Saving Seeds
Saving seed from my vegetables always seems like such a good idea, and of course it is – but there are so many problems that I almost always give in and buy new seed when I’ve run out. It probably depends on your outlook – how fussy you are perhaps.
If you have bought specific seed, such as organic or F1 hybrid, then the seed you save from the plant you grow will not have the same characteristics. This is because most plants are open-pollinated, meaning insects move freely between them, moving pollen from one to the next.
You normally pay more for F1 hybrid seed because it has been grown in a controlled environment from specially selected male and female plants. Doing this achieves certain desirable characteristics such as flavour, sweetness etc. However, the seed you save from your plant will not have the same characteristics because it will have been pollinated by many different parents. Likewise, your organic seed – especially in an allotment environment where many different varieties are grown in close proximity.
The next problem is that plants from the same species can cross with each other – particularly sweetcorn and squashes/courgettes and plants which have lots of flowers and require pollination from another plant such as runner, french and broad beans, carrots and leeks. On the allotment, with so many crops growing close to each other, you could end up with some strange results. The only way to really avoid your plant coming into contact with unwanted pollen is to put a bag over the flower heads (or enclose the whole plant) and then pollinate by hand.
The same problems apply to flower seeds but it is usually less of a disaster if it goes wrong.
The safest thing to do is only save seeds from self-pollinating vegetables such as peas, tomatoes and lettuces. These crops don’t require open pollination and will come true.
As I say, faced with all this I generally decide that it is more cost-effective to buy a new packet of seeds every 3-4 years rather than risk a whole crop. I have heard people say why not give it a go, but with limited space and time I think there is too much to lose.
At this time of year there are some bargains to be had when garden centres/online seed companies sell off their stocks. I have recently bought seed for 50p a packet and it doesn’t go off until 2017. Alternatively, the annual seed catalogue should be making an appearance in the next month or so and, as an allotment affiliated to the National Allotment Society, we get a discounted price on orders.
If you have bought specific seed, such as organic or F1 hybrid, then the seed you save from the plant you grow will not have the same characteristics. This is because most plants are open-pollinated, meaning insects move freely between them, moving pollen from one to the next.
You normally pay more for F1 hybrid seed because it has been grown in a controlled environment from specially selected male and female plants. Doing this achieves certain desirable characteristics such as flavour, sweetness etc. However, the seed you save from your plant will not have the same characteristics because it will have been pollinated by many different parents. Likewise, your organic seed – especially in an allotment environment where many different varieties are grown in close proximity.
The next problem is that plants from the same species can cross with each other – particularly sweetcorn and squashes/courgettes and plants which have lots of flowers and require pollination from another plant such as runner, french and broad beans, carrots and leeks. On the allotment, with so many crops growing close to each other, you could end up with some strange results. The only way to really avoid your plant coming into contact with unwanted pollen is to put a bag over the flower heads (or enclose the whole plant) and then pollinate by hand.
The same problems apply to flower seeds but it is usually less of a disaster if it goes wrong.
The safest thing to do is only save seeds from self-pollinating vegetables such as peas, tomatoes and lettuces. These crops don’t require open pollination and will come true.
As I say, faced with all this I generally decide that it is more cost-effective to buy a new packet of seeds every 3-4 years rather than risk a whole crop. I have heard people say why not give it a go, but with limited space and time I think there is too much to lose.
At this time of year there are some bargains to be had when garden centres/online seed companies sell off their stocks. I have recently bought seed for 50p a packet and it doesn’t go off until 2017. Alternatively, the annual seed catalogue should be making an appearance in the next month or so and, as an allotment affiliated to the National Allotment Society, we get a discounted price on orders.
Submitted by Jane, plot 9
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