[Cazzy]

I'm looking for advice on what would be the next easiest to save, I grow all the usual suspects and so far I have saved tomato, chili and pepper seeds.

My understanding is that peas, don't need anything to be done to them (self pollinating?) other than leaving them to mature and dry (I'm growing kelvedon wonder)

Onion, i've seen plot neighbours leaving a couple of onions to flower and go to seed but is that in the first year or do they have to be lifted and replanted?

I'm hoping to start with the easiest and build it up each year until I need to attempt the trickier veg, any advice would be much appreciated.

[DD.]

Peas are easy as you say.

Onions - just leave them in. They run to seed in the second year.

[Cazzy]

Thanks DD, so there is no need to cover the seed head of the onion then?

[DD.]

You have to keep an eye on the flower.

As soon as you see the black seeds inside, whip the flower head off and pop it into a paper bag to dry out.

Don't do this with F1 onions and expect to get the same type!

[gardener247]

is it true if you save your own seeds the plant gets used to your soil and climate and grows better?

[zazen999]

is it true if you save your own seeds the plant gets used to your soil and climate and grows better?

Sort of; what happens is - if you choose plants that do best in your soil/conditions then you end up collecting the seeds from those; and over time you are selecting for your locality....ideally you would not eat the best of your crops; but save THOSE for seed and eat the lesser specimens.

[Trillium]

A fellow I know always saves his first ripe tomato for seed, and has for the past 40 years. He now has the earliest toms of anyone.

[Loubs]

The Real Seed Company have some good advice & instructions on their site for seed saving from various vegetables. Worth having a read.

[goodegg]

peas . beans both easy  parsnip . carrot . sweet corn . but no F1 OR F2 simples

[Cazzy]

Thanks for all the input everyone.

I would love to get to a stage where seed purchase is minimal

[zazen999]

Thanks for all the input everyone.

I would love to get to a stage where seed purchase is minimal

Why don't you start a seed saving circle.....

They way I do it is to put over 10% of my growing plot to 'proliferation'; so 10% of all crops are either dug up and replanted somewhere to grow on for saving, or are left to mature for seeds only. I have seed saving 'pebbles' that I place in front of my top crops and they are not harvested.......my greenhouse had a large bucket of carrots in over the winter that are being planted out in a few weeks that will be left, I have 2 rare onion types that will be left to flower and set seed [one needs moving to the garden from the plot or they will cross], I have about 70 types of bean this year that will be left with no pickings and I'll pt 10% to seed and the rest dried and use in the winter....I saved 3 beetroots and let them flower last year and have a shoebox full of beetroot seeds......and hand pollinate squashes just for the seeds.....if you plan just to leave a few [non F1s, good specimens] then you will find yourself doing it almost automatically......

[Cazzy]

Hi Zazen, thanks for that.

Would I be right in thinking that each person grows a particular veg/variety then saves the seed to share with the rest of the circle?  I wouldn't be confident enough to do that just yet but its definately something i'd consider.  Purely because I'd want to know i'd done it right first and tested them before giving them to anyone else.

You say you are separating your onions, I didn't realise they would cross so thats handy to know as i'm doing two different types, one I don't know the variety as the seed head was given to me last year and I didn't think to ask, didn't seem that important at the time.  I also didn't think to put the seedhead in a bag and lost most of the seed to the greenhouse floor 

With the beetroot, did you lift them and replant the following year like the carrots?

Squashes are a bit more tricky if I remember right....... not that I got any last year, seemingly butternuts don't do well this far north, i'll need to try another variety.

I like the idea of the pebbles, even though i'm the only one who would pick the veg, I have my blonde moments and could see me forgetting.

[zazen999]

Seed circle; yes you all save one and then share them out.....perhaps next year once you've had more time to try it out.

Beetroot; yes I lifted and replanted all 3 specimens together....but they went straight from one area to another [no storing]...

The carrots; I just sowed a bucketful and am saving from the lot

Squashes are easy; once pollinated. Real Seeds have good advice on pollinating them.

I'm leaving a few parsnips in this year to go to seed as well....