, Rare Seeds, Seed Saver, How To Save Vegetable Seed.

 

Borage is a native of the eastern Mediterranean.  it is an annual with rough wide leaves and clusters of star-shaped blue blossoms hanging from hairy stems.

To obtain a heavy flowering do not overfeed, or the plant will produce mostly leaves.  The luminous blue flowers are almost constantly in bloom and attract bees.  The seed capsule,  containing one or two rounded seeds, with an apex, should be picked one by one when dry.  they need only a little more drying to be stored.

Borage seeds throw true-to-type.  strict selection is not needed to maintain the quality of seed in a strain.

The seeds will last over five years and there are on average 65 seeds to the gram.  Suitable storage of seeds can be using mylar bags which will need sealing.  A woman's hair tongs or clothing iron is suitable for this purpose.  Also, kilner glass jars are very suitable as they have a good sealing lid capacity.  Longer term storage can be achieved by placing the seed in freezers set at -20C.

- Heirloom seeds can be purchased in the USA from ‘Seeds Now’ which sells GMO free, organic, raw and untreated seed along with regional growing recommendations.