saving sweet pea seeds

[Eden]

Does anyone save sweet pea seeds? Every year I spend a lot of money (about £10!) on sweet pea seeds. I love growing my old favourites and also trying new ones but is it worth saving the seeds at the end of the growing season? I understand (I think) that F1's don't come true. This year I'm growing Matucana, Apricot Sprite, Princess Elizabeth, Streamer Mixed, King Size Supremo and Cupani, and I'd love to be able to save some seed!

[Protea]

You can save seed but as you rightly said F1 varieties won't come true (but you could end up with some wierd and wonderful combinations!)

The other issue i should point out is that a disease called Fusarium is carried very easily on sweet pea seeds and most sweet pea seed is infected. It can cause fusarium wilt where the plant starts collapsing from the bottom of the stem. People who grow sweet peas for showing and save their own seed seem to suffer from this quite a bit, particularly if they are using the same soil over and over again (another good reason for rotating). But - fusarium also affects other plants and you will never get rid of it once you have it. Saving seed will build up the levels of disease in the seed, whereas fesh seed may not be infected, or at only very low levels which would never cause a problem.

[nick the grief]

Sweet Peas should come true to type as they are self pollenating. It's done before the flower fully opens. I've saved my own seed for years and it's been OK. I suspect the mixture isn't really an F1 hybrid as to cross them you have to take the flower apart & polenate by hand. I suspect they just grow a lot of various ones and mix the seed up.

If you have a mixture and there are some particularly nice flowers that you like tie some coloured wool aroung the stems towards the back end and let them set seed then you can harvest them by colour if needed.

Protea's right about the rotating bit but then you should do that with all plants anyway.

You can grow them in a tub just as long as it is large enough, what my sister does is 3/4's fill with well rotted muck and then top it of with compost they romp away.

[Eden]

Many thanks Protea, I think Fusarium is also what my partner is suffering from, he seems to 'wilt' after returning from work and never makes it to the kitchen to put the kettle on! You say you can never get rid of it, crickey!

[Eden]

Thanks NTG, I grow most of them in buckets on a kind of wigwam contraption with fresh compost, I'll give the seed saving a go! Thank-you!
Eden