Job opportunity - VSP Seed Viability testers required

[Trix]

My Hot Banana, which never really took off, has finally given up completely this week. That's the last of my testers - no luck at all

I did have a few seeds left of one variety (there were bazillions in the packet) so one last try next year!

[cariann88]

I have just manage to harvest one pepper from my Hinklehatz and another from santa fe grande

Can I send you the seeds VC??

[Guest]

I have just manage to harvest one pepper from my Hinklehatz and another from santa fe grande

Can I send you the seeds VC??

OK what is your secret? I am still waiting for mine to flower. The fatalli has a couple of teeny peppers thats it

[cariann88]

I don't know if it is because I have grown them inside and always had the heating on when it was cold that has helped them.

They aint really big peppers, about a thumb size.

[veggiechicken]

I have just manage to harvest one pepper from my Hinklehatz and another from santa fe grande

Can I send you the seeds VC??

Of course you can, cariann. Thank you.
I know absolutely nothing about chillies as I don't grow them or like them. I'm sure someone on here can tell you the best way to dry the seeds though. I assume the chillies have to be ripe before picking but that's about my limit

[cariann88]

I think you dry them the same way as you do with tomato seeds. Well that is what I have been doing anyway.

VC, you will have PM me your address so I can send them

[sparrow100]

The 2 Serranos are flowering - they are wearing netting bags to keep them from being crossed and they look very fetching!

The 3 Lipstick peppers are also flowering but are behind the beasts of tomato plants, so harder to get to to isolate. (grrrrr)

Still to flower is the one surviving Royal Black, which is growing very slowly.

All my other test seedlings died.

PS you dry them by leaving them on a ceramic plate, till they break rather than bend. If you want to be absolutely sure of getting the moisture out, put them in some dried rice for a couple of weeks. I ferment my tomato seeds, so use a very different process.

[Guest]

Ok I have a bit of an issue. I kept 2 plants of each of the chillis and one of the fatalli fruits looks very much like the start of a bell pepper and it doesn't look like the fruits on the other plant.

Is anyone else growing out fatalli seeds? are they true to type?

VC, if I can't rule out it is a rogue seed, I will grow out the seeds next season to see if they come true (to rule out crossing)

[seasprout]

Heritage Tomato


After weeks of trying, and lots of dud seed, I finally got 1 Kenilworth St George Tomato seed to germinate.

yes its late in the year, but I have a cunning plan.

Hoping for at least 1 fruit for fresh seed.

[veggiechicken]

I like a cunning plan, Seasprout and Norfolk Grey.
You're all doing very well with these old seeds.
I have Caspian Pink, Cowlick's Brandywine, Cream Torpedo, Paul Robeson and Black Seaman tomatoes growing but no ripe fruit on any yet.
Between us all, we should manage to get some fresh seed back into the VSP for others to share.
Thanks everyone

[sparrow100]

Am hoping my chillies do well. It's an interesting experiment anyways! If you're wanting squash/tomato testers for next season pls can you add me to the list of volunteers?

[sparrow100]

How many seeds are you wanting back? I have apparently got a slug that likes chillies and it's snaffled some of my hand pollinated serranos...

I also have bagged some of the Royal Black flowers - it lives outside which is why the plant's so small...

[veggiechicken]

Whatever you can spare, sparrow. If you want to grow them on for another year that's fine by me.
I'm not sure whether there are still some of the seeds in the VSP but knowing that they are still viable is a big bonus.
Thanks to everyone who's been taking part.

[veggiechicken]

A very big thank you to Norfolkgrey who has sent lots of fresh seeds for tomatoes and chillies, grown from some of the old seed sent out for viability testing.
No idea what yet as I'm still working my way through all the packets

[Guest]

The results of my viability seeds are as follows:-

Fresh seed returned of :- Chilli - Demon Red, Chilli - Red Savina, Tom - Mortgage Lifter, Tom - Cheetham's Potato Leaf, Tom - Golden Queen and Tom - Atkin's Stuffing Tomato.

Chilli - Rokita did not germinate.

Chilli - Fatalli has possibly crossed. I had one plant true to type and one gave a bitter tasting sweet pepper that looked right. Will grow on next year and see.

Chilli - Jamaican Hot Red and Chilli - Piemento de Padron grew well but I didn't manage to get any isolated seed so hopefully next year they will be back