As usual, this year I have been collecting and saving seeds of various plants around the holding, for propagation and to give away. This is a list of seeds I have surplus of, so please let me know if you would like to try any of them. They are a mixture of wild and cultivated, annuals and perennials. Also, if I have mentioned anything elsewhere that you would like me to save seed or take cuttings of that I haven’t this year, I can maybe do next year for you.
Wild flower seeds (all Skye natives):
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Pignut (Conopodium majus)
Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Self heal (Prunella vulgaris)
Bushvetch (vicia sepium)
Red clover (Trifolium sp.)
Perennial vegetable seeds:
Good king henry (chenopodium bonus henricus)
Caucasian spinach (Hablitzia tamnoides) (from my habby bed by the workshop!)
Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata)
Salsify (Tragapogon porrifolius)
Goldenberry (Physalis peruviana) (seed from surviving second year plant)
Annual vegetable seeds:
Achocha fat baby (Cyclanthera pedata I think) This is smaller, but sets fruit sooner than the other achocha.
Achocha Bolivian giant (Cyclanthera brachyastacha I think). This has fewer, much larger fruit and takes longer to grow.
Achocha Bolivian giant (from smooth fruited plant, I don’t know how the offspring will be!)
Note: all these achocha have been grown in the same polytunnel in close proximity, so if they can cross they may have.
Carlin pea (Pisum sativum)
Others:
Flat leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Blue lupin (probably Lupinus perennis)
Milk vetch (Astragalus glycyphyllos)
Some of these I have more seed of than others, so let me know quickly if you are very keen on anything in particular.
Love that you think to keep seeds for passing on. I’ve collected a load of Caucasian spinach seeds and I press them onto anyone who will listen to me extol the joys of home growing. They’re the only interesting ones… otherwise it’s Chinese chives or suspicious squash (that I’m sure have cross pollinated left right and centre). I’m always worried that the seeds I collect may not be viable or are some weird cross.
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I’m also surprised sometimes that my seeds don’t always turn out weird mixtures (like the Calendula which weren’t my own saved but were actually bought in a packet!) I’ve had some lovely exchanges via WordPress too. It’s nice to pass it on!
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Loving reading about your life, it’s the one I wanted to lead but life had other plans. Got to catch up via your xmas newsletter. Matt and I are grandparents now! Catherine
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Hi Cathy! Life has so many opportunities, it would be impossible to do all the things that life offers. It sounds like you have blessings that we haven’t had too. I always say that living here comes ‘as a package’. It suits us pretty well, but there are always compromises!
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What a nice variety! How do you prepare the Achocha Bolivian Giant? Of course, I could look it up. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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The fruit tastes like a cucumber when young, so I just cut it up and check for seeds in a salad. When older, the seeds definitely need removing. I left some fruit to get as old as possible to save seed from, but they are still perfectly edible chopped and cooked in a stew, or with mince and tomato sauce. Most of the recipes I’ve found involve stuffing them; you can use them just like a sweet pepper. For me they are much easier to grow, although I will keep trying capiscums.
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That would be neat to try in the garden but I don’t recall seeing them in seed catalogs.
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They are still a bit of an ‘alternative’ vegetable here. From South America, they need a bit of warmth, and are pretty vigorous climbers. I think they are very productive for the effort involved! Being tender annuals they are unlikely to get invasive here, but that would depend on your climate.
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Ooh, I wish I lived closer–I’d love some seeds but I don’t think they’ll be able to make such a long journey! Lupines are my favourite flower of them all:-)
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I’m happy to post if you like! Be aware of any import restriction though.
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Yes, that was my other worry–I can see the headline: “Lupines Confiscated At Border”!
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I think they may be NA natives anyhow, although I may be wrong! These are from the last survivor of my slug deterent experiments, I could do with sowing some more for my own use, since I don’t think the plants are usually that long lived.
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Wow you are so organised! We are totally hopeless in seed saving…. yes, it’s a pity about the border restrictions, but I guess it keeps opportunistic invaders where they belong.
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