Vegetable seeds

[ateallthepies]

I am a total newb to planting things but today I bought a load of vegetable Suttons seed packs for when all the food runs out I have heard of such a thing as 'Heirloom' seeds that produce seeds from the plants year on year and was wondering if my pack will do the same or will they be a one year deal?

Also the sow by dates are all around 2015. Do they go off all of a sudden after this date or is it gradual?

One last veggie question on Spuds. Seems the seeds for this veg is the potato itself. Now spuds are quite bulky and will ruin my compact seed storage plan so is it possible to dehydrate a seed potato and rehydrate when needed?

Steve.

 

[HeltorChasca]

Hi Steve I'm a keen grower. You should get seed from most of your stock depending on what you bought. It's a bit of sales propaganda from the seed suppliers that you shouldn't. Makes sense from their point of view. The important thing is disease. Rotate your veg and you should be ok. Potatoes are quite prone to disease so I would recommend getting new seed tatoe each year. At most use 1/3 of your tatoes for next year's stock if you are so inclined. You can't dehydrate them though or they won't chit. (Effectively they are dead.)

All that said, if you grow perenial veg you don't have any storage issues.

Best of all enjoy it. I can't wait for the soil to warm...............hc

 

[ateallthepies]

Thanks HC for the info and clearing up my spud query.

The seeds I bought were all sow direct in the ground types and I went for the easy grow or hardy types:

Ruby Swede
Golden Acre-primo Cabbage
Golden Ball Turnip
White Gem Parsnip
Scarlet Globe Radish
Bedford-Fillbasket Brussels Spouts
All The Year Round Cauliflower
Musselburgh Leek
Chantenay Red Cored 2 Carrot
Bedfordshire Champion Onion
Golden Self Blanching 3 Cellery

I'm not really planning on growing straight away but more as another back up food contingency though I may have a go at some but will have to be in pots as space is limited.

Steve.

 

[Gaudette]

Just bear in mind if you save hybrid seeds they will not be the same as your original plant. Hope you get a great crop there us no better veg than your own. I have no affiliation to this company but have bought some fantastic seeds from them in past if you fancy some unusual varieties.
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/

 

[uncleboob]

I have no affiliation to this company but have bought some fantastic seeds from them in past if you fancy some unusual varieties.
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/

...i was just about to recommend the same people- really helpful people and a catalogue of seeds that they've tested themselves. The other option is garden organic- i've bought most of my own seeds from them this year, they also have lots of free gardening guides- might be useful if you're starting out

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/

cheers

Joab

 

[British Red]

There are great books available on seed saving - Sue Strickland's is one of the best


Books 7 - Specialist by British Red, on Flickr

Heirloom is a meaningless term - as is the more English "Heritage". Generally they refer to old varieties that breed true. A better term is "open pollinated". The seeds you have that say "F1 Hybrid" are a first generation cross (different species of parent plants). They will produce seed but of varying type.

As for keeping your seed some keep well (e.g. beans and peas), some, very badly (e.g. parsnip - it will be useless after two years of saving).

I suggest trying to grow some now as the seed saving techniques need to be mastered. For example did you know that if you grow parsnip this year, you cannot save seed for next year?

Happy to talk in more detail

Red

 

[ateallthepies]

Will look into that book by Sue Stickland, thanks Red. Also interesting about the Parsnips! Like I said I have never planted anything in my life so lots to learn.

Steve.

 

[xylaria]

Where i live there is copious amounts of wild parnsip, there is something alluring about the idea of a "veg patch" that is more like a well planned hedgerow that produces food in the way nature does. I dont mind veg that is wonky or strong tasting, it is the way nature grows the ancestors to what turns up in grocers. So gather the best time to plant wild parnsip is when nature does?

I let perpetual spinach self seed and it has always produced crop for next year without effort. So does jersalum artichoke, and spuds are like weeds with my lazy picking. I have burdock growing but it didnt put much leaves in its first year last year due to the rain and the roots are smaller then the parnsips.

 

[British Red]

Domestic parsnip will self seed .....like crazy! I have a few hundred come up from where I seed saved this year......mind you an 8 foot tall parsnip is a shight to behold!


8 foot parsnip by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Ichneumon]

You might want to do a bit of research on the growing habits of the plants you have mentioned Steve. They don't all grow the same and you can't just throw the seeds at a patch of soil and expect them to all come up, flourish, and give you a crop. Some are damned difficult to grow successfully.

The radishes will grow more-or-less anywhere and give you a crop in a few weeks. The parsnips will take many months to grow and only give you a crop in the winter months.

Celery was originally a bog plant and likes a lot moisture. Leeks need blanching to give you something edible - as does celery in most cases. Carrots and parsnips will not give you a decent root if there is a lot of fertiliser in the soil. Other vegetables won't give you a good crop unless there is shed-loads of fertilizer in the soil. Spud will grow anywhere but you must make sure that the spuds don't see the light of day.

Many veg have their predators: Carrot root fly, cabbage root fly, pigeons, cabbage white butterfly caterpillars - the list goes on and on. You have to protect your babies somehow.

Don't let me put you off, the rewards are beyond measure. But, because the plants habits are not all alike, small details make all the difference.

 

[uncleboob]

Ichneumon, I think you're spot on. I've been growing for several years now, sometimes successfully, sometimes not- but the small successes absolutely make up for the disappointment of a tomato crop ruined by blight or the unexpected arrival of a million eager carrot fly!

Some veggies are easier to grow than others and its sometimes best to start with them until you've found your feet. One of the resources i've found useful is John Hedgecoe's allotment diary- which is free, online and goes back to 2005- check it out

http://www.allotment.org.uk/allotment-diary

Take care

Joab