Seed Circle 12 - Peas and Beans only 2012 - 2013

[salilah]

Yes happy to join in - roughly how many seeds should I be saving?
I plan to do Golden Yellow Mangetout, and probably Rocquencourt DFB
Mind you - it depends a bit on how well they grow, and how many we eat (only got a small veg garden, so I'm a bit limited on space!)
Salilah

[Two_Sheds]

Yes happy to join in - roughly how many seeds should I be saving?

for the swap - it's usual to have at least 6 seeds of each type, possibly more

[Matt94]

well zaz advised me to say to everyone to aim to save around 10 seeds per member (so if 10 people join save 100 seeds - please note thats just and example, hopefully more people will join) - but just send in what you've got saved at the end of the year and i will seperate them evenly. also if the seeds you are sending in are big - like peas and beans - just send in around 5/6 seeds per member - to keep the postage down.

salilah - your in at number 8

i will put some guidelines at the top later on so people will know how many seeds to send in.

[Helgalush]

So do I, I haven't got your ones !

Start thinking about getting the pods dry in late August: I strip off any remaining foliage in Sept to allow air flow
If your autumn is damp, get the pods inside on newspaper, not in the kitchen or damp sheds.

No pressure then eh?! (If I really mess it up I can always buy a packet and send em that way, can't I? )

Thank you for the advice about drying them...last year I tried to let them get as dry as poss on the plant and then I finished drying the pods on kitchen towel either in my lounge or in my kitchen....but the one end of my kitchen is very cool and away from hot & steamy equipment (ie hob and oven)....but I can make sure I dry these beans in the living room to be on the safe side. Hope this will succeed!

I havent grown these varieties before either - they just took my fancy in the catalogue!

[Matt94]

hi helgalush - idealy i want people to save their own seed - as its a bit more fun that way - we'll just have to see how the year pans out

[Helgalush]

hi helgalush - idealy i want people to save their own seed - as its a bit more fun that way - we'll just have to see how the year pans out

Yeah I know, its ok, I was just joking around about that. This thread makes me want to get started on my french beans now!

[Matt94]

well i have - hahaha - i started mine last month - i know it was waaaay to early - but oh well - 11/12 germinated and have survived.

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

Matt, you are a very, very naughty boy (think Monty Python as you are reading this) Can I join? How about Brejo FB and Espoir De Gembloux pea for the group?

[Matt94]

NO - only kidding of course you can - what great varieties people are growing this year.

Frosty Freckle your at number 9

[Two_Sheds]

This thread makes me want to get started on my french beans now!

Mine are sown, and in unheated gh (night temps are 7c) waiting for the last frost to pass (end of April for me)

[Helgalush]

Mine are sown, and in unheated gh waiting for the last frost to pass (end of April for me)

Think our last frost date is around early May so a bit later, but I could possibly sow some and put them in my sunny porch.

[zazen999]

well zaz advised me to say to everyone to aim to save around 10 seeds per member (so if 10 people join save 100 seeds - please note thats just and example, hopefully more people will join) - but just send in what you've got saved at the end of the year and i will seperate them evenly.

I'd recommend that you get the savers to bag them up Matt - otherwise it will cost you in bags! I'll take you through the process later in the year...but the main thing for now is to get them grown, harvested, dried as much as possible and in about Sept/Oct - bag them up and send them to you. We usually aim for about 16 but as there are different circles, 10 is a good number to aim for. Any extras are a bonus.

I've not sown any this year either - well, not for myself, we've sown some in the poly at school.

[Matt94]

thanks zaz for the info - i will add some more info at the top. and when you say 10 is a good number are you refering to the number of seeds or members - because as more people will join i will raise the amount allowed in (thats if they do join)

thanks again zaz.

[zazen999]

Get as many as you can - of both!

But if people only have, say, 4 seeds of each to go round then don't stress it.

Just add everyone and we'll work out the rest later.

[Matt94]

ok - i hope more members will join and help to make this year a successfull seed swap