Saving Seed
We save our own seed wherever possible. This works really well
for most vegetables and flowers.
Don't try to save seed from F1 hybrids.
Do choose the best plants to leave to go to seed (always breed from
the best stock available!)
Bear in mind that some things may cross fertilise if there are
flowering plants available of other varieties to cross with.
This includes wild varieties like wild carrot. Squashes and pumpkins
particularly will cross breed between the varieties you are growing
- sometimes produces interesting new varieties! Seed saved from
plants that are hybrids my not turn out like their parents. You can
save your own potatoes seed if you have had no problems with
disease in your crop, best to use fresh bought seed every few years.
With things like leeks, carrot, onions, a few plants need to be left
in the ground for the next growing season after the crop is
harvested to complete their flowering cycle. I always leave a
couple of plants from any of the salad family and brassica family
plants for seed. They can cross fertilise if they are in flower at
the same time but if you like to experiment this can lead to
interesting new plants .
Store the seeds when totally dry (you can dry them in a warm dry
place) in sealed bags or envelopes marked with the date and variety.
useful links:
http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html
http://www.rain.org/~sals/miller2.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1977-09-01/Save-Your-Own-Garden-grown-Vegetable-Seed.aspx
http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/42-1script_en.asp
| month | vegetable | varieties | where to sow G'house includes pollytunnel | transplant to plot.. | how much | distance between rows (cm) | distance along row (cm) | "intersow" means rows next to rows, not plants next to plants. Notes | done? | |
| Jan | ||||||||||
| Early Feb | Garlic | 4 rows | 60 | 25 | if not done in Autumn | |||||
| Cabbage | G'house | 30 plants | 100 | 80 | intersow with spinach | |||||
| Late Feb | Tomato | Propagator | G'house | 2 x 10 plants | intersow parsley + basil | |||||
| Pepper | Propagator | G'house | 2 x 5 plants | plus 1 chilli | ||||||
| Lettuce | Propagator | 2 rows | ||||||||
| Parsnip | 2 rows | 50 | see pkt | intersow lettuce | ||||||
| Radish | 2 rows | intersow broad beans | ||||||||
| Beans | Broad | 1 double row | 25 | intersow parsnips | ||||||
| Aubergene | Propagator | G'house | ||||||||
| french | climbing | G'house | G'house | |||||||
| Courgette | Propagator | G'house | ||||||||
| Pea | sugar snap | G'house | G'house | |||||||
| Early Mar | Tomato | (outdoor) | Propagator | 2 x 15 plants | 100 | 80 | intersow spinach + parsley | |||
| Beetroot | out/in | 1 row | 60 | intersow spring onions | ||||||
| Calabrese | G'house | 20 plants | 100 (i/p) | 100 (i/p) | interplant calendula + tagetes | |||||
| Spr onion | 1 row | intersow beetroot | ||||||||
| Late Mar | Leeks | s'bed/tray | 300 plants | 70 (i/p) | 25 | |||||
| Onion sets | normal | 2 packs | 40 | 20 | intersow carrots | |||||
| red baron | 2 packs | |||||||||
| Lettuce | G'house | 2 rows | ||||||||
| Carrot | early | 4 rows | interplant spring onions | |||||||
| Potatoes | early | 3 rows | ||||||||
| quinoa | G'house | plant out in may | ||||||||
| Early Apr | Basil | G'house? | 80 plants + | loose | ||||||
| tomatoes | plant out | G'house | ||||||||
| Peas | sugar snap | G'house | 15 plants | |||||||
| climbing purple beans | french | G'house | in-between tomatoes | |||||||
| ordinary | ||||||||||
| Coriander | GH + o/door | 1 metre | ||||||||
| Courgette | G'house | G'house | 5 plants | |||||||
| Spinach | G'house | 2 metres | ||||||||
| perpetual | 2 rows | |||||||||
| Swiss Chard | 2 rows | 60 | with peas and beans | |||||||
| Parsley | 1 row | some between tomatoes | ||||||||
| Cabbage | Red | G'house | 40 plants | 80 | 60 | interplant calendula + tagetes | ||||
| Summer | 20 plants | 80 | 60 | .. | ||||||
| Savoy | 30 plants | 80 | 60 | .. | ||||||
| Brussels | G'house | 20 plants | 100 | 80 | mix with flowers | |||||
| Spr Brocc | purple | G'house | 15 plants | 100 | 80 | .. | ||||
| white | 15 plants | 100 | 80 | .. | ||||||
| Cauliflower | G'house | 20 plants | 100 | 80 | .. | |||||
| curly Kale | G'house | 15 plants | .. | |||||||
| Celery | G'house | 30 plants | 80 | 40 | ||||||
| Celeriac | G'house | 20 plants | 70 | 25 | intersow runner beans | |||||
| Radish | 1 row | 70 | 25 | |||||||
| Potatoes | no late ones this year | 10 rows | ||||||||
| Late Apr | Lettuce | anywhere | 2 rows | |||||||
| Squash | G'house (pots) | 10 plants | ||||||||
| Courgette | outdoor | G'house (Pots) | Polytunnel | 5 plants | ||||||
| Pumpkin | G'house (pots) | 2 plants | ||||||||
| Beans | Pea | 20 plants | ||||||||
| Runners | 10 plants | intersow spinach or celery | ||||||||
| French | 1 row | intersow celery | ||||||||
| Turnips | 1 row | |||||||||
| Carrots | maincrop | 7 rows | intersow onions | |||||||
| Peas | Sugar snap | G'house | 1 row | interplant Swiss Chard | ||||||
| Aubergine | plants | G'house | 10 plants | |||||||
| Pepper | plants | G'house | 10 plants | |||||||
| Cucumber | G'house | G'house | 10 plants | interplant fennel | ||||||
| gherkins | ||||||||||
| Spring onion | 1 row | |||||||||
| Early May | Sweetcorn | G'house (pots) | 2 x 80 plants | 90/100 | 50/60 | plant out late May | ||||
| Coriander | outdoor | 1 row | ||||||||
| Beetroot | white & red | 1 row | 30 | intersow Dill | ||||||
| Flowers | ||||||||||
| Late May | Lettuce | 2 rows | ||||||||
| Swede | 2 rows | |||||||||
| Calabrese | G'house | 20 plants | interplant flowers | |||||||
| Fennel | 2 rows | interplant with cucumber | ||||||||
| Radish | 1 row | |||||||||
| Raddicchio | 1 row | |||||||||
| Tagetes | and Zinnia | |||||||||
| Jun | Spr onion | 2 rows | ||||||||
| Pak Choi | 1 row | |||||||||
| Cabbage | chinese | 1 row | ||||||||
| July | Lettuce | Fortune | 2 rows | |||||||
| Carrot (mid to late July) | 1 row | To avoid carrot fly | ||||||||
| Betroot | white and red | |||||||||
| Aug | Coriander | outdoor | 1/2 row | |||||||
| Parsley | G'house | 1/2 row | ||||||||
| Cabbage | Spr Hero | 30 plants | ||||||||
| Raddicchio | 1 row | |||||||||
| Endive | 1 row | |||||||||
| Rocket | 1 row | |||||||||
| Chicory | 1 row | |||||||||
| Mizuna | 1 row | |||||||||
| Onion seed | 1 row | late August for over wintering | ||||||||
| Giant winter spinach | ||||||||||
| Sept/October | Coriander | G'house | 1 metre | |||||||
| Spinach | salad | G'house | 1 metre | |||||||
| Endive | G'house | 1 metre | ||||||||
| Mizuna | G'house | 5 metre | ||||||||
| Rocket | and outside | G'house | 5 metre | hardy enough for outdoors | ||||||
| Mix salad | G'house | 5 metre | ||||||||
| japanese onion sets | one pack | for over wintering | ||||||||
| onion seed | one packet | to plant out in spring | ||||||||
| round seeded pea | one row | to resist mildew, cloche when frost threatens | ||||||||
| carrot | greenhouse | |||||||||
| carrot | outside | cloche when frost threatens | ||||||||
| sugar snap | G' house | |||||||||
| beetroot | G'house | |||||||||
| pak choi | G'house | |||||||||
| hardy lettuce G'house | All Year Round | |||||||||
| ********** | Save seed from seeding plants | |||||||||
| October | carry on as per September | |||||||||
| Nov | Beans | Broad | 1 double row | |||||||
| Garlic | 4 rows | |||||||||