Seed Circle Number 10 - Tomato Treat 2012

[Davyburns]

Welcome piggle, in at 22, hope you have more luck with Jersey Devils then I had last year.

[Matt94]

i actually saved seeds from last year hun and thou toms - fermented them, then left them on kitchen roll to dry, left the kitchen roll on the side and my mom binned it - but i managed to notice and salvage some of the seed, i rapped the remaining seeds in some more kitchen towel - left them on the side and they disapeared! - i was not a happy bunny - this year im buying a safe!

[binley100]

Not wise to wrap in kitchen roll , they stick to it . I put mine on a saucer then when dry they can be picked off easily .......

[Matt94]

yeh i had that problem with the kitchen towel - i will try the saucer method this year.

[Davyburns]

Not wise to wrap in kitchen roll , they stick to it . I put mine on a saucer then when dry they can be picked off easily .......

This year I intend to dry them on strips of kitchen roll, evenly spaced so 2 will go into a seed cell, and plant the 2 seeds, kitchen roll and all. I think this will make sowing a lot easier (thick fingers) as long as it works

[zazen999]

Not wise to wrap in kitchen roll , they stick to it . I put mine on a saucer then when dry they can be picked off easily .......

Me too. I write on the saucer with a chalk pen so that I know which is which. If it's not trays of seeds, trays of chitting potatoes, trays of seed germinating, trays of seedlings growing - it's saucers of seeds drying in our house. Mr Z gets Mid May through to Mid Aug with no trays and then the saucers start up again. Must drive him crackers.

[Gearoid]

This year I intend to dry them on strips of kitchen roll, evenly spaced so 2 will go into a seed cell, and plant the 2 seeds, kitchen roll and all. I think this will make sowing a lot easier (thick fingers) as long as it works

I saw this method on a video and thought I'd try it and I've had excellent germination from my saved Purple Cherokee. No need to ferment, I just planted strips of kitchen roll with the dried seeds straight into pots and they've done well so far.

[zazen999]

This year I intend to dry them on strips of kitchen roll, evenly spaced so 2 will go into a seed cell, and plant the 2 seeds, kitchen roll and all. I think this will make sowing a lot easier (thick fingers) as long as it works

That's all very well but not too good when you are sharing the seeds with other people to swap as they may not sow theirs the next year. Fermenting in water for 3 days and then putting them on a plate to dry and then bagging gets rid of any diseases loitering and means they will be bone dry for other people to sow in many years to come.

Anyway - my toms are starting to go out now - I counted the other day and have over 40 different varieties. I'll save from the best tasting and best growing for the circle. I have already put 4 out, 3 under a cloche and they are doing well so now's the time to start getting them in the ground.

[Davyburns]

Fermenting in water for 3 days and then putting them on a plate to dry and then bagging gets rid of any diseases loitering and means they will be bone dry for other people to sow in many years to come.

I still intend to ferment them, and cant see why they wouldnt be as dry and disease free as bagged ones

[zazen999]

I still intend to ferment them, and cant see why they wouldnt be as dry and disease free as bagged ones

As long as they are fermented then great - that gets rid of any disease. Kitchen roll will absorb moisture through the dank winter unless it is also bone dry and bagged along with the seeds. It's just as easy to put them on a plate to dry though.

[Paulieb]

Hi. Can I play too?

Got a few heirloom plants on the go and some other interesting toms too.
At the moment I'm hoping to be able to save from White Wax, Hahnstown Yellow, Kibits Ukraine, and depending if they come true Moruno (saved from Tesco finest). I've got about 20 varieties in total (some F1's) so could offer more if these are a problem.

Are there some seed circle rules somewhere, apart from 120+ seeds by 1st Dec?

....off to have a look.......... ;-)

[flowertot]

Hi, if there is a space can I join too? I've got some Garden peach and Summer Cider to offer (hopefully!)

[Davyburns]

Welcome Paulieb and Floweretot, in at 23 and 24 respectively.

[Davyburns]

Paulieb, the number of seeds is directly proportionate to the number of people left in the circle at the end of November. As a rule, we look for a minimum of 8 seeds per variety per person, and if everyone stays in this year, thats almost 200 seeds per variety, so far

[zazen999]

But if the seed numbers are down - and the participants are up then even one or two seeds each is better than none.