[barley]

I have really had success with saving my own seeds 

I have tomatoes , peppers , cucumbers , and pumpkins all starting to germinate from seeds I saved from last years crop - I also have courgettes and spaghetti marrow seeds yet to plant but hoping I should have the same results

has anyone tried saving other seeds - would love some tips on doing more of this as it saves buying them

[Nobbie]

I think you''ll need to wait and see what crops you get before calling it a success as who knows what polinated what before you saved the seed. The cucumbers, cougettes and pumpkin can all cross polinate I believe. Good luck

[gobs]

Probably you have read up on this and followed appropriate practice in saving squash, marrow, etc seeds against cross-pollination.

Beans are the easiest, everybody tends to save, as they are not F1s.

But by all means you can save from such too, they just might not come as true to type as the previous lot.

[DD.]

I think you''ll need to wait and see what crops you get before calling it a success as who knows what polinated what before you saved the seed. The cucumbers, cougettes and pumpkin can all cross polinate I believe. Good luck

Spot on and an excuse to repost what should have been a marrow!

[Maarten]

Hi,

I agree that it is very satisfying to save and grow harvested seeds.
You just need to be aware that many named varieties don't come true to type from your own saved seeds. This can be when they are self- fertilised, but especially when they are cross-pollinating. I don't know much about the tomatoes and peppers, but for courgettes, marrows, pumpkins etc it is well known that the  seedlings can be anything in between all the varieties of Cucurbits. On the other hand, with beans there seem to be less problems, as they don't easily cross-pollinate and I guess most varieties are not F1 stock.

All the best,

Maarten

[Maarten]

And I should have written faster, as I see some more posts now

[surbie100]

It's addictive, isn't it!  But I didn't realise quite how many plants only flowered in the second year.

I find the Real Seeds information really helpful: http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html and there are also Garden Organic's sheets: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/members/seed_saving/ and this seed saving handbook: http://howtosaveseeds.com/seedsavingdetails.php

I'm currently paintbrush-pollinating my lemon drop chillies which overwintered and are bursting into flower. 

[DD.]

As for beans not crossing. This should have been an "Enorma" runner bean. The seeds were saved from plants grown next to climbing purple French beans.

[gobs]

DD, you have all the fun!

[DD.]

I get all the rubbish cross-breeds!

[barley]

will keep you posted on the results 

still as long as there edible they were free so can't complain 

[DD.]

Might I ask where you're going to put those pumpkin plants before it's safe to put them outside?

[Asherweef]

C'mon chuckles - it's international happiness day!

[Ivor Backache]

I have really had success with saving my own seeds 

Has anyone tried saving other seeds - would love some tips on doing more of this as it saves buying them

I always save seed from broad bean/runner bean/climb French been. They are easy enough- just let a handful of pods mature on the plant. Mark them with some coloured sticky tape. Dry them and put the seeds in an airtight tin. Even so I buy in fresh seed every 3 years, for the reasons that DD has shown.
The likes of carrot/parsnip/beetroot- does not make sense to have them occupying space for two years.

[JayG]

The cucumbers, cougettes and pumpkin can all cross polinate I believe. Good luck

Nearly right, but no cigar - cucumbers and squashes are from the same family but aren't related closely enough to cross-pollinate, although cukes can cross-pollinate with other cukes (if they live that long, of course!)