Time to start saving seeds

[Scarlet]

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?

That looks to be quite a commercial variety with some suppliers selling it by the kilo. Eb@y are selling it for less than £2 inc postage for 100 seed. So if you want the bed for another crop it might not be worth messing about too much.
Digging it up now would probably end in disaster...it would probably die with a load of fruit to support. If you want to save seed it needs to stay where it is for several more weeks yet.

[Scarlet]

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

Self saved parsnip seed has always been great for me. Much better germination than any bought seed.

I wonder if you left your pea seeds to fully mature before you picked them?

I just harvested some sweet peas...they need to rattle in the pods before shelling.

[muckdiva]

That looks to be quite a commercial variety with some suppliers selling it by the kilo. Eb@y are selling it for less than £2 inc postage for 100 seed. So if you want the bed for another crop it might not be worth messing about too much.
Digging it up now would probably end in disaster...it would probably die with a load of fruit to support. If you want to save seed it needs to stay where it is for several more weeks yet.

Good point Scarlet, I got plants from the village nursery so didn't really research the variety, but they turned out to be really nice beans so I may well buy more seed. You've also reminded me that I have some Welsh Onion seedheads ready, so will save those

[Small pumpkin]

Saved some knapweed seed today. I’m guessing it’s northern (due to its location), rather than common or grater.

[Small pumpkin]

Some more knapweed seeds and my first 2 honesty seeds

[Small pumpkin]

Lots of honesty seeds saved today.

[Small pumpkin]

Anthurium seeds saved today. I’ve been waiting ages for there seed pods to finally turn brown.

[Small pumpkin]

Collected some sweet William seeds yesterday.
Don’t know if they will dry out well quite a lot had started germinating in the seed pods they were so wet. Hope to collect more and hopefully they’ll be a little drier.

[Cadalot]

When the weather is so bad that you can't get down on the allotment and do anything productive then you have to fall back to what you can do for the allotment. The seeds are now dry and need bagging up.

[Small pumpkin]

Saved some hyssop blue and white today.

[farendwoman]

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When the weather is so bad that you can't get down on the allotment and do anything productive then you have to fall back to what you can do for the allotment. The seeds are now dry and need bagging up.

Beautiful photo!
Thought it was a yummy Dundee Cake studded with almonds until I expanded the photo.
That’s sent me off to the biscuit tin!!