Bringing in the seeds

These are the Lancashire Lad x Oregon Sugar Pod F2 seeds from the tall purple mangetout (no. 23) that I raved over a few weeks ago. The pods there are not crispy-dry so there will be a fair bit more seed than you can see in the picture.

I have also saved seeds from no. 24. Interesting that the two tall purple mangetout plants were next to each other. I did sort the seeds for colour and these were both in the light seeded group. They are showing a bit of dimpling which looks more like their Lancashire Dad than their Oregon Mum, my seeds of which are beautifully smooth like those of Goldensweet. I assumed that smooth meant starchy and wrinkled meant sugary but it's obviously not as clear cut as that.

Some of this year's crosses. Top is a few not entirely dry seeds of Magnum Bonum which received Carruthers' Purple Podded pollen. I collected them a bit early because I could see that the pods had tiny holes in - pea moth! I haven't had any problems with the peas I've eaten - I sow early and usually eat my peas before the moth has done the deed. I now have very few peas from this cross. Still - a seed is a seed eh?

On the right (in the pink) is Sugar Snap which has received Goldensweet pollen. On the left, Ezetha's Krombeck has pollinated Goldensweet.

I shall try to find space to grow the F1 of most of these next year. You don't need massive numbers of plants in the F1 generation - a wigwam each should do it. However, the Pea Patch will be mainly filled with the grow-outs of my F3 LLxOSP purple mangetouts.

The theory (and I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, which will save me a lot of time and growing space getting in arse-about on my own) is that I shall grow the F3 generation next year, then in 2012 I'll grow about 20 - 24 seeds from each of the purple podded ones. I am assuming that, unless I'm spectacularly lucky - in which case I may buy my first and only lottery ticket - my purple mangetout will have genes for both purple and green. I don't want the green. Next year I think about a quarter will have 2 genes for purple, a half will have genes for both and another quarter will have 2 for green. I either eliminate the green as soon as I can tell by the lack of colour in the leaf axils (chickens will eat pea foliage!) or I grow them on and eat those. In 2012, if I grow my couple of dozen from each purple podded pea in the F3 generation, I shall fairly soon know which are producing only purple. Any which show a proportion of greens will go out. (Fat hen!) Then, in the F4, I should only be saving seeds from those which produce only purple. I think.

If you know differently, hands up!