is this a viable option ?
leeks ,peas, etc ?

Yes you can certainly keep your own seed of these. Also broad beans and
runner beans, parsley and probably many others that I've never tried to keep


"eddy" wrote in message
news : is this a viable option ?
: leeks ,peas, etc ?

"The Devil's Advocate" wrote in
message ...
Yes you can certainly keep your own seed of these. Also broad beans and
runner beans, parsley and probably many others that I've never tried to
keep


"eddy" wrote in message
news : is this a viable option ?
: leeks ,peas, etc ?


What about F1 seed, I've just planted out some veg in the allotment and I
note that the cabbages (Cape Verdi & Excel) and the calabrese (Trixie) are
all F1. I'm not sure of the science here, but if I let a couple run to seed,
will it be ok to use it ?

Regards ......... Paul

No f1's are selected under very controlled conditions and any seed you get
from them in the open are probably going to be far different from the f1
hybrids


"Paul England" firstplatz @virgin.net wrote in message
...
:
: "The Devil's Advocate" wrote in
: message ...
: Yes you can certainly keep your own seed of these. Also broad beans and
: runner beans, parsley and probably many others that I've never tried to
: keep
:
:
: "eddy" wrote in message
: news : : is this a viable option ?
: : leeks ,peas, etc ?
:
:
: What about F1 seed, I've just planted out some veg in the allotment and I
: note that the cabbages (Cape Verdi & Excel) and the calabrese (Trixie) are
: all F1. I'm not sure of the science here, but if I let a couple run to
seed,
: will it be ok to use it ?
:
: Regards ......... Paul
:
:

The message
from eddy contains these words:

is this a viable option ?
leeks ,peas, etc ?

Well, yes,that's what peas are. Seeds of pea plants. You can eat some
of the fresh immature pea seeds and dry some mature ones for growing
another year (if they are a variety that will come true from seeds, ie,
not an FI hybrid). Leeks don't flower till their second year, then make
seed.

Many people save their own veg seed; how successful they are depends on
when the seed ripens and local climate. In west Scotland, I've never had
lettuce or carrots set viable seed, but I get good seed of rocket, beans
especially runner beans, coriander, parsley.

Janet.

"eddy" wrote in message ...
is this a viable option ?
leeks ,peas, etc ?

Not self seeding as such but you can save seed of those veg and most others
to plant the next season. We keep our own seed of three varieties of Pea,
Runner Beans and Carrots.
The problem comes if the variety you first buy is an F1, this seed is
produced every time by a first cross between two distinct varieties so it's
first generation seed of a new variety giving hybrid vigour but because it's
not had the generations to stabilise it will produce seed of mixed type,
some plants of each of the two original parents and some of various mixtures
between the two which is not good.

If you want to save seed try to avoid F1 varieties. Try Thomas Etty Esq who
sell seed of heritage varieties none of which will be F1.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

I had a couple ( out of the whole crop ) of cucumbers (F1) get
fertilised last year - they were thin at one end and swollen at
the other, and produced proper seeds unlike the usual
transparent things you get in cucumbers. Alas they would not
germinate when planted them this year, I'm blaming it on them
being F1 hybrids.

Andy

"Paul England" firstplatz @virgin.net wrote in message
...

"The Devil's Advocate" wrote in
message ...
Yes you can certainly keep your own seed of these. Also broad beans and
runner beans, parsley and probably many others that I've never tried to
keep


"eddy" wrote in message
news : is this a viable option ?
: leeks ,peas, etc ?


What about F1 seed, I've just planted out some veg in the allotment and I
note that the cabbages (Cape Verdi & Excel) and the calabrese (Trixie) are
all F1. I'm not sure of the science here, but if I let a couple run to
seed,
will it be ok to use it ?

Regards ......... Paul

"Jonathan wrote in message
..
The problem comes if the variety you first buy is an F1, this seed is
produced every time by a first cross between two distinct varieties so
it's
first generation seed of a new variety giving hybrid vigour but because
it's
not had the generations to stabilise it will produce seed of mixed type,
some plants of each of the two original parents and some of various
mixtures
between the two which is not good.

If you want to save seed try to avoid F1 varieties. Try Thomas Etty Esq
who
sell seed of heritage varieties none of which will be F1.


I thought that F1 hybrids were infertile, which is why the orange tree my
son
grew from seed, which grows in greenhouse, has never flowered in 12 years.
Is
this true?
--

No. They flower and produce seed but it's just a right mixture and only a
few will be the same as the original plant.
As for the Orange tree, our citrus are all outside against a S. facing wall
already, although I keep an eye out for very cold nights when I will bring
them back in. They require lots of feed, about every two weeks, a dose of
sequestered iron now helps too, and don't put a water tray underneath it,
let it drain any excess water away.
The leaves should be almost Camellia like to look at, dark glossy green. If
they aren't then you aren't feeding it enough, or are using the wrong stuff.
--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

The message
from (Jonathan Ward) contains these words:

I thought that F1 hybrids were infertile, which is why the orange tree
my son
grew from seed, which grows in greenhouse, has never flowered in 12
years. Is
this true?

No. Think of the logic. People grow F1 hybrid peas, sweetpeas and
petunias; obviously for the purpose of getting them *to flower*. In the
case of the F1 peas, the purpose is to let them flower; * and set seed*,
the seed being the pea crop they intend to eat.

Janet.

In article ,
says...

The message
from (Jonathan Ward) contains these words:

I thought that F1 hybrids were infertile, which is why the orange tree
my son
grew from seed, which grows in greenhouse, has never flowered in 12
years. Is
this true?

No. Think of the logic. People grow F1 hybrid peas, sweetpeas and
petunias; obviously for the purpose of getting them *to flower*. In the
case of the F1 peas, the purpose is to let them flower; * and set seed*,
the seed being the pea crop they intend to eat.

Janet.

But I thought that the seed itself was infertile. I was clealry wrong.
--
Jonathan Ward
Remove the 'X' when replying

In article ,
says...

The message
from (Jonathan Ward) contains these words:

I thought that F1 hybrids were infertile, which is why the orange tree
my son
grew from seed, which grows in greenhouse, has never flowered in 12
years. Is
this true?

No. Think of the logic. People grow F1 hybrid peas, sweetpeas and
petunias; obviously for the purpose of getting them *to flower*. In the
case of the F1 peas, the purpose is to let them flower; * and set seed*,
the seed being the pea crop they intend to eat.

Janet.

But I thought that the seed itself was infertile. I was clealry wrong.
--
Jonathan Ward
Remove the 'X' when replying

eddy wrote:
: is this a viable option ?
: leeks ,peas, etc ?

freely self seeding, I have land cress, lambs lettuce, rocket,
dandelion (:-), miners lettuce, chinese mustard. The joy of these is that
they are pretty hardy and produce salad leaves in very early spring, when
there's not a lot else around. If you have the odd cloche you can
transplant some seedlings and cloche them to even earlier salads.
All the above freely self seed around the garden - you have to leave some
to seed, and be careful (not) weeding.

Jim

In article ,
says...


"eddy" wrote in message ...
is this a viable option ?
leeks ,peas, etc ?

Not self seeding as such but you can save seed of those veg and most others
to plant the next season. We keep our own seed of three varieties of Pea,
Runner Beans and Carrots.
The problem comes if the variety you first buy is an F1, this seed is
produced every time by a first cross between two distinct varieties so it's
first generation seed of a new variety giving hybrid vigour but because it's
not had the generations to stabilise it will produce seed of mixed type,
some plants of each of the two original parents and some of various mixtures
between the two which is not good.

If you want to save seed try to avoid F1 varieties. Try Thomas Etty Esq who
sell seed of heritage varieties none of which will be F1.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.


I thought that F1 hybrids were infertile, which is why the orange tree my son
grew from seed, which grows in greenhouse, has never flowered in 12 years. Is
this true?
--
Jonathan Ward
Remove the 'X' when replying