Time to start saving seeds

[nickdub]

I spotted a load of foxgloves today that have set pods, just a bit longer until dry I think
I assume taking a few pods from each plant is ok? I know your not supposed to dig wild flowers
If not someone at my allotment has some but they are no where near as vigorous as the wild ones, some are 5-6 feet high
Sincerely
Steve

fine to take a few seed Steve as VC said.

Wait until the pods turn brownish and start to split - then when you pick them take a paper bag or envelope with you and put the pods directly in that - the seed is very small and comes out if ripe as soon as its picked. After you have picked them you can separate the pods from the seed and throw them away.

I did this last year with some of mine, but made the mistake of sowing the seed too thickly, so that when they germinated each small pinch of compost had about 10 seedlings in it. So my advice - mix the seed with some dry sand before you sow it in order to make sowing thinly easier.

[Scarlet]

For foxgloves it's best to take pods from the main central stem.

#For anyone else who are saving foxglove seed - If they are aren't wild and are a different colour to our native ones. Taking the seed pods from lower down the central stem will help with them coming true.

For sowing, most peeps do as NickD has posted but if you broadcast over your trays from a little height they will spread out and not be in thick clumps when germinated.

[Guest]

Decapitated lots today hopefully most is destined for the flower circle

pink frizzle opium poppy
white peony opium poppy
verbascum
sea thrift
sea campion
mixed aquilegia
orlaya
tall dark purple cornflower

[robbra]

I spotted a load of foxgloves today that have set pods, just a bit longer until dry I think
I assume taking a few pods from each plant is ok? I know your not supposed to dig wild flowers
If not someone at my allotment has some but they are no where near as vigorous as the wild ones, some are 5-6 feet high
Sincerely
Steve

I do it every year in the forest and scatter it where there is only bracken, they're now pooping up all over and the bees love it.
Other seeds for bees scattered also, parts are beginning to come alive at last but it is a big place.

[Small pumpkin]

Purple lupin
Pale pink lupin
Dark pink lupin
Viola mixed colours
Cornflower
French marigolds
Calendula
All destined for my new garden

[Small pumpkin]

Some perennial cornflower seeds saved this morning. Thanks Scarlet for the original plant, it’s lovely.

[Small pumpkin]

Saved yellow rattle and more Viola seeds.

[bikermike]

Got parsnip, fried egg plant, phaelocelia (I cannot spell this plant ever), green manure mix (some kind of mustard plant), [whatever not-runner climbing green beans that are actually purple as they grow are called].

I'm leaving some mangetoute on the plant to see if I can get seeds off them - what are my odds?

[veggiechicken]

I save Bijou mangetout pea seeds every year - and a few others. At the moment, some of the pods are ballooning but have no peas inside. Just pick those off and eat them.

[Small pumpkin]

Bluebell seeds today.
And more Calendula, lupin, Viola and cornflower.

[Small pumpkin]

I save Bijou mangetout pea seeds every year - and a few others. At the moment, some of the pods are ballooning but have no peas inside. Just pick those off and eat them.

That’s good to know I’m saving mangetout this year. I’ve got 5 or 6 pods left on the plant to dry/ripen. Also waiting for honesty, poppy, antirrhinum to dry.

[veggiechicken]

Collected more seeds of:-
Calendula
Cedronella Canariensis
Lovage

[greenishfing]

Due to the fact that my sweet peas self seeded last year and grew amazingly strong plants I'm letting my favourites from this year go to seed. I'll collect some seed but leave the others to their own devices (hopefully to self seed again).

[bikermike]

I've got some parsnip seed saved. (In fact quite a bit). They grow bl**dy big when you leave them in the ground. 6' tall.

Anyway, what is the likely success rate of successful seeds (ie, I know they could all fail, but on average, what %age do I need too over-sow by).

I'll be saving bean seeds, and I've got various green manure seeds saved too.

Interestingly, the peas I saved last year didn't do too well on planting this year, but I wonder if that is partly the dry summer (the bean seeds I saved last year were smaller than the 2018 ones, so I've planted the 2018 ones this year and have a good set of plants (and very tasty too, it would seem, for whichever b*gger ate the first lot).

In terms of storage, I use little brown paper envelopes - I think they were sold as pay packets.

Mike

[muckdiva]

I haven't planned this very well....I want to save seeds of French Bean Nautica, but I need the raised bed its in for another crop. Do you think a couple of bean plants would transplant into pots? Or should I just leave one in the corner of the bed to ripen. Next year when I have more space I may have to a special 'seed saving' bed