Introduction

Hi I’m a new member here at Permies. Came to see if there are some fun seed breeding projects going on, looking to possibly trade. I’m new to landrace gardening and seed breeding, but I’ve saved a few things.

Welcome to Permies!

What kinds of seeds have you saved?  

Welcome to the forum, Bethany!

What kind of experiments are you looking to try?

Do you want to develop seeds for flavor, drought tolerance, or even seeds that like wet feet?

I am really interested in what you want to see happening in seed breeding.

This year I saved seeds from all my squashes, and a Green Sprouting Calabrese broccoli that has lived through two winters. Planning To grow that with more purchased GSC and People Sprouting Broccoli and save more seeds. I don’t have clear goals right now, just saving what I can from plants that survive here, which would mean clay soil, possibly snowy winters and summers with unpleasant heat waves. I will plant outside my deer fence and see what survives there.

I would also liked to develop seeds that store a little longer.

Ooh, broccoli that can live through multiple winters!  That's exactly what I'm trying to grow.  I'm in zone 7b.  I see you're in zone 8, which is close.  Your seeds might work well for me.  How heat tolerant were they when the summer months came along?  Do they have any drought tolerance that you know of?

I live in Utah, in the middle of a desert, so I'm careful with water.  I highly favor drought tolerance in my warm weather crops, and I highly favor cold tolerance in my cool weather crops, because I'd like to be able to grow them through the winter, taking advantage of the only season where I have abundant water (a.k.a. snow).  Squashes do well for me.  What kinds of squashes do you grow?

I store my seeds in the refrigerator, so I've never had to be overly concerned with how long they're viable.  Just by keeping them there, it doubles their storage life, or more than doubles it.  I planted ten-year-old squash seeds this year that sprouted just as happily as the new ones.

Bethany Brown wrote:Hi I’m a new member here at Permies. Came to see if there are some fun seed breeding projects going on, looking to possibly trade. I’m new to landrace gardening and seed breeding, but I’ve saved a few things.

Hi and welcome Bethany,

looks like you do a good start because people usually save seeds from successful harvests and favorite food.
Then seed it out again and a bee accidentally crossbreed them with neighbors success plant and the offspring might have developed properties that beat anything else around regarding pests, diseases, growth and harvest.
Here you go, many Landraces have been developed this way. You never know what comes before you not have tried the seeds.  

If you asks here at permies specifically about your favorites, you will get a lot of useful info and replies and also people might guide you to an abundant harvest if one of your favorites fail.

Good luck and if you develop a tropical heat resistant potato let me know, after 20 years Thailand I still miss my spuds...  

Emily, I’m still learning how this site works, not sure how to reply directly. The variety of broccoli is Green Sprouting Calabrese. I planted in spring of 2020, it was still alive up to a few days ago. We had a major ice storm this morning, so we shall see. This broccoli survived our heat wave of 2020 also, multiple days over 115 degrees. The original broccoli had a baby which grows in the same bed. I think it self seeded in 2021. I did save seeds, commingled, from both plants. But I haven’t tested germination. I’ve since learned that brassicas are difficult because they won’t produce viable seed with pollen from a close relative. Also, I did nothing to isolate the plants, so seeds may be crossed with other brassicas.

That sounds like an awesome broccoli!

Crossing is totally fine with me.  Landraces are best for most crops, and all the more so for self-incompatible species.  I currently have four brussels sprouts plants and eleven kohlrabi plants overwintering right next to each other that I'm hoping will survive and set seeds for me.  Clearly I don't mind crossing!  ;P