Returning seed
Due by 30 November. A packet that did not grow still comes back — tell us what happened.
- 1
Choose
Mark the healthiest plants before harvest starts. Never save from the first plant to bolt.
- 2
Ripen
Leave seed on the plant until pods rattle, heads turn brown or fruit is past eating ripe.
- 3
Clean
Dry seed: rub heads over a sieve and blow off chaff. Wet seed (tomato, cucumber, squash): scoop, rinse, and for tomato ferment 3 days first.
- 4
Dry
7–14 days on paper or a plate, 20–25 °C, out of direct sun. Beans snap rather than bend when dry.
- 5
Label
Variety, year, where grown, number of plants, anything that crossed nearby.
- 6
Return
Paper envelope to the drop box, or in person on the first Sunday of the month.
Easy to save · 22
Self-pollinating annual. Seed ripens the same season. Keep 3 m from other varieties of the same plant.
- Tomato ‘Gardener's Delight’
- Tomato ‘Moneymaker’
- Tomato ‘Black Krim’
- Chilli ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’
- Sweet pepper ‘California Wonder’
- Climbing French bean ‘Blue Lake’
- Dwarf French bean ‘Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco’
- Pea ‘Hurst Green Shaft’
- Pea ‘Kelvedon Wonder’
- Sweet pea ‘Cupani’
- Lettuce ‘Little Gem’
- Lettuce ‘Lollo Rosso’
- Lettuce ‘Winter Density’
- Coriander ‘Leisure’
- Borage ‘Blue’
- Calendula ‘Indian Prince’
- Nasturtium ‘Empress of India’
- Love-in-a-mist ‘Miss Jekyll’
- California poppy ‘Orange’
- Poached egg plant ‘Yellow and white’
- Phacelia ‘Tansy phacelia’
- Forget-me-not ‘Wood’
Moderate to save · 16
Insects cross it with other varieties. Grow one variety, isolate, or bag and hand-pollinate.
- Cucumber ‘Marketmore’
- Courgette ‘Black Beauty’
- Winter squash ‘Uchiki Kuri’
- Butternut squash ‘Waltham’
- Runner bean ‘Scarlet Emperor’
- Broad bean ‘Aquadulce Claudia’
- Rocket ‘Salad rocket’
- Radish ‘French Breakfast’
- Basil ‘Genovese’
- Dill ‘Bouquet’
- Chervil ‘Plain’
- Chives ‘Common’
- Cosmos ‘Purity’
- Sunflower ‘Russian Giant’
- Cornflower ‘Blue Ball’
- Zinnia ‘Envy’
Hard to save · 15
Biennial or wind-pollinated. Seed comes in the second year or needs 20+ plants to stay true.
- Sweetcorn ‘Golden Bantam’
- Spinach ‘Giant Winter’
- Swiss chard ‘Fordhook Giant’
- Kale ‘Cavolo Nero’
- Kale ‘Red Russian’
- Pak choi ‘White stem’
- Carrot ‘Nantes 2’
- Carrot ‘Autumn King 2’
- Beetroot ‘Boltardy’
- Beetroot ‘Chioggia’
- Parsnip ‘Tender and True’
- Leek ‘Musselburgh’
- Onion ‘Ailsa Craig’
- Spring onion ‘White Lisbon’
- Parsley ‘Giant of Italy’
Minimum return per packet
| Crop | Return |
|---|---|
| Beans, peas, broad beans | 30 seeds |
| Squash, courgette, cucumber, sunflower | 20 seeds |
| Tomato, pepper, chilli | 50 seeds |
| Lettuce, rocket, radish, herbs | 1 teaspoon |
| Flowers | 1 teaspoon or 10 heads |
| Unused packet | The packet, unopened or not |
Testing
Ten seeds from each lot go on damp paper for 14 days. Lots under 70% germination are composted, not lent. The grower hears the result.
Drop box
By the Weighhouse door, always open. Returns in person: first Sunday of each month, 11:00–14:00.