Seed saving No. 4 - beetroot and leeks
Finally, some of the biennial crops are starting to develop seed; beetroot and leeks in particular. It feels like a long time ago that I sowed this seed - about 14 months and they finish off my first year of seed saving. Charles Dowding shared an interesting post on instagram about Boltardy beetroot from Kings.
- Joy Simpson By
The wildlife garden May/June
I am not quite sure where April and May went but they do seem to have passed me by. However, I have been busy as have the bees on the phacelia.
This is a buff-tailed bumble bee - it might be a worker because it has a white tail with a buff-coloured stripe at the start of the white.
These bees can be found in many countries because they are used as pollinators in glasshouses. In fact, there are places where it is no longer legal to import them such as Australia as they compete with native bees.
In this post you can read about camouflaging spiders, the best shrubs for pollinators and the flowers that are coming out now on the plot.
- Joy Simpson By
Saving seed update 2
Like everyone I am sure, my windowsills and green house are full to brim with seedlings that are almost ready to go out when this cold spell stops. What I want to do is share some of the seedlings grown from seeds that I collected at the end of last year. Most seed companies do a germination percentage check to ensure that the seed they have will germinate so I wasn't sure whether mine would.
The first saved seeds that I have sown are from the dahlia 'Bright Eyes'. It is a single flower so accessible to bees and other insects. The normal way to create more dahlias is to take cuttings when they start to sprout but I thought I would try seeds. I have no idea whether they will come true so it is a wait and see job.
If you would like some of these seeds, you can reach me via the saving seeds blog. You will need to log in to see the comments and who has what seed.
- Joy Simpson By